The Day the War Ended, 2

[brotherguy]

My father by this together in 1995; now, on the 70th anniversary, he's emailed it around to his family and friends. I may have posted it before, but I think it deserves a wide audience...

-The fighting and dying in Europe went on for nine days more, but at Stalag VIIA, April 29, 1945, was -

The Day The War Ended

David Westhelmer, krlegieWe began

Comments

[apostle_of_eris]

A detail I only just learned, that won't let go of my memory: When the Americans liberated the survivors of the death camps, Gen. Patton wouldn't inspect them because it made him so sick.

[hartree]

On this same day, 29 April, Dachau was liberated. My father was a medic in 42nd ID and the medical battalion he was in set up just outside Dachau soon after. He went inside and said he could remember walking up to the gates, and after he had gotten back out (including some of the human skeleton prisoners that were by now outside) but he couldn't remember what he'd seen inside.

This was a combat medic who had spent the previous several months hauling people off battlefields and before that had worked in hospitals.

I can't imagine what it must have been like to be so terrible that he blotted it out.

[themis1]

I had no idea the number of prisoners was so high.

[gerisullivan]

Thank you for posting this!

[marina_bonomi]

Thank you for this, to you and your father both. :)

[beamjockey]

Also good: Joe Consolmagno's personal account of 29 April.