One story that Henry related to me during his indoctrination to Auschwitz was a recitation of the German Milestones of Freedom. At the time he told me these were veeeery famous. Yet I had great difficulty finding any mention of them on other documents or first-person accounts.
I don’t know if these were only explained to political prisoners or not, but I was thoroughly pleased to locate a single photograph of the milestones in the USHMM photo archives. I’ve discovered that if possible, it’s always better to visit a source research source. In the case of the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum, that means that 20% of the photos in their collection are not on the Internet. I could only have found what I did is by coming in person.
The English translation is:
“There is one way to Liberty: Obedience, diligence, honesty, order, cleanliness, sense of sacrifice, moderation, truth, and love for your Fatherland.”
Unfortunately, the photo that shows the milesones sign is photographed at Sachsenhausen, and is owned by Sueddeutscher Verlag Bilderdienst in Brandenberg and can’t be used without their express written permission, which I have to respect.