Part 2: Chapters 13, 14 and 15 Summary and Analysis

The weather turns sharply colder as the girls march on. The girls have covered at least five hundred kilometers in the two months they have marched. They pass by many bombed out German cities, and finally arrive at Camp Helmbrechts. The girls are relieved to see that there are live people and no furnaces apparent at the camp. They are forced to strip to their shoes. Their clothes are replaced with still wet clothing that have been dipped in a solution said to kill vermin. The barracks have a dirt floor and the fence is equipped with electric wire. The food is meager and the beatings are frequent. More girls are dying off.

One night a girl that Gerda knew from Bolkenhain rouses Gerda from sleep. After a short time, Gerda can tell that the girl has...