Last days of the war: death march and liberation
May 1, 1945
Jack Adler
In spring of 1945, the Allies are closing in on Germany. Nazi forces are retreating before the advance of the Soviet armies from the east, and in the west Allied forces are pushing into Germany from France, Belgium, and Italy. As Allied air raids become more frequent, Jack finds them a welcome respite from the grueling routine of Dachau.
Transcript
Jack Adler: Well, as for myself, you know, as we worked, towards the end, before the war ended, there were daily air raids. So they would stop. Initially, I worked on the night shift. So they turned off all the lights, of course, and you were dispersed. And you could lie down-- sit down. Because nobody would bother you. They was as scared as you were. Maybe we weren't that scared as they were.
And I-- you wished, you know, many times-- you know, I don't-- I didn't believe in suicide. Many people did. I think I wouldn't mind-- though, at the time, maybe going to sleep and not waking up, but I wouldn't take my own life. And you know, you had mixed feelings-- you know, why, and how much longer, and stuff like that went always through your mind, you know? Especially when you had time to think without being disturbed.
And the air raids were an indirect blessing for us. They would last, like, an hour. The sirens would go off and on, you know? It was even more peaceful then than being in camp. Because nobody bothered you at that particular point.
"... the air raids were an indirect blessing for us."
USC Shoah Foundation Visual History Archive, Interview 18433
Nazi camps continue their operations until the last days before liberation, but the SS make efforts to destroy evidence of their murderous purpose before abandoning camps to the Allies. Majdanek is the first major camp to fall into Allied hands when liberated by Soviet forces in July 1944. Before fleeing, Nazi camp officials try to demolish the camp.
Through the spring of 1945, retreating Nazis abandon camps to the Allies but take those prisoners who can walk with them. Tens of thousands are forced on death marches on foot towards destinations within the borders of the Reich. Anyone who stops is shot; many die from exhaustion, hunger, and cold.
Just days before the U.S. Third Army and U.S. Seventh Army reach the camp at Dachau on April 29, 1945, Jack and some ten thousand fellow prisoners are forced onto such a death march. For several days, they march to the south. During this time, many prisoners are murdered by the guards and others die of exhaustion. Finally, on May 1, they wake up to find their Nazi captors gone. Shortly thereafter, they are found by the Red Cross.
Transcript
Jack Adler: We remained in the main camp of Dachau till about April, I would say 27, of 1945. And all able-bodied men in my group-- there were about 10,000 of us that were marched out of Dachau-- which was later on known as the death march-- we marched all during daylight hours. At night, they would put us-- put into woods.
There were many Russian POWs. There were many Christians among us. And you could hear machine gun fire go every night, killing groups of people. We were liberated on May 1, 1945, from the original group of 10,000. There was less than 4,000 left. And people were dying while we were being liberated. I'll never forget.
On May 1, we got up, and I could hear the older people [PAUSES FOR 3 SECONDS] saying things, “Yalla”, meaning in Hebrew, [AR1] ‘They’re gone.’ And I said, “Who's gone?” And sure enough, all the young SS officers were gone who were guarding us. They left behind the Wehrmacht.
And a few minutes later, two German Red Cross trucks pulled up. And they opened up the gate, and they called us for hot milk and bread. And no one would get up. We thought they're going to poison us.
So the German realized what was going on. So he drank the milk and bit into the bread. And then those who were able to get up went over there and-- and got some bread and milk. And within a few minutes later, the American tanks pulled up.
And I was immediately taken by the Red Cross. I weighed, at that point, 66 pounds. I was 16 years old. I was hospitalized with double pneumonia and suffering from malnutrition.
Interviewer: Let me ask you this, Jack. When you first saw the Americans come, what was that like? What did that mean to you?
Jack Adler: I didn't-- I know something good is happening, but I never saw an American soldier. And you know, the tanks, with those stars, look the same, like the Russian tanks. I didn't know if they are Russians or-- but of course, once they got off, and they approached us, they spoke English, of course.
Interviewer: And did you realize what was happening?
Jack Adler: Oh, yeah. They said that the war is over, and all the Germans surrendered, of course, those who were left behind, the German guards.
Interviewer: So it sounds like part of you was in disbelief that this could actually be happening.
Jack Adler: Oh, of course. We were-- we were-- we were so-- the way we lived, in such a helpless and hopeless [PAUSES FOR 3 SECONDS] environment for so many years. It was so difficult. It was hard to comprehend, even, freedom, for a while.
"It was hard to comprehend, even, freedom, for a while."
USC Shoah Foundation Visual History Archive, Interview 18433
Jack Adler's Timeline
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Jack Adler is born in Pabianice, Poland
Yakuv Szlama [or Szlomo] Adler (later: Jack Adler) is born to Cemach and Faiga Adler in Pabianice, a small city on the outskirts of Lodz in western Poland.
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Europe's Jewish population is c. 9.5 million
This number represents 1.7% of the total population of Europe, and accounts for >60% of the world's Jewish population. Most Jews are in eastern Europe: Poland is home to 3.3 million Jews, some 2.5 million Jews live in the USSR, and around 756,000 Jews live in Romania. The Jewish population of the Baltic states of Latvia, Lithuania and Estonia numbers c. 255,000. In central Europe, Germany is home to c. 523,000. Some 445,000 Jews live in Hungary, 357,000 in Czechoslovakia, and 191,000 in Austria. There are also large Jewish communities in Great Britain (300,000), France (250,000, and the Netherlands (156,000). Some 60,000 Jews live in Belgium. The Scandinavian countries are home to c. 16,000 Jews. In the South, the Jewish community in Greece numbers c. 73,000. Yugoslavian Jews number c. 68,000, Italy and Bulgaria each have communities of c. 48,000.
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Dachau concentration camp established
Hitler's paramilitary SS (Schutzstaffel) establish the first concentration camp near Dachau for political opponents of the regime. Dachau remains in operation from 1933-1945. Over 200,000 people are imprisoned and estimated 41,500 are murdered during this period.
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Polish Jews number c. 3.3 million
Jews have been living in Poland for 800 years. On the eve of World War II, Polish Jews constitute the largest Jewish community in Europe, accounting for 10% of the country's total population.
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U.S.S.R. and Nazi Germany agree to non-aggression pact
Germany and the Soviet Union negotiate a non-aggression pact. This agreement, often called the Molotov-Ribbentrop pact after its chief negotiators, divides eastern Europe between the Nazi and Soviet powers and results in the partition of Poland.
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Nazi Germany invades Poland, sparking World War II
Nazi forces invade and swiftly defeat Polish forces using the "Blitzkrieg"--a rapid and combined forces attack. Within days, Great Britain and France declare war on Germany, marking the beginning of World War II.
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Nazi forces occupy Lodz and Pabianice, Poland
Invading German troops reach the city of Lodz and nearby Pabianice. They immediately introduce strict measures restricting the freedom of the Jewish population, in particular.
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U.S.S.R. invades Poland
The Soviet military occupies eastern Poland, as secretly agreed with Germany in the non-aggression pact signed by the two countries on August 23, 1939 (Molotov-Ribbentrop pact).
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Concentration of Polish Jews into ghettos ordered
Nazi officials order the concentration of Polish Jews in designated, often enclosed districts in major population centers in preparation for their deportation and murder. Ghettos are established throughout Nazi-occupied Poland.
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Annexation of western Poland
Following the Nazi occupation of Poland, territories in the western part of Poland are annexed to Germany. Danzig-West Prussia and Warthegau are incorporated as new provinces of the Reich; the provinces of East Prussia and Silesia are expanded to incorporate newly gained Polish lands.
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Generalgouvernement established in Nazi-occupied Poland
Nazis establish civilian administration over areas of Poland under German control that are not annexed to the Reich. The "Generalgouvernement" under the autocratic rule of Governor General Hans Frank encompasses four districts: Warsaw, Lublin, Krakow, and Radom.
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Pabianice Ghetto established
Beginning in November 1939, Jews residing in wealthier areas of Pabianice are ordered to leave their homes, which are intended for Germans. In February 1940, the Jewish population is condensed into a designated area of the town. Jews are not permitted to leave the ghetto, the perimeter of which is indicated by signs.
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Germanization of names in incorporated Poland
In areas of Poland under German administration, the names of Polish cities in the newly annexed territories are Germanized. Lodz is therefore also known as "Litzmannstadt."
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Lodz ghetto established
Approximately 164,000 Jews are concentrated in a ghetto in the Polish industrial city of Lodz. They perform forced labor for the Nazi war effort, living under squalid conditions of severe overcrowding and insufficient sanitation, food and water.
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Lodz ghetto sealed
The Lodz ghetto is sealed off from the rest of the city with barbed wire and fencing. Passage by Jews between ghetto and outside world is strictly controlled. Inside the ghetto, residents are forced to work in factories producing goods for the Nazi war effort. Many die of starvation and disease.
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Jews deported from Lodz ghetto to Chelmno
Nazi forces and collaborators begin the deportation of Jews from the Lodz ghetto to the Chelmno killing center, where deportees are gassed in vans. Approximately 65,000 Jews are ultimately deported and murdered.
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Wannsee Conference on the "Final Solution"
Leading Nazi officials convene at Wannsee to plan and implement the “Final Solution of the Jewish Question." At this meeting, operational preparations for the extermination of European Jewry are outlined.
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Deadline for "Final Solution" in occupied Poland
Heinrich Himmler orders that by December 31, 1942 there should be no Jews remaining in the Generalgouvernement, calling for a "total purge" to secure the German Reich.
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Nazi surrender at Stalingrad
After months of bitter fighting, the Soviet army is finally able to surround and trap German forces besieging the city. Of the nearly 250,000 troops that attacked the city in August 1942, some 90,000 surrender to the Soviets. The German defeat in the Battle of Stalingrad marks a turning point in the war; Soviet forces will now advance and push the Axis to retreat.
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First prisoners arrive in Kaufering concentration camp
The first concentration camp at Kaufering is established with the arrival of 1,000 Jewish Hungarian men from Auschwitz. Kaufering will eventually become the largest subcamp complex in the Dachau system, with eleven camps located near Landsberg am Lech in Bavaria. It is also one of the most deadly Nazi labor camps: around half of the c. 30,000 prisoners sent to the Kaufering camps between June 1944 and April 1945 will die there. Prisoners in the Kaufering camps supply labor for the construction of underground aircraft production sites for the German airline industry, which has suffered heavy damage from Allied bombs.
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Liberation of Majdanek
Advancing Soviet troops reach the Majdanek concentration and extermination camp. They find gas chambers and other evidence of genocide. Approximately 2,500 survivors provide details of the camp to their liberators, who document the horrors. Majdanek is the first concentration camp to be liberated by the Allies.
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Liquidation of Lodz ghetto
Nazi forces liquidate the Lodz ghetto and deport between 60,000-75,000 Jews, as well as an unknown number of Roma, to Auschwitz-Birkenau.
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American forces liberate Dachau
American troops reach Dachau and find approximately 32,000 inmates still alive, as well as 30 railroad cars with the corpses of prisoners who died in transport to the camp.
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Unconditional surrender of Nazi Germany
Nazi Germany's High Command unconditionally surrenders on 7 May to the Allies and 9 May to the Soviets. May 8 is proclaimed "Victory in Europe Day."
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US military opens hearings in Dachau trials
Between November 1945 and August 1948, the United States military holds hearings of camp guards, SS officials, and other personnel from the camps at Dachau, Flossenburg, Mauthausen, Nordhausen, Buchenwald, and Mühldorf. Of the 1,672 individuals tried before a military panel rather than a jury, some 1,400 are convicted. 297 are sentenced to death and nearly the same number to life imprisonment. Jack Adler provides testimony in advance of the trials.
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Truman Directive prioritizes displaced persons for U.S. visas
President Harry S. Truman issues an executive order granting priority to displaced persons (DPs) for visas to enter the U.S. The order is expressly intended to help orphaned children. While it does not expand the restrictive U.S. immigration quotas, it enables some 41,000 DPs from Central and Eastern Europe – many of them Jewish – to enter the country between December 1945-July 1948.
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Attacks on Jewish survivors in Poland
Attackers kill more than 40 Jewish survivors in Kielce, Poland. The attack spurs returning Jews to once again flee. Many find sanctuary in Allied displaced persons (DP) camps.
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Jack Adler sails from Bremen to New York
Sailing on the S.S. Marine Marlin from northern Germany, Jack is one of 928 passengers on one of the first post-war transports of refugees from Europe to the United States. They arrive in New York harbor during the night of December 22 and disembark at Ellis Island the next day.
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Jack Adler leaves New York for Chicago
After nearly a year and a half in New York, Jack learns that he has been placed with a foster family in Chicago and travels by train to meet them.
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Korean War begins
After World War II, Korea is partitioned at the 38th parallel, creating a socialist state under Soviet influence in the North and a Western-style democracy in the South. In June 1950, North Korea invades South Korea, armed by the Soviet Union. Under the banner of fighting the spread of communism, the United States leads a UN coalition in the conflict against North Korea, which is backed by communist Russia and China. An armistice agreement in July 1953 puts an end to the military conflict, but the division of Korea persists until today.
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U.S. Supreme Court ruling in Village of Skokie v. National Socialist Party of America
When a request by the National Socialist Party of America (NSPA) to hold a White Power rally in the Chicago suburb of Skokie, IL, is denied at the insistence of the town’s large Jewish community, which includes many Holocaust survivors, the NSPA files a claim for infringement of their right to free speech under the 2nd Amendment. The NSPA is represented by lawyers from the American Civil Liberties Union, who successfully argue in favor of the universality of free speech under the Constitution, maintaining that the government does not have the authority to selectively suppress voices, no matter how unpopular the opinion.