From 1922 to 1928, the author lived in Berlin. Pogroms at the Grenadierstrasse, a district mostly inhabited by Polish Jews; the “Reichsbund Judischer Frontsoldaten” to which the author belonged, together with members of the SPD, tried to help (p.1). Jiu-Jitsu champion (p.1-2). In the year 1928, the author got a job in a big department store in Potsdam (Lindemann); in 1932, he was sent as a manager to Annaberg i.Erzgeb. and shortly afterwards to Plauen; antisemitism in both places; at Plauen radical political demonstrations, Nazis and Communists fighting the SPD (p.2). But the situation proved to be much worse for the Jews in Königsberg i.Pr., in 1933 (p.2-3). The author kept his job, but was persecuted until an S.A. man became the surveyor who happened to have been his schoolmate (p.4). The danger of saluting and not saluting the Nazi-flag (p.4-5). Dismissal; removal to Berlin in March 1937 (p.1, 5). “Umschulung” (p.5). On 2 April 1938, arrested, because his brother had given him up, obviously he had been threatened and ill-treated; after 3 years in prison, the brother was deported to Poland and never heard of afterwards (p.3, 6-7, 11); the author was released, on 1 October 1938. Adventurous flight at a Siberian temperature to Holland and back! (p.7-9). “Umschulung” again, this time for agriculture with a view to emigrate to the Philippines, but like all his other attempts to get away, this plan came to nothing, as the War broke out.

Labour exchange for Jews, fontane-promenade (p.10). Mixed marriage: the author's “Aryan” wife who had become a Jewess had to divorce him, in order not to endanger him and their son by her refusal (p.2, 11-12).

In 1942, forced labour at the machine-factory of Klüssendorf, Spandau; during a devastating raid, the author understood that the time had come for him to go into hiding (p.12); on the same day already, his home was sealed up.

Illegal life with the help of Communist acquaintances and all the time with his wife's assistance. Pankow, Rüdnitz (p.13, 15).- The author's mother was taken to Theresienstadt, at the age of 76 (p.13). Siemensstadt (p.15).

Non-Jews helping Jews: Mrs Rose, the lodger, took no offence, when she discovered the author in his wife's flat, as she sympathised with the “Bibelforscher” (p.16-17); Mrs Lindemann, instead of denouncing him on the same occasion, helped out with ration-cards (p.17); the tailor Hoffmann, his wife's employer, offered them accommodation after their house was bombed and he had a miraculous escape; he also helped them to get a new one-room flat (p.18). More heavy air-raids without shelter; 4,500 planes over Berlin, the whole Frankfurter Allee in raging flames; despair and suicide-plans (p.20). Another air-raid took a wall out of their room (p.20).

Refuge at Schöneweide with Herr Niesa who had been a political prisoner; he was ill, but respected as a very good mechanic; in the end, he had a narrow escape, when everybody else under police supervision was shot. At the Wuhlheide, the S.A. hanged a number of elderly soldiers of the Territorial Reserve, because they refused to go on with the fight (p.21).