Libuše Audrlická

Girls, look what’s happening! There were Jews there for forced labour; one of them broke down and the guard, perhaps one of the better ones, sent two healthy ones who dragged him away. And we looked on. And then – horrible screaming; I will never forget it. Dogs tore all three of them apart. Alsatians. It was just horrible. We couldn’t sleep for a long time after that.

(You described the ruckus when the famous singer came.) Yes, Edith Piaf. She wasn’t so famous yet, but they went crazy – she’s coming to sing for us. She wasn’t that famous then. But later when her book came out and I said that I had talked to her in person, they would tell me: ‘Libuše, don’t tell us nonsense...’ So I would answer: ‘You can read for yourselves.’ Really, she came to the French camp and sang. They gave her tables in the dining room; she was small so she sang on the tables. Back then I was used to different singing, not her style. She sang French chansons but I was used to light operas and such. That was a huge difference, so I didn’t like her much. But we understood some [French] by then, so she told us to be nice to their boys. (The performance: You mentioned that it was long, that the performance was short but then the parting...) Yes, they wouldn’t let her go. She had to talk to everyone; you know, a woman came, a Frenchwoman – and she was capable of anything. I don’t know if she had someone there, perhaps not, but she could talk to them and make them happy. So that was the renowned Edith Piaf, everybody knows her. (You also mentioned her secretary who photographed some of the prisoners.) Yes, she did. And she took care and photographed them, a group, and then she liked one of them so she said, I’ll photograph you, okay? That’s the way it was. I learned of it all, they told me. Someone disappeared and they asked me: ‘Libuše, is anyone missing?’ There were not that many of them, and just a few of us girls, and I said, ‘No’. And they said that the singer who had been there photographed them; they allowed her to. And then she sent them forged documents and they went away.