July 8
I woke up in the morning with a strong headache and stomachache. I ran to a latrine, seasick for the second time. It lasted about 2 hours. Half a cup of good coffee put my stomach in order.
At about 7 we approached a forested coast and arrived in the port of Toulon. It offered a little more certainty—when you are on the sea and see nothing but water all around, it seems that the ship is not moving and you can never get out of those waters. There were festungs[1] and lighthouses on both sides. There was a large Red Cross hospital ship in the port, a warship, 5 monitors, and some submarines. Right at the pier there were 5 huge steamers, high as 6-story houses and as long as a street. The people on them looked like ants on a railway car. We got bread.
At half past seven we got off and went through a cordon of French soldiers, all youngsters aged about 17. Their uniforms were dark blue; their officers' were colored the same as our field uniforms, and higher ranks had white cloth uniforms.
We got on 2nd class railway coaches elegantly outfitted with plush seats. It's always 9 prisoners and 1 soldier. Well, being a soldier, I hadn't traveled in such a luxury so far! What a difference—2nd class or cattle van! The soldiers are smart—they bring water to our
- ↑ fortifications
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