Buchenwald Liberated: America Uncovers the Holocaust's Horrors
American troops of the 6th Armored Division and the 80th Infantry Division liberated Buchenwald concentration camp on April 11, 1945, finding 21,000 starving survivors among piles of corpses. The camp, located near Weimar, had processed an estimated 250,000 prisoners since 1937, killing 56,000 through execution, medical experiments, forced labor, and deliberate starvation. General Eisenhower ordered every American soldier in the area to visit the camp, saying he wanted firsthand witnesses in case anyone ever claimed it did not happen. He also brought journalists and members of Congress. The footage and photographs from Buchenwald became central evidence at the Nuremberg trials and shaped the world's understanding of the Holocaust.
April 11, 1945
81 years ago
Key Figures & Places
World War II
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Buchenwald
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concentration camp
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Buchenwald concentration camp
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World War II
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Buchenwald concentration camp
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Neumarkt in der Oberpfalz
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Geschichte der Stadt Neumarkt in der Oberpfalz
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Widerstand im KZ Buchenwald
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KZ Mittelbau-Dora
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Nordhausen
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Łódź
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Wartheland
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Deutsche Besetzung Polens 1939–1945
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Karl Litzmann
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Geschichte der Stadt Łódź
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