Louis B. Holocaust testimony (HVT-226) interviewed by Laurel Vlock

Videotape testimony of Louis B., who was an American soldier in the 45th Infantry Division during World War II. Mr. B. describes being raised in New Haven, Connecticut; military training; being stationed in North Africa; the invasion of Sicily on D-Day; moving north through Italy and France; and the liberation of Dachau in Germany. He discusses the lack of knowledge regarding the camps and the "Final Solution;" coming upon thirty-nine boxcars filled with bodies on a railroad siding outside of Dachau; the horrendous condition of the prisoners; the American soldiers' efforts to assist them; and the emotional difficulty of dealing with these conditions. He recalls the local German people's denial of knowledge of what had occurred inside Dachau and his complete disbelief; the American policy which made it compulsory for the local Germans to go through Dachau; the reactions of the American soldiers; and his dismay that so many "turned a deaf ear" to the events of the Holocaust while they were happening.