Overview
- Interview Summary
- Donald Hildenbrand discusses his experiences as one of the 350 American POWs selected from Stalag IXB and sent as a slave laborer to the Berga concentration camp.
- Interviewee
- Mr. Donald L. Hildenbrand
- Interviewer
- Mr. Philip Hildenbrand
- Date
-
interview:
2009 November
- Credit Line
- United States Holocaust Memorial Museum Collection, Gift of Bruce, Janice and Philip Hildenbrand
Physical Details
- Language
- English
- Extent
-
1 digital file : wmv.
Rights & Restrictions
- Conditions on Access
- There are no known restrictions on access to this material.
- Conditions on Use
- No restrictions on use
Keywords & Subjects
- Topical Term
- Prisoner-of-war camps. Prisoners of war--Personal narratives. World War, 1939-1945--Concentration camps--Germany. World War, 1939-1945--Personal narratives, American. Men--Personal narratives.
- Geographic Name
- Berga (Thuringia, Germany) Germany.
- Personal Name
- Hildenbrand, Donald.
- Corporate Name
- Berga (Concentration camp) United States. Army
Administrative Notes
- Legal Status
- Permanent Collection
- Provenance
- Bruce and Philip Hildenbrand donated the interview with their father Donald Hildenbrand to the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum in 2018.
- Special Collection
-
The Jeff and Toby Herr Oral History Archive
- Record last modified:
- 2023-11-16 09:46:10
- This page:
- https://collections.ushmm.org/search/catalog/irn676242
Download & Licensing
- Request Copy
- See Rights and Restrictions
- Terms of Use
- This record is digitized but cannot be downloaded online.
In-Person Research
- Available for Research
- Plan a Research Visit
Contact Us
Also in Donald L. Hildenbrand collection
Collection of materials that document Donald Hildenbrand’s experiences as one of the 350 American POWs selected from Stalag IXB and sent as a slave laborer at the Berga concentration camp. Includes: German patch and knife inscribed April 23, 1945 both given to him by one of his liberators, relics from the tunnels where he performed slave labor, US Army issued medals, pins, and ribbons (some boxed), patches, his German issued POW dog tag #27013 received upon arrival at Stalag IXB, Donald’s Silver Star Medal in box with ribbon and pin, 100th Division challenge coin, POW medallion on ribbon, oral history interview with Donald Hildenbrand, his Selective Service classification card, clippings, booklet, documents, photographs, and correspondence and telegrams sent to his mother in Baltimore
Knife
Object
Knife, part of a collection of materials that document Donald Hildenbrand’s experiences as one of the 350 American POWs selected from Stalag IXB and sent as a slave laborer at the Berga concentration camp. The knife, given to him by one of his liberators, is inscribed on its wood handle with "Don Hildenbrand" and the date of April 23, 1945.
Patch with swastika
Object
Patch with swastika, part of a collection of materials that document Donald Hildenbrand’s experiences as one of the 350 American POWs selected from Stalag IXB and sent as a slave laborer at the Berga concentration camp. The patch was given to him by one of his liberators.
German issued POW dog tag
Object
German issued POW dog tag #27013 received by Donald Hildenbrand upon his arrival at Stalag IXB. The dog tag is part of a collection of materials that document Donald Hildenbrand’s experiences as one of the 350 American POWs selected from Stalag IXB and sent as a slave laborer at the Berga concentration camp.
Nail from tunnels at Berga camp
Object
Nail from the tunnelsl at Berga camp where Donald Hildenbrand performed slave labor, part of a collection of materials that document Donald Hildenbrand’s experiences as one of the 350 American POWs selected from Stalag IXB and sent as a slave laborer at the Berga concentration camp.
Nail from tunnels at Berga camp
Object
Nail from the tunnels at Berga camp, part of a collection of materials that document Donald Hildenbrand’s experiences as one of the 350 American POWs selected from Stalag IXB and sent as a slave laborer at the Berga concentration camp.
Metal hardware from tunnels at Berga camp
Object
Piece of metal hardware from the tunnels at Berga camp, part of a collection of materials that document Donald Hildenbrand’s experiences as one of the 350 American POWs selected from Stalag IXB and sent as a slave laborer at the Berga concentration camp.
Badge
Object
Badge with the number 11, part of a collection of materials that document Donald Hildenbrand’s experiences as one of the 350 American POWs selected from Stalag IXB and sent as a slave laborer at the Berga concentration camp.
Badge
Object
Badge with the number 100, part of a collection of materials that document Donald Hildenbrand’s experiences as one of the 350 American POWs selected from Stalag IXB and sent as a slave laborer at the Berga concentration camp.
100th Division commemorative coin
Object
100th Division commemorative coin, presented for excellence by the Command Team. The coin forms part of a collection of materials that document Donald Hildenbrand’s experiences as one of the 350 American POWs selected from Stalag IXB and sent as a slave laborer at the Berga concentration camp.
Prisoner of War commemorative medal with ribbon
Object
Prisoner of War commemorative medal with ribbon, presented for service by the State of California. The medal forms part of a collection of materials that document Donald Hildenbrand’s experiences as one of the 350 American POWs selected from Stalag IXB and sent as a slave laborer at the Berga concentration camp.
Ribbon bar pin
Object
Ribbon bar pin, part of a collection of materials that document Donald Hildenbrand’s experiences as one of the 350 American POWs selected from Stalag IXB and sent as a slave laborer at the Berga concentration camp.
Ribbon bar pin
Object
Ribbon bar pin, part of a collection of materials that document Donald Hildenbrand’s experiences as one of the 350 American POWs selected from Stalag IXB and sent as a slave laborer at the Berga concentration camp.
Ribbon bar pin
Object
Ribbon bar pin, part of a collection of materials that document Donald Hildenbrand’s experiences as one of the 350 American POWs selected from Stalag IXB and sent as a slave laborer at the Berga concentration camp.
Ribbon bar pin
Object
Ribbon bar pin, part of a collection of materials that document Donald Hildenbrand’s experiences as one of the 350 American POWs selected from Stalag IXB and sent as a slave laborer at the Berga concentration camp.
Ribbon bar pin
Object
Ribbon bar pin, part of a collection of materials that document Donald Hildenbrand’s experiences as one of the 350 American POWs selected from Stalag IXB and sent as a slave laborer at the Berga concentration camp.
Medal awarded for good conduct
Object
Medal with ribbon, awarded for good conduct. Part of a collection of materials that document Donald Hildenbrand’s experiences as one of the 350 American POWs selected from Stalag IXB and sent as a slave laborer at the Berga concentration camp.
Combat Infantryman Badge
Object
Combat Infantryman Badge, a United States Army military award, with laurel wreath and rifle. Part of a collection of materials that document Donald Hildenbrand’s experiences as one of the 350 American POWs selected from Stalag IXB and sent as a slave laborer at the Berga concentration camp.
United States Army Infantry crossed rifles pin
Object
United States Army Infantry crossed rifles pin, part of a collection of materials that document Donald Hildenbrand’s experiences as one of the 350 American POWs selected from Stalag IXB and sent as a slave laborer at the Berga concentration camp.
United States Army 100th Infantry Division pin
Object
United States Army 100th Infantry Division pin, part of a collection of materials that document Donald Hildenbrand’s experiences as one of the 350 American POWs selected from Stalag IXB and sent as a slave laborer at the Berga concentration camp.
United States Army pin
Object
United States Army pin, part of a collection of materials that document Donald Hildenbrand’s experiences as one of the 350 American POWs selected from Stalag IXB and sent as a slave laborer at the Berga concentration camp.
United States Army crossed rifles pin
Object
United States Army crossed rifles pin, part of a collection of materials that document Donald Hildenbrand’s experiences as one of the 350 American POWs selected from Stalag IXB and sent as a slave laborer at the Berga concentration camp.
United States Army Maltese Cross Rifle pin awarded for marksmanship
Object
United States Army Maltese Cross Rifle pin awarded for marksmanship, part of a collection of materials that document Donald Hildenbrand’s experiences as one of the 350 American POWs selected from Stalag IXB and sent as a slave laborer at the Berga concentration camp.
Ribbon from medal
Object
Red, white and blue piece of ribbon, part of a collection of materials that document Donald Hildenbrand’s experiences as one of the 350 American POWs selected from Stalag IXB and sent as a slave laborer at the Berga concentration camp.
Medal for good conduct with ribbon and box
Object
Medal for good conduct, with ribbon and box, part of a collection of materials that document Donald Hildenbrand’s experiences as one of the 350 American POWs selected from Stalag IXB and sent as a slave laborer at the Berga concentration camp.
Prisoner of War medal set with box
Object
Prisoner of War medal set with box, part of a collection of materials that document Donald Hildenbrand’s experiences as one of the 350 American POWs selected from Stalag IXB and sent as a slave laborer at the Berga concentration camp.
Donald L. Hildenbrand papers
Document
Collection of materials that document Donald Hildenbrand’s experiences as one of the 350 American POWs selected from Stalag IXB and sent as a slave laborer at the Berga concentration camp. The collection includes his Selective Service classification card, clippings, booklet, documents, photographs, and correspondence and telegrams sent to his mother in Baltimore.
Silver Star medal with box
Object
Silver Star medal with box, part of a collection of materials that document Donald Hildenbrand’s experiences as one of the 350 American POWs selected from Stalag IXB and sent as a slave laborer at the Berga concentration camp.
