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Testimony of: Sgt. Robert Killiam (Contd)

644 A Yes, sir.

645 Q Tell me in your own words what you know about the capture of this tower and what happened there?

A Well, sir, I can't tell you too much about the tower. After we first reached the main gate to the pen proper they had assembled there around 35 to 40 German prisoners, and the political prisoners were trying to get to these German guards so the Colonel told me to take them out to the main gate of the main camp, assemble them out there and shake them down. I stayed with them out there ten to fifteen minutes making sure that they were under proper guard and I returned to the gate to the pen and that must have been after the firing from the tower took place, although I did hear about it.

646 Q Did you go down to this tower after your return from taking these prisoners out?

A No, sir, I did not.

647 Q No shooting occurred in that direction after you returned?

A Yes, sir, after my return there was some firing then directed up through the moat. I don't know who was firing but I am pretty sure it was the German guards firing a machine gun and also a couple of platoons, I don't know how many exactly, of the 45th Division were coming up through the camp on our left flank. I don't know what they were doing, they were firing in motion seemed to be and when the Germans saw that they were firing in motion they started firing, too.

648 Q Did you see any German firing?

A No, sir, I could not positively identify it as German, but I heard quite a bit of it.

649 Q Did you see the bodies down by this tower?

A The German guards?

650 Q Yes?

A Yes, sir, I did.

651 Q Did you go down there before they were killed?

A No, sir, I did not go down past the gates at all.

652 Q Did you see the German soldiers who were taken from this tower before they were killed?

A No, sir, I did not.

653 Q When you did see their bodies how many bodies were there?

A I would say between five and seven.

654 Q How soon after their death was that?

A It was immediately after their death I would say.

655 Q Can you give me the names of American soldiers who were there at the time of the death of these Germans?

A No, sir, not positively, because I was gone with the Germans taking them to the gate and I missed out on most of that and I can't give you that.

656 Q Were these bodies when you saw them all together in a row or what?

A No, sir, they were in the water.

657 Q Did you see any on the ground at all?

A No, sir, I don't believe I did.

658 Q Did you shoot at any Germans that day?

A No, sir, I did not.