Pills to Keep Going

The need and the temporary situation determined whether we would drive. We could not use the vehicles’ headlights because of the danger from night-fighter planes, which in the dark could see the headlights but not the buses’ white color, red crosses, or flags. And they fired at anything visible on the roads or on the ground.

At dusk or in moonlight, even the off-duty driver, if there was one, had to help by pressing his face against the windshield to watch the road. When the light was no longer sufficient, the convoy had to stop, if possible at the side of the road. The driver would turn off the engine, fall asleep in the driver’s seat until woken, then start the engine and continue the journey.

To reduce the risk of falling asleep while driving, caffeine tablets were initially distributed as needed, but their effect was quite short-lived, and afterward one became even sleepier. Therefore, they later switched to phenamine tablets [amphetamine], and their effect was remarkable. After a single small tablet, one became alert and awake no matter how tired one had been beforehand, and the effect lasted for several hours.

But when the mission was completed and there was an opportunity to rest and sleep, one could then sleep for up to a full day straight. Since I was also the mechanic for our group of four buses, I often had to fix minor faults on them during stops. It was tough.