Unidentified German Concentration Camp Liberated by the U.S. Army, April 20, 1945

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Courtesy of Library of Congress, "[View of unidentified German concentration camp at time of liberation by U.S. Army]," 20 April 1945

Description 

This photograph captures an unidentified German concentration camp at the time of liberation by the U.S. Army on April 20, 1945. The photo shows a small building with barbed wire fencing around it. These camps, which were located all over German-occupied Europe, contained large numbers of people — particularly Jews and other persecuted minorities — in deplorable conditions. Prisoners were expected to provide forced labor and many awaited mass execution. The most infamous Nazi concentration camps included Dachau, Belsen and Auschwitz.

Source-Dependent Questions

• Describe what what you see in this photo.
• Describe the methods used to keep the prisoners inside of the concentration camp.
• For what purposes might the buildings have been used?
• Compare this photo to Czech Survivor of a Nazi Concentration Camp, which shows the interior of a building at a concentration camp. What is similar between the photos? What is different?

Citation Information 

"[View of unidentified German concentration camp at time of liberation by U.S. Army]," 20 April 1945. Courtesy of Library of Congress