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General Patton's 3rd Army inspects piles of bodies at Buchenwald on the day of liberation.

Photograph | Photograph Number: 44608
General Patton's 3rd Army inspects piles of bodies at Buchenwald on the day of liberation. Original quotation reads: "1945, Buchenwald Concentration Camp, Germany. When we saw this we suddenly knew what World War II was all about. (I entered into this place within a half hour of the departure of the last Nazi- some of the inmates died of starvation while I watched- nothing could be done for them). The most notable observation was that the bodies did not stink as most bodies do- there was not enough flesh left for them to decay."

General Patton's 3rd Army inspects piles of bodies at Buchenwald on the day of liberation.

Original quotation reads:
"1945, Buchenwald Concentration Camp, Germany. When we saw this we suddenly knew what World War II was all about. (I entered into this place within a half hour of the departure of the last Nazi- some of the inmates died of starvation while I watched- nothing could be done for them). The most notable observation was that the bodies did not stink as most bodies do- there was not enough flesh left for them to decay."

Date
1945 April 11
Locale
Buchenwald, [Thuringia] Germany
Photo Designation
MAJOR CONCENTRATION CAMPS 1940-45 -- Buchenwald -- LIBERATION -- Inspection/Investigation
Photo Credit
United States Holocaust Memorial Museum, courtesy of Tom Morgan

About This Photograph

Biography
Prentice G. Morgan (the father of the donor) was a member of Patton's Third Army. Morgan participated in the liberation of Buchenwald. He created a small photograph album consisting of eleven photographs of the liberation and his commentary about what he witnessed in the camp. The photographs depict American military personnel in the camp, camp buildings, summary justice, military personnel viewing anatomical artifacts belonging to Ilse Koch, and the burial of victims.

Keywords and Subjects

Rights and Restrictions

Photo Source
United States Holocaust Memorial Museum
Copyright: United States Holocaust Memorial Museum
Provenance: Tom Morgan
 
Record last modified: 2013-01-09 00:00:00
This page: https://collections.ushmm.org/search/catalog/pa1168301