Concentration Camp Liberators Oral History Project
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Interviewer
Hirsh, Michael
Publication Date
October 2008
Abstract
This is an oral history interview with Holocaust concentration camp liberator Karl O. Mann. 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
Concentration camps--History--Germany, 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--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
C65-00084
Recommended Citation
Mann, Karl O., "Karl O. Mann oral history interview" (2008). Concentration Camp Liberators Oral History Project. 72.
https://digitalcommons.usf.edu/concentration_OH/72