Clothes That Belonged to Prisoners at Dachau Concentration Camp
4/30/1945
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The original caption for this photograph reads: This pile of clothes belonged to prisoners of the Dachau concentration camp, recently liberated by troops of the U.S. Seventh Army. Slave laborers were compelled to strip before they were killed. Germany.
Dachau was the first concentration camp established under the authority of the SS. More than 28,000 people died at Dachau between 1940 and 1945, but the total number of deaths at the camp is not known. By April 1945 the water, sewage, and electrical systems had all failed; 32,000 sick and starving prisoners had been jammed into a space intended for one-third that number; and more than 39 railroad boxcars filled with dead people had been transported there for disposal. The U.S. Army’s 116th Evacuation Hospital was one of the first medical units to enter the camp after its liberation.
Dachau was the first concentration camp established under the authority of the SS. More than 28,000 people died at Dachau between 1940 and 1945, but the total number of deaths at the camp is not known. By April 1945 the water, sewage, and electrical systems had all failed; 32,000 sick and starving prisoners had been jammed into a space intended for one-third that number; and more than 39 railroad boxcars filled with dead people had been transported there for disposal. The U.S. Army’s 116th Evacuation Hospital was one of the first medical units to enter the camp after its liberation.
This primary source comes from the Records of the Office of the Chief Signal Officer.
National Archives Identifier: 531288
Full Citation: Photograph 111-SC-206193; Photograph of Clothes That Belonged to Prisoners of the Dachau Concentration Camp; 4/30/1945; Photographs of American Military Activities, ca. 1918 - ca. 1981; Records of the Office of the Chief Signal Officer, Record Group 111; National Archives at College Park, College Park, MD. [Online Version, https://www.docsteach.org/documents/document/clothes-dachau, April 28, 2024]Rights: Public Domain, Free of Known Copyright Restrictions. Learn more on our privacy and legal page.