Dachau: April 29, 1945

A white flag of surrender to the 42nd Infantry Division, United States 7th Army, over Himmler's self-described "first concentration camp for political prisoners." Later fitted with gas chambers and ovens.

A survivor's account.

Brigadier General Henning Linden reported this:

As we moved down along the west side of the concentration camp and approached the southwest corner, three people approached down the road under a flag of truce. We met these people about 75 yards north of the southwest entrance to the camp. These three people were a Swiss Red Cross representative and two SS troopers who said they were the camp commander and assistant camp commander and that they had come into the camp on the night of the 28th to take over from the regular camp personnel for the purpose of turning the camp over to the advancing Americans. The Swiss Red Cross representative acted as interpreter and stated that there were about 100 SS guards in the camp who had their arms stacked except for the people in the tower. He said he had given instructions that there would be no shots fired and it would take about 50 men to relieve the guards, as there were 42,000 half-crazed prisoners of war in the camp, many of them typhus infected. He asked if I were an officer of the American army, to which I replied, "Yes, I am Assistant Division Commander of the 42nd Division and will accept the surrender of the camp in the name of the Rainbow Division for the American army.

Liberated on this day, 67 years ago. After 31,000 people were murdered there. Which makes me pretty unconcerned about the reports of 7th Army soldiers executing prison guards.

I mean, I'd like to be polite and sorta care, except I'm not going to.

via Texas Red on Twitter

posted by Dave In Texas at 08:41 PM

| Access Comments