Ray Buch photograph collection

Ray Buch was born on September 18, 1920, in New York, N.Y. His parents were Ukrainian immigrants. Ray enlisted in the United States Army in 1942. His unit was sent to Great Britain in September 1944. Ray was promoted to sergeant and went into combat with the 11th Armored Division in December during the Battle of the Bulge. The Division suffered heavy losses. As they advanced deeper into Germany that spring, the troops became aware of the concentration camps and the horrific conditions endured by the prisoners. Ray's unit found many dead people along the roadside and did their best to give them a decent burial. On May 10, 1945, his unit was sent to Mauthausen concentration camp in Austria. There were so many dead that the Army had to bulldoze mass graves. Ray watched as German civilians, on US Army orders, hauled bodies to the mass graves. They also encountered roughly 19,000 starving prisoners for whom the Division had to provide medical attention. Ray also guarded former SS guards at Ebensee and Gusen subcamps of Mauthausen in Austria. He was later sent to liberated Dachau concentration camp in Germany. Germany surrendered on May 7. The Division was placed on occupation duty until inactivated on August 31, 1945. Ray later became the unit historian.