Concentration Camp Liberators Gather in Washington

Washington Post ^ | Thursday, April 15, 2010 | Annie Gowen

[Shaun_MD]

Have you ever heard of the Dachau Death Train and the 45th Thunderbird Division?

[John-Irish]

God Bless him. Go in peace Old Soldier and thank you for my freedom.

[Guenevere]

never forget

[Psycho_Bunny]

Interestingly enough, my brother and I were staying in Munich and decided to head up to Dachau. After going through the camp, we drove to the town and were walking around the Dachau altstadt having the "how on earth did these people descend into the madness of the Holocaust?" conversation.

About then we passed a taxidermist store that was full of the most bizarre nonsense I've ever seen: the owner was doing things like putting a bats head on a ducks body with squirrel arms and rabbits feet.

We stood there a second and my brother said "Oh." To which I replied, "Ok. There's a problem here."

[Shaun_MD]

When I was a young man, my father told me the stories of Dachau and the trains. He later told me a story of how the US Army took revenge on some of the SS Guards at one of the camps, although he was never sure exactly where. A few years ago I found the following web page.

http://www.scrapbookpages.com/DachauScrapbook/DachauLiberation/DeathTrain.html

If you go there, be warned. the pics are extremely graphic.

[John-Irish]

“Never forget’’. And never forgive.

[Psycho_Bunny]

Ya....I saw all I needed to see when I was there. The exhibition is very graphic.

Although, the image most seared into my mind was the cell block in of the main building. The public's not allowed in, and there's no lighting. You're just looking down a long hall with sunlight creeping in through the cell doors.

It made the hairs stand on the back of my neck. You could almost hear the screaming and misery.

[Shaun_MD]

Knowing what took place there, I don’t know if I could go.

[OregonPatriot2010]

Never forget...never forgive.....never again

[freekitty]

I don’t even remember reading this article or posting anything?

[Shaun_MD]

Never become complacent, never turn a blind eye.

[ncfool]

Were they based in Ft. Campbell KY. My dad a Jewish War veteran was there outside the camps in 1945.

There is a great museum in DC. Jewish war veterans. Worth seeing as is the Holocaust Museum.

Never again!

[Hush44]

http://www.ushmm.org/wlc/en/article.php?ModuleId=10006161

List/info of the several units who are recognized by the Holocaust Memorial Museum...their unit flags fly there.

My Dad’s 14th Armored liberated several Dachau subcamps. Sadly, I didn’t discover that until after he had died, and went through his things, and did some research.

Never forget.

~Kate

[hstacey]

May God bless those heroic men...A special place in heaven for all of them..

[ncfool]

http://www.ushmm.org/wlc/en/article.php?ModuleId=10006151

The 20th Armored Division disembarked at the French port of Le Havre in February 1945. In April, the division moved through Belgium and into Germany. Later that month, the 20th advanced deep into Bavaria, crossing the Danube River and capturing the city of Munich on April 30, 1945. The end of hostilities found this tank division in Austria.

On April 29, 1945, the 20th Armored Division was one of three U.S. Army divisions to take part in the liberation of the Dachau concentration camp.

The 20th Armored Division was recognized as a liberating unit by the U.S. Army's Center of Military History and the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum in 1985.

Casualty figures for the 20th Armored Division, European theater of operations Total battle casualties: 186 Total deaths in battle: 59

Division nickname Although no nickname is commonly associated with the 20th, "Armoraiders" may have been occasionally in use during World War II.

[ncfool]

http://www.ushmm.org/wlc/en/article.php?ModuleId=10006151