Eisenhower’s Ohrdruf Visit Opened His Eyes to the Need to Keep the Memory of the Holocaust Alive

During World War II, General Dwight D. Eisenhower faced the harrowing conditions in German concentration camps, especially during his visit to the recently liberated Ohrdruf. The brutality of the atrocities he witnessed highlighted the pressing need to educate the American public and preserve the memory of these events. His efforts were crucial in making sure that the Holocaust was neither ignored nor twisted in memory.

Ohrdruf concentration camp

Founded in November 1944 near Gotha, Germany, the Ohrdruf concentration camp functioned as a subcamp of Buchenwald , situated just 30 miles away. Its primary role was to provide forced labor for the construction of a railway meant to link with a proposed communications center in the basement of Mühlberg Castle.

At Ohrdruf, prisoners were tasked with building the railway, beginning with tunnel excavation through the surrounding mountains. Local workers were employed to set off explosives to clear the mountains, after which prisoners gathered the debris and continued the excavation. These tunnels were also intended as emergency shelters for the Führersonderzug , the Führer 's train and command center, in case an evacuation from Berlin became necessary.

The forced labor endured by Ohrdruf's prisoners exposed them to numerous hazards as they worked under harsh conditions without protective equipment. Besides the physical dangers, many suffered from malnutrition and weakness, which frequently led to severe injuries or death during their grueling labor.

Death march to Buchenwald

By March 1945, the Ohrdruf concentration camp housed approximately 11,700 prisoners from various nationalities, including French, Belgian, German, Polish, Hungarian, Czech, Russian, Latvian, Italian, Ukrainian and Yugoslavian backgrounds. The camp also held homosexuals and Jewish people.

In early April 1945, as the Allied forces advanced into the area, the German guards began evacuating large numbers of prisoners, forcing them into a death march toward Buchenwald. Those who were too weak, sick or unable to continue were executed.

Eisenhower witnesses the horrors of the Holocaust firsthand

Ohrdruf was the first camp to be liberated by American forces. The 602nd Tank Destroyers' Battalion, alongside the 4th Armored and 89th Infantry Divisions, led the initial entry, revealing disturbing scenes of decomposing bodies and the frail survivors who were in urgent need of medical care.

On April 12, 1945, General Eisenhower, joined by Gen. George Patton and Omar Bradley , entered Ohrdruf completely unprepared for the horrific sights they would encounter. Until that point, Eisenhower had been unaware of the full extent of the atrocities committed by the Germans and the stark reality of the Holocaust.

As the delegation toured the camp, they came across a smoldering pyre, its scorched remains evidence of the brutal treatment of the prisoners. It was evident that the guards had tried to quickly cover up their cruel actions. The survivors bravely described the cruel methods used by their captors.

Patton couldn't enter one area of the concentration camp

A closer look at Ohrdruf led to the discovery of a shed containing about 30 emaciated corpses. The bodies were dusted with lime, seemingly an attempt to mask the overpowering stench. The sight and odor were so appalling that Patton could not bring himself to enter the room.

Eisenhower explained this in a cable, stating, "In one room, where they were piled up twenty or thirty naked men, killed by starvation, George Patton would not even enter. He said that he would get sick if he did so. I made the visit deliberately, in order to be in a position to give first-hand evidence of these things if ever, in the future, there develops a tendency to charge these allegations merely to 'propaganda.'"

American soldiers and Congressmen were called to bear witness

Utterly shocked by what he'd witnessed, Eisenhower worried there may come a day when the atrocities committed during the Holocaust would be rewritten, forgotten or denied. In order to preserve the truth, he took extra steps to expose the conditions of Ohrdruf.

He invited American media and Congressmen to visit the camp and observe the conditions for themselves. He then had pictures taken, to preserve the grueling sights. Additionally, he ordered all nearby American units not engaged in battle to come and observe the enemy's crimes.

In what later became common practice for liberated concentration camps during the the Second World War , Eisenhower had German civilians living in the area tour Ohrdruf and bury the dead.

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More from us: Looking Back At the Red Army's Liberation of Auschwitz

Following the discovery and liberation of the concentration camp, Eisenhower succinctly said, "We are told the American soldier does not know what he is fighting for. Now, at least, we know what he is fighting against."