Concentration Camp Liberators Oral History Project
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Interviewer
Michael Hirsh
Publication Date
March 2022
Date
October 2008
Abstract
Karl O. Mann was a member of the 45th Infantry Division, which liberated Dachau on April 29, 1945. The division went to Europe in 1943 and fought in Italy, southern France, and the Battle of the Bulge, after which they broke into Germany and headed towards Munich. Mann, who was born in Germany and lived there until he was eleven, was the interpreter for battalion commander Felix Sparks from fall 1944 until the war ended, going everywhere with him. The division was ordered to investigate Dachau and spent a few days there, during which time Sparks and Mann went to the camp twice. Mann also witnessed two of the key events in the 45th's liberation: the killing of the German guards and Sparks' confrontation with General Henning Linden.
Keywords
World War II (1939-1945), Holocaust (1939-1945), Battle of the Ardennes (1944-1945), Concentration camps, Concentration camps--Liberation, Veterans, Genocide, Crimes against humanity, United States. Army. Infantry Division 45th, Dachau (Concentration camp), Translators
Extent
01:31:30; 37 page transcript
Subject: geographic
Ardennes; Dachau (Germany); Munich (Germany)
Language
English
Digital Date
2022
Media Type
Oral histories
Format
Digital Only
Identifier
C65-00084
Recommended Citation
Mann, Karl O., "Karl O. Mann Oral History Interview" (2022). Concentration Camp Liberators Oral History Project. 72.
https://digitalcommons.usf.edu/concentration_OH/72
Rights Statement
