Concentration Camp Liberators Oral History Project
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Interviewer
Hirsh, Michael
Publication Date
August 2008
Abstract
This is an oral history interview with Holocaust concentration camp liberator Ernest C. James. James was an engineer with the 238th Engineer Combat Battalion, attached to the 104th Infantry Division, which liberated Nordhausen on April 11, 1945. He went overseas in 1943, participating in the D-Day invasion, Operation Cobra, and the Battle of the Bulge. As a member of an engineering battalion, he was sent to support whatever division needed help; his job included building bridges, breaking barriers, laying minefields, etc. After the Bulge, the Battalion was attached to the 104th and followed them through Germany. The day after Nordhausen was liberated, James and his men were called in to use bulldozers for digging graves; James, looking for supplies, went through the camp and saw the crematorium and a train filled with bodies. In this interview, he describes several events from his military career, including his reactions to Nordhausen. He has been frequently interviewed and has spoken to thousands of students about the Holocaust.
Keywords
Concentration camps--History--Germany, World War, 1939-1945--Campaigns--France--Normandy--Personal narratives, Ardennes, Battle of the, 1944-1945--Personal narratives, World War, 1939-1945--Concentration camps--Germany, World War, 1939-1945--Concentration camps--Liberation, World War, 1939-1945--Engineering and construction, 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
C65-00065
Recommended Citation
James, Ernest C., "Ernest C. James oral history interview" (2008). Concentration Camp Liberators Oral History Project. 54.
https://digitalcommons.usf.edu/concentration_OH/54
Rights Statement
