Concentration Camp Liberators Oral History Project
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Interviewer
Michael Hirsh
Publication Date
March 2022
Date
May 2008
Abstract
Albin F. Irzyk was the commander of the 8th Tank Battalion, 4th Armored Division, which liberated Ohrdruf on April 4, 1945. In this interview, he gives the highlights of the division's arrival in Europe, experiences during the Battle of the Bulge, and progression through the Rhineland. En route to Dresden, Irzyk received orders to go to Ohrdruf and look for an underground complex which was thought to hold communications equipment. His division bivouacked outside the town for the night and started to hear reports of bodies. The next morning, Irzyk went into the camp to look around, finding over 300 corpses. He describes his reactions to the camp and how it affected him as a commanding officer. Irzyk retired from the army as a brigadier general and is the author of three books about the U.S. military.
Keywords
World War II (1939-1945), Holocaust (1939-1945), Concentration camps, Concentration camps--Liberation, Generals, Veterans, Genocide, Crimes against humanity, United States. Army. Tank Battalion 8th (1943-1946), Ohrdruf (Concentration camp), Battle of the Ardennes (1944-1945)
Extent
00:39:31; 17 page transcript
Subject: geographic
Ardennes; Ohrdruf (Germany); Dresden (Germany)
Language
English
Digital Date
2022
Media Type
Oral histories
Format
Digital Only
Identifier
C65-00062
Recommended Citation
Irzyk, Albin F., "Albin F. Irzyk Oral History Interview" (2022). Concentration Camp Liberators Oral History Project. 52.
https://digitalcommons.usf.edu/concentration_OH/52
Rights Statement
