
Hell Before Their Very Eyes
American Soldiers Liberate Concentration Camps in Germany, April 1945
- English
- ePUB (mobile friendly)
- Available on iOS & Android
Hell Before Their Very Eyes
American Soldiers Liberate Concentration Camps in Germany, April 1945
About this book
The life-altering experiences of the American soldiers who liberated three Nazi concentration camps.
On April 4, 1945, United States Army units from the 89th Infantry Division and the 4th Armored Division seized Ohrdruf, the first of many Nazi concentration camps to be liberated in Germany. In the weeks that followed, as more camps were discovered, thousands of soldiers came face to face with the monstrous reality of Hitler's Germany.
These men discovered the very depths of human-imposed cruelty and depravity: railroad cars stacked with emaciated, lifeless bodies; ovens full of incinerated human remains; warehouses filled with stolen shoes, clothes, luggage, and even eyeglasses; prison yards littered with implements of torture and dead bodies; andâperhaps most disturbing of allâthe half-dead survivors of the camps. For the American soldiers of all ranks who witnessed such powerful evidence of Nazi crimes, the experience was life altering. Almost all were haunted for the rest of their lives by what they had seen, horrified that humans from ostensibly civilized societies were capable of such crimes.
Military historian John C. McManus sheds new light on this often-overlooked aspect of the Holocaust. Drawing on a rich blend of archival sources and thousands of firsthand accountsâincluding unit journals, interviews, oral histories, memoirs, diaries, letters, and published recollectionsâHell Before Their Very Eyes focuses on the experiences of the soldiers who liberated Ohrdruf, Buchenwald, and Dachau and their determination to bear witness to this horrific history.
Frequently asked questions
- Essential is ideal for learners and professionals who enjoy exploring a wide range of subjects. Access the Essential Library with 800,000+ trusted titles and best-sellers across business, personal growth, and the humanities. Includes unlimited reading time and Standard Read Aloud voice.
- Complete: Perfect for advanced learners and researchers needing full, unrestricted access. Unlock 1.4M+ books across hundreds of subjects, including academic and specialized titles. The Complete Plan also includes advanced features like Premium Read Aloud and Research Assistant.
Please note we cannot support devices running on iOS 13 and Android 7 or earlier. Learn more about using the app.
Information
Table of contents
- Cover
- Halftitle Page
- Title Page
- Copyright Page
- Dedication Page
- Contents
- Preface
- Acknowledgments
- Prologue: Germany, April 1945
- 1 Encountering Ohrdruf
- 2 âThe Smell of Death Was Thick in the Airâ: Witnessing Buchenwald
- 3 Treating Buchenwald: Medicine and Murrow
- 4 Dachau: The Approach
- 5 âMy Heart Was Going a Mile a Minuteâ: Liberating Dachau
- 6 Dachau: The Impact
- Epilogue
- Notes
- Suggested Further Reading
- Index