Dachau liberation: “women in the gas chamber, still alive, were rescued when American soldiers came through”

An article on the web site of the University of San Diego, written on June 11, 2010, tells about 90-year-old Marvin Hall, a World War II veteran who served with the 42nd Rainbow Division of the US Seventh Army, which liberated the Dachau concentration camp on April 29, 1945.

The article, written by Melissa Wagoner,  starts out with this excerpt:

Holocaust museums and memorials across the globe tell the stories of survivors, of those who saw and lived a horror beyond imagination, whose lives were shattered and never again returned to normal. These recollections have largely shaped the way historians and global citizens view, and have learned from, the atrocities of the Holocaust. Few stories, however, are recorded of those who were part of the American liberation, and who helped shape the course of history through their heroism and sacrifice.

The article by Melissa Wagoner continues with this excerpt which includes the story of how German soldiers killed some of the American liberators and threw their bodies into the water:

Ninety-year-old First Sergeant Marvin Hall, U.S. Army, is part of a diminishing group of veterans who share an experience “beyond description.” Sitting in the Joan B. Kroc School for Peace & Justice, Hall speaks slowly, trying to describe the images he sees in his mind as clearly as if it were yesterday. “I’ll always remember. Never want to see it again,” he says, his eyes glassy. […]

Upon arriving in Europe, Hall, part of the 42nd Infantry Rainbow Division, marched through France and Germany. He recalls traveling through Germany’s Black Mountains and helping his commanding officer, Major Shelk, when he was hit with shrapnel. Little did he know then, the atrocities he would soon see.

In April 1945, with snow still on the ground, Hall, Shelk and two other soldiers were sent to Dachau by jeep. Not knowing what to expect, Hall recalls the water that surrounded the camp, meant to trap and kill prisoners who tried to escape. “First thing I saw was water, 100 feet wide. Several men in the water had been shot.” Some were prisoners and some were U.S. soldiers, killed by German soldiers during the liberation, Hall explains. German soldiers had tried to retaliate by killing U.S. soldiers and taking their uniforms, posing as American soldiers until turning on their comrades. “That didn’t last long,” Hall says defiantly.

Say what?  German soldiers put on American uniforms, to disguise themselves, and then killed American soldiers?  Marvin Hall is the only person, as far as I know, to claim this.  It was real American soldiers who shot German soldiers who had surrendered, and then threw their bodies into the moat on the west side of the camp.

As a medic, he joined Shelk, a doctor, in touring the camp and looking for prisoners who were still alive and needed medical attention. Walking through the barracks housing women, Hall recalls the dead bodies, and those near death, all naked, and wondering how anyone could survive such conditions. Bodies were piled 50 deep in the crematorium, and women in the gas chamber, still alive, were rescued when American soldiers came through.

Toward the end of the war, train cars filled with dead bodies were sent from other concentration camps to Dachau for disposal. Several of these cars were evident on the day Dachau was liberated. Hall explains that 500 bodies were in a single train car, and one of the majors nearby made sure that all 500 were deceased, in case anyone needed help. “He found one man,” Hall says proudly. […]

Sixty-five years later, in San Diego, on a gloomy afternoon, First Sgt. Hall is done reflecting on a time in his life that he doesn’t like to talk about. He has recalled more than he would seem to like, images burned into his memory he’d rather forget. But soon, his words will join those of survivors and other liberators at the Yad Vashem Holocaust Memorial in Jerusalem, Israel when his son, University of San Diego anthropology professor Jerome Hall, delivers his recollections to the museum later this month.

There, his words and his heroism will live on forever.

American medics inspect bodies on the “death train”

42nd Div. soldiers pull a dead body out of the water

Soldier at Dachau liberation with his brains blown out

Posed photo of prisoner who was found alive on the “death train”

Unfortunately, there is no photo of the women in the gas chamber who were saved by the American soldiers who liberated Dachau.

You can read the entire article here.