Skip to main content

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:: https://collections.ushmm.org/search/catalog/hvt10480510

Additional Resources

Librarian View

Download & Licensing

Terms of Use
This record is digitized but cannot be downloaded online.

In-Person Research

Request Access from Yale University Libraries

Requires Yale University Libraries Permission
Accessing Fortunoff interviews
Log in to Request and View
About the Fortunoff Archive

Once requests are approved, you must be at a Fortunoff Access Site to view the testimony.

Contact Us

Give Feedback

Learn About the Holocaust

These additional online resources from the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum will help you learn more about the Holocaust and research your family history.

Holocaust Encyclopedia

The Holocaust Encyclopedia provides an overview of the Holocaust using text, photographs, maps, artifacts, and personal histories.
Holocaust Survivors and Victims Resource Center

Research family history relating to the Holocaust and explore the Museum's collections about individual survivors and victims of the Holocaust and Nazi persecution.
Encyclopedia of Camps and Ghettos

Learn about over 1,000 camps and ghettos in Volumes I-III of this encyclopedia, which are available as a free PDF download. This reference provides text, photographs, charts, maps, and extensive indexes.

Further Your Research