Concentration Camp Liberators Oral History Project
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Interviewer
Michael Hirsh
Publication Date
March 2022
Date
July 2008
Abstract
John Olson was a member of the 104th Infantry Division, which liberated Nordhausen on April 11, 1945. He arrived in Europe in early 1945 as a replacement, meeting the 104th in the Aachen area. No unit he was with ever suffered casualties; indeed, he only fired his weapon once in combat. They entered the city of Nordhausen as part of a convoy and Olson, who was riding on a trailer, saw the concentration camp as they drove by. Though he did not enter the camp, he saw two prisoners standing at the gate: skeletally thin, with prison uniforms, they smiled when they saw the American soldiers. This image had a profound effect on Olson and remains with him.
Keywords
World War II (1939-1945), Holocaust (1939-1945), Concentration camps, Concentration camps--Liberation, Veterans, Genocide, Crimes against humanity, United States. Army. Infantry Division 104th, Nordhausen (Concentration camp)
Extent
00:42:24; 19 page transcript
Subject: geographic
Nordhausen (Thuringia, Germany); Aachen (Germany)
Language
English
Digital Date
2022
Media Type
Oral histories
Format
Digital Only
Identifier
C65-00097
Recommended Citation
Olson, John R., "John Olson Oral History Interview" (2022). Concentration Camp Liberators Oral History Project. 85.
https://digitalcommons.usf.edu/concentration_OH/85
Rights Statement
