Concentration Camp Liberators Oral History Project
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Interviewer
Hirsh, Michael
Publication Date
April 2008
Abstract
This is an oral history interview with Holocaust concentration camp liberator Fred Abraham. Abraham was a member of the 45th Infantry Division when it liberated Dachau on April 29, 1945. Born in Germany, he and his family came to the United States in 1940; his father was in Buchenwald in 1938, but was released after four weeks. Abraham was drafted in 1944 and participated in the Rhineland Campaign and the Central Europe Campaign, the experiences of which he describes in the interview. While en route to Munich, the 45th and 42nd Infantry Divisions were redirected to Dachau. Abraham was on a reconnaissance patrol, and recognized it as a concentration camp when he saw the sign "Arbeit macht frei" on the gate; as a Jewish German whose father had been in a camp, he had prior knowledge of concentration camps, unlike many of the American soldiers. He also participated in the liberation of Allach, a subcamp of Dachau, before finding the main camp.
Keywords
Concentration camps--History--Germany, World War, 1939-1945--Concentration camps--Germany, World War, 1939-1945--Concentration camps--Liberation, World War, 1939-1945--Atrocities, World War, 1939-1945--Personal narratives, American, World War, 1939-1945--Veterans--United States, Veterans--United States--Interviews, Genocide, Crimes against humanity, Oral history, Online audio
Holding Location
University of South Florida
Language
English
Media Type
Oral histories
Format
audio/mp3
Identifier
C65-00001
Recommended Citation
Abraham, Fred, "Fred Abraham oral history interview" (2008). Concentration Camp Liberators Oral History Project. 1.
https://digitalcommons.usf.edu/concentration_OH/1
Rights Statement
