Brother Glowacz had the following experience. After his arrest he was questioned in the office of the SS. Before him on a table were a nice loaf of white bread, some sausage and pears. If the Witness was ready to talk, he would be able to eat to his heart’s content. If not, the worst treatment would be inflicted on him. When Brother Glowacz told the questioner that he would act according to the principle stated by the apostle Peter in Acts 5:29: “We must obey God as ruler rather than men,” the Nazi became white with rage and shouted, “All right, you will go to prison until your beard is as long as that of the apostle Peter!” And that is what happened. The brother stayed in prison for nine months, without being allowed to shave.

LIFE IN THE CONCENTRATION CAMPS

Brothers Hankus, Michiels, Floryn and Glowacz were taken to different prisons and concentration camps, one of which was situated near Strasbourg. There, for the least little thing they were beaten incessantly, either with a stick or with a whip. The SS called the Witnesses dogs from heaven. Food was reduced to a strict minimum. Yet they were required to do the strenuous work of widening roads, using the most primitive tools. Included in this work was the loading of small wagons with stones and then pushing the wagons along the rails to the required position. Sometimes a wagon went off the rails and the Kommando-Führer (chief of a group of guards) would keep the other prisoners at a distance while forcing just the four brothers to put the wagon back on the rails—that in spite of the fact that it weighed more than a ton!

One day a brother heard a corporal say to the Kommando-Führer: “They really are a strange people, those Bibelforscher [Bible Students]; the other prisoners, physically stronger, die like flies, while they carry on, full of strength. I think Jehovah helps them!”

TESTED REGARDING NEUTRALITY EVEN IN THE CAMPS

Brother Glowacz relates an experience that he lived through while at Buchenwald: “As a test on the Witnesses, we were ordered to report to the weapons factory Kommando (working group) to be put to work in the manufacture of arms. After roll call the next morning all the brothers refused to join themselves to the Kommando. Appearing before the camp commandant, a brother explained that they would accept any work in the camp except that of making arms. In a violent rage the commandant ordered the SS to take all of us to the execution site and to place the machine guns in firing position. This was done.

“Then the commandant said: ‘Think carefully and then tell me whether you accept this task, yes or no. If you refuse, I will give the order for all of you to be shot.’ He repeated his threat, but all of us stayed unperturbed, without moving, not saying a word. Seeing that he would get nothing from us, he changed his tactics and said: ‘Hitler is a very compassionate man; he does not want you to be shot. Each one of you will continue with his former work.’”

[Picture on page 95]

Brother Glowacz, one of the Witnesses threatened with execution while in Buchenwald for refusing to work in the manufacture of arms