Werner Kleeman collection

Werner Kleeman (1919-2018) was born in Würzburg (Gaukönigshofen), Germany to Louis Kleeman (also spelled Kleemann, 1884-1963) and Lina Kleeman (née Bamberger b. 1886). Werner was one of five children including two older brothers, Theo and Sigfried, and his father was a grain dealer. Theo immigrated to Palestine, while Sigfried went to the American Consulate in Stuttgart to apply for a visa to enter the United States. In 1936 Werner also applied for a visa, sponsored by a distant relative in Nebraska, and was approved in 1938. Before Werner could leave Germany he was arrested during Kristallnacht and imprisoned along with his family members. His father was soon released because of his service in World War I, but Werner was sent to the Dachau concentration camp. He was released from Dachau in January 1939 because he previously obtained a visa to emigrate. A few days later he traveled to England via the Netherlands, where he procured visas for his parents and siblings. In December 1939 he immigrated to the United States aboard the SS Scythia to New York where he worked at a department store.
Werner was drafted into the United States Army in August 1942. He served in the 4th Infantry Division and took part in the D-day invasion of Normandy. In the spring of 1945, just days after Germany’s surrender, Werner received permission to travel to his hometown where he witnessed the destruction. He returned to the village a few weeks later, this time without the permission of his superiors. For several weeks, he worked for the United States Army captain in charge of the district’s military occupation government. After the war he returned to the United States and married Lore Heiman (1927-1979) in 1948 and had two daughters, Susan and Deborah. He worked as an interior decorator. Werner did not share the story of his experiences in Germany before the war and as a U.S. soldier until later in life. With the help of the author Elizabeth Uhlig, Werner wrote the book From Dachau to D-Day.