“We heard the Americans and the British were bombing Germany. We didn’t care if they hit us.

“On May 2, 1945, the German guards started evacuating in trucks and on foot. Prisoners broke into the armory, opened the gates, and started running around with rifles. It was total chaos. I was laughing hysterically.

“A jeep with American soldiers approached our camp, Wöbbelin, near Ludwigslust. When they saw what was happening, they left and later returned in a tank. I was liberated that day by the Americans.

“I was 14 years old.”