Concentration Camp Liberators Oral History Project
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Interviewer
Hirsh, Michael
Publication Date
July 2008
Abstract
This is an oral history interview with Holocaust concentration camp liberator Melvin Waters. Waters joined the American Field Service after being rejected by the U.S. military for having high blood pressure. He went to Italy with the British 8th Army, where he drove ambulances. In March 1945, he was selected to go to France with the 567th Ambulance Car Company. They went through France, Belgium, and into the Netherlands, where they picked up hospital personnel and equipment for transport into Germany. They arrived at Bergen-Belsen about ten days after it was liberated, commandeering the guards' quarters for the hospital. Waters was at the camp for nearly a month; his assignments included driving, carrying stretchers, and guard duty. In this interview, he describes his reactions to the prisoners when he first entered the camp and shares some other wartime stories.
Keywords
Concentration camps--History--Germany, World War, 1939-1945--Concentration camps--Germany, World War, 1939-1945--Concentration camps--Liberation, World War, 1939-1945--Medical care, 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
C65-00142
Recommended Citation
Waters, Melvin, "Melvin Waters oral history interview" (2008). Concentration Camp Liberators Oral History Project. 124.
https://digitalcommons.usf.edu/concentration_OH/124
Rights Statement
