us-005578-irn1004838
type: RecordSet
biographical history: Licco Max Haim (1910-2002), an amateur filmmaker, was asked by the military commander of the 4th Construction Company of the 1st (Jewish) Labor Battalion to make a film of their activities and deliver it to him. Licco did so, but managed to hide one 8mm roll (Film ID 4115), shot in the summer of 1941 to build a road in Lakatnik as part of the forced labor battalion. Most of the Jewish men in the unit had resided in Sofia, mostly in the neighborhood of Iuchbunar. After the summer of 1941, Licco was summoned to work on the repair of cars in Sofia, as he was expert as a mechanic. He married Berta on December 18, 1941.
date: Summer 1941
has or had holder: us-005578
has or had identifier: 2
has or had identifier: 1
has or had some members with language: Silent
has record set type: Item
identifier: irn1004838
note: Refer to USHMM files for a detailed article describing the history of this forced labor battalion by Steven Sage.
note: Eleven additional 8mm family films form part of this Licco Max Haim Collection under Film ID 4122 to 4129 and 4136 to 4137.
note: In early March 1941, Bulgaria joined the Axis alliance and, in April 1941, participated in the German-led attack on Yugoslavia and Greece. In return, Bulgaria received German authorization to occupy most of Greek Thrace, Yugoslav Macedonia, and Pirot County in eastern Serbia. Beginning in July 1940, Bulgarian authorities instituted anti-Jewish legislation that excluded Jews from public service, restricted their choice of places of residence, and restricted their participation in many occupations. However, during the war, German-allied Bulgaria did not deport Jews from the core provinces of Bulgaria. All male Bulgarian Jews were sent to forced labor camps in Bulgaria to build roads and bridges. In 1941, the Bulgarian military oversaw the labor camps and under their rule the treatment of Jewish nationals was harsh, but not completely unhuman. Males aged 20-46 were drafted. Later, the security forces took over managing the labor camps, and conditions worsened. Still, most of Bulgaria's Jews survived the war; in fact, the Jewish population remained the same as it was in 1939 (roughly 50,000), though almost 90% left the country by 1950.
scope and content: Jewish forced laborers as part of the Bulgarian Army, First (Jewish) Labor Battalion, 4th Construction Company carry heavy buckets and receive food rations in Lakatnik, near Gara Bov, 40km northeast of Sofia, Bulgaria. They wear standard labor soldier's uniforms and hats. The laborers eat in a mountainous region by a river. 01:00:41 VAR shots, tools (shovels and axes) are distributed and the men march off to work. 01:01:28 Two Bulgarian officers review drawings and survey the land. Laborers build in the mountains according to the plans. Barely-dressed men at work, digging and clearing area with wheelbarrows. 01:03:09 Bulgarian military leader blows whistle for a break; the laborers rest and smoke. Military leader barks orders. Pan, LS of Jewish laborers. 01:05:00 MS, bare-shirted men at work and breaking for a meal. 01:05:39 A horse-drawn carriage proceeds under a sign in Bulgarian for the First (Jewish) Labor Battalion, 4th Construction Company and across a bridge. Large group of workers unload lunch from the cart and eat. 01:06:07 The Jewish laborers bathe in the river and bask in the sun. 01:06:26 Other types of labor, including iron-workers and machinery, a woodshop, and chopping wood. 01:07:09 WS, laborers on mountainside in Bulgaria. The forced workers move large pieces of rock and operate a large drill. CUs of the engine used to detonate rock. 01:08:25 Side view of a man smoking a pipe and waving his cap. 01:08:35 Back at the camp, an acrobatic family performs for the laborers on Family Day, when visitors were allowed to the camp. The men applaud; some play musical instruments. A couple does a traditional dance.
title: Forced labor battalion in Lakatnik, Bulgaria, Summer 1941