Concentration Camp Liberators Oral History Project
Loading...
Interviewer
Hirsh, Michael
Publication Date
June 2008
Abstract
Oral history interview with Holocaust concentration camp liberator Edward A. Terepka. Terepka was a member of the 45th Infantry Division, which liberated Dachau on April 29, 1945. When his unit got to the camp, they let the prisoners out and then had to bring them back into the compound as the medical personnel were concerned for their health. Terepka saw the gas chamber and the crematorium, outside of which there was a pile of ashes four feet high. He and his comrades were so angry at the Germans that they shot at anyone wearing a German uniform. Terepka does not remember how long they spent at Dachau but recalls that they then went to Munich and thence back to Le Havre; when the war ended, they were ready to get on their ship and were one of the first to return to the United States. In this interview, he also tells several other stories from his wartime experience.
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
Holding Location
University of South Florida
Language
English
Media Type
Oral histories
Format
audio/mp3
Identifier
C65-00136
Recommended Citation
Terepka, Edward A., "Edward A. Terepka oral history interview" (2008). Concentration Camp Liberators Oral History Project. 120.
https://digitalcommons.usf.edu/concentration_OH/120
Rights Statement
