The fateful events recounted in The Sower begin in an obscure town about 40 miles northeast of Schwarzenfeld. Its name is Flossenbürg.
Flossenbürg is famous for two things. It is home to the ruins of a medieval castle that dates back to 1100 AD. It also shares a grim history along with German towns like Dachau, Oranienburg, Bergen, and Ravensbrück. It hosted a concentration camp where 30,000 people died—including theologian Dietrich Bonhoeffer.
While my family and I were researching historical events behind The Sower, we crossed paths with a man who survived the brutality of the camp: Mark Stern. The third child and youngest son of Jakub and Erna Stern, he was born in 1923 and grew up in Krakow, Poland. The world turned hostile with Hitler’s invasion of the country in September 1941, and within a staggeringly short time, he found himself entangled in the dark world of ghettos and forced labor. By April 1944, Mark arrived in Flossenbürg. In the grip of unimaginable suffering, he survived by reciting a prayer learned in childhood, one that bolstered his faith and empowered him with a hope in a future beyond the darkness of the camp.
In 1995 he penned a memoir, Shema: Secret of My Survival, and within its pages he describes his experiences in detail. Chapter three contains vivid descriptions of Flossenbürg—and the events of this morning, April 16, eighty years ago. I want to honor Mark Stern by sharing this passage from his memoirs.
“One day in the early Spring of 1945, we heard gunfire and knew that the [American] front was approaching. They announced at roll call that we were to be evacuated from Flossenbürg. At the gate each prisoner received a handful of grain, which would be our food during the transport. I saved it, and was glad to have it since this was the only food I received for the next few days. We marched to the railroad station in columns guarded by German capos and SS soldiers equipped with machine guns.
“They put us in the box cars again to take us deeper into Germany. There were about 14,000 inmates who were still alive. Each box car held about 60 men. We had just left the Floss railroad station when we heard American planes shooting overhead, wrongly presuming that it was a military transport. The SS men jumped from the train and went running in different directions, hiding from the planes. Some prisoners were killed by the SS guards as they tried to escape…”
—Mark Stern, Shema: Secret of My Survival, Chapter IV: Liberation 1945, p. 59
Unbeknownst to Mark and his fellow prisoners, the SS have a directive from Heinrich Himmler to evacuate inmates from the camp—especially Jews—to prevent their liberation. Not a single prisoner must fall alive into enemy hands.
The train they have boarded is headed for Dachau. However, it will never reach its destination. Fateful events are destined to occur in the train station of a remote Bavarian farm town.
That town is Schwarzenfeld.
Useful reminders
This post is part of a month-long series reflecting upon historical events that contributed to my debut historical fiction novel, The Sower of Black Field. Visit the “Latest News” area on my website for a recap »
The Sower of Black Field is available in paperback, eBook / Kindle, and audiobook on Amazon. Get your copy »
This post includes an excerpt from Mark Stern’s memoirs, Shema: Secret of My Survival. Sadly, the memoir is out of print, but contact me if you have an interest in reading it. You can find details about Stern’s memoir on Google Books »
