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Eli W. Holocaust testimony (HVT-2512) interviewed by Sarah Hirschfield and Raymond Kaplan,

Oral History | Fortunoff Collection ID: HVT-2512

Videotape testimony of Eli W., who was born in the United States and grew up in a secular home, observing Jewish holidays. He recounts enlisting in the United States Army after Pearl Harbor; training as a tank officer; serving in the Third Army, 11th Armored Division; fighting under Patton in southern Europe and the Battle of the Bulge; capture near Malmedy; observing from a distance the Germans shooting all the American prisoners; immediately escaping; rejoining his unit; the pervasive stench when approaching Mauthausen; entering in the lead tank; shock at the condition of the prisoners; taking photographs which they later discarded; feeding the prisoners, not realizing it was harmful; piles of corpses; compelling locals, who denied knowledge of the camp, to bury the bodies; not discussing this experience for many years, despite it having changed him; briefly administering a displaced persons camp; and recently sharing his experience with his children, grandchildren, and school classes.

Author/Creator
W., Eli, 1921-
Published
Mahwah, N.J. : Center for Holocaust and Genocide Studies, 1994
Interview Date
February 25, 1994.
Locale
Belgium
Language
English
Copies
2 copies: 3/4 in. dub; and 1/2 in. VHS with time coding.
Cite As
Eli W. Holocaust Testimony (HVT-2512). Fortunoff Video Archive for Holocaust Testimonies, Yale University Library.