Concentration Camp Liberators Oral History Project
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Interviewer
Michael Hirsh
Publication Date
March 2022
Date
October 2008
Abstract
Kenneth Ayers was a first lieutenant with the 84th Infantry Division when it liberated Salzwedel on April 14, 1945. The division went overseas shortly after D-Day and was in combat for the first time at Geilenkirchen. They were in the process of capturing the town of Salzwedel when the camp was discovered. As an officer, Ayers was involved in managing the liberation, distributing rations and organizing a show for the former prisoners each night. After the war ended, he briefly returned to the United States and was then sent back to Europe for the occupation; he was the warden of Landsberg Prison, and also escorted a group of displaced persons back to Russia. Ayers was in the Army for twenty-four years and retired as a major.
Keywords
World War II (1939-1945), Holocaust (1939-1945), Concentration camps, Concentration camps--Liberation, Veterans, Genocide, Crimes against humanity, United States. Army. Infantry Division 84th, Neuengamme (Concentration camp)
Extent
00:36:53; 24 page transcript
Subject: geographic
Geilenkirchen (Germany); Salzwedel (Germany); Landsberg am Lech (Germany)
Language
English
Digital Date
2022
Media Type
Oral histories
Format
Digital Only
Identifier
C65-00006
Recommended Citation
Ayers, Kenneth, "Kenneth Ayers Oral History Interview" (2022). Concentration Camp Liberators Oral History Project. 6.
https://digitalcommons.usf.edu/concentration_OH/6
Rights Statement
