Concentration Camp Liberators Oral History Project
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Interviewer
Hirsh, Michael
Publication Date
September 2008
Abstract
This is an oral history interview with Holocaust concentration camp liberator Delbert D. Cooper. Cooper was a private first class in the 71st Infantry Division, which liberated Gunskirchen, a sub-camp of Mauthausen, on May 4, 1945. He arrived in Europe in February 1945, meeting the 71st on its campaign through Germany and Austria. The day after the liberation, he happened across his captain outside a railroad station, who told him to join a group bringing supplies to the nearby camp. Cooper did so, spending a couple of hours in the camp, during which time he had the opportunity to look inside one of the buildings. He describes the camp, initial relief efforts, and the condition of the prisoners, and recounts an incident when he captured a German prisoner who may have been SS.
Keywords
Concentration camps--History--Austria, World War, 1939-1945--Concentration camps--Austria, 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
C65-00022
Recommended Citation
Cooper, Delbert D., "Delbert D. Cooper oral history interview" (2008). Concentration Camp Liberators Oral History Project. 17.
https://digitalcommons.usf.edu/concentration_OH/17
Rights Statement
