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Charles S. Holocaust testimony (HVT-4445) interviewed by David Herman,

Oral History | Digitized | Fortunoff Collection ID: HVT-4445

Overview

Summary: Videotape testimony of Charles S., who was born in 1917 and served in the military police of the British army during World War II. He recounts the Normandy landing, moving through Belgium and Holland, and entering Germany; volunteering to enter Bergen-Belsen; observing thousands of bodies and prisoners wandering aimlessly; assisting to organize burial of the dead, whose decomposing bodies could be smelled over a mile away; compelling local Germans to assist; convincing survivors he was Jewish by speaking Yiddish with them; moving everyone to a nearby tank training facility; burning the concentration camp to prevent the spread of disease; assisting in the arrest of Irma Grese by finding survivors who had witnessed her crimes; taking items of murdered prisoners from storage as souvenirs; the British rabbi organizing services for Shavuot; and returning home in the fall. Mr. S. shows photographs.
Author/Creator: S., Charles, 1917-
Published: London, England : British Video Archive for Holocaust Testimonies, 1993
Interview Date: February 24, 1993.
Cite As: Charles S. Holocaust Testimony (HVT-4445). Fortunoff Video Archive for Holocaust Testimonies, Yale University Library.

Physical Details

Language: English
Copies: 2 copies: 3/4 in. dub; and 1/2 in. VHS with time coding.
Physical Description: 1 videorecording (42 min.) : col

Keywords & Subjects

Subjects (Local Yale): Liberator.
Postwar experiences.
Subjects: Video tapes. Men. Holocaust, Jewish (1939-1945)--Personal narratives. World War, 1939-1945--Personal narratives, British. World War, 1939-1945--Participation, British. World War, 1939-1945--Participation, Jewish. Oral histories (document genres) S., Charles,--1917- Grese, Irma,--1923-1945. Bergen-Belsen (Concentration camp)

Administrative Notes

Holder of Originals: Fortunoff Video Archive for Holocaust Testimonies
Special Collection: Fortunoff Video Archive for Holocaust Testimonies

Link to Yale University Library Catalog:: http://hdl.handle.net/10079/bibid/10480510
Record last modified:: 2018-05-29 11:53:00
This page:: http://collections.ushmm.org/search/catalog/hvt10480510

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