Episode 188: The Unveiling of Nazi Germany

In Spring of 1945, the detailed horror of what the Nazi's did in Germany and inside the concentration camps was revealed to the public. Before this period many people didn't know the extent of situation. The concentration camps became referred to as "Murder Mills" and even war veterans like General Eisenhower and Patton who saw thousands of deaths said they could barely stomach the site of what had taken place.

Episode Transcript

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Welcome to World War Two chronicles aweekly tribute to America's fighting men and women
in commemoration of the Second World War. These programs are narrated by ed Hrlahy
and are based on the news broadcastsof the war period from the recorded sound
collection of the National Archives in Washington, d C. Weeks and months after

(00:27):
the German concentration camps and all atrocitieswithin were revealed to the world in the
spring of nineteen forty five, manycontinued to struggle with the horror. Even
America's top breast wasn't prepared for whatit saw in the torture gallows, with
heaps of charred human bodies and limepits overflowing with corpses, head camp orders,

(00:49):
the murder mill at order brings outthe full horror and bestiality of the
Nazi scum and generalizing horror. Aman hardened by the blood and shock of
war seems a poe that these unbelievablesights. Accompanied by General Bradley on his
revolting mission and also by General Patton. Heart boiled yet visibly moved, the
Supreme Commander seized demonstrations of the tortureranks. Most camp officers fled before the

(01:15):
advancing allies, but some fell intoour hands, and with townsfolk are forced
to witness the devil's work of themen they should be ashamed to call countrymen.
Protected by gas masks, grave diggersopened stinking tombs at the converted insane
asylum Hadamar. They learned that somethirty five thousand political prisoners had been killed

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there. Most were poisoned. Americanofficers rounded up civilians and forced them to
atone in a small degree for whattheir countrymen had done. Protesting with the
stench of death in their nostrils,they were forced to remove the victims to
a hillside grave for petter burial.The German civilians carried the corpses with their
bare hands. At another camp involvedtwenty one thousand prisoners, resembling breathing skeletons

(02:04):
were hauled into ambulances for possible treatment. Rescuers saw large tattooed numbers on their
sunken stomachs. Others fortunes were betterlike this GI, describing his liberation from
Belson, well, I was abig deal. I was playing on the
second floor land. I saw thefirst gar come into the gate there,
and I stood that tears of eyesso happy a spacess, and they ran

(02:25):
around and told boys and bed therethat the gazer healing. I ran dan
frat by the cigarettes and candy,help them a spaces and stood that tears
of my eyes when it's own hecamp shook my hand. We hugged each
other, and that's saw the stepis the boys really rejoous. Some newly
emancipated prisoners took over the SS canteenat the camp and thrilled rescuers by playing

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God Saved the King on a ricketyout of tune piano, I'm in Hurley,
he join me next time for WorldWar Two Chronicles. World War Two

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Chronicles was produced by the American VeteransCenter and Radio America in cooperation with the
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