Thwarting the Nazi Death Train: A Tale of Heroism and Liberation from the 743rd Tank Battalion
- by Gernot Kramper
- 5 Min
Picture Reveals Pivotal Moment in Liberation: Nazi Death Train Scene Captured - Liberation snapshot reveals agonizing scene during Nazi death march
The 743rd Tank Battalion might only be familiar to military enthusiasts, lacking the fame of divisions like the 82nd Airborne or the 1st Infantry. Yet, they made history - landing on D-Day in France, battling the Siegfried Line, and stopping the 1st SS Panzer Division in the Battle of the Bulge.
A Moment of Liberation in Ruins
One of their officers, Major Clarence Benjamin, captured a stirring image of World War II's final days - an unidentified woman emerging from a Nazi death train, her disbelief evident on her face as she finally lets go of her tension. Tank commander George C. Gross remembered a similar scene: "A teenage girl with a frail frame and impossibly huge eyes smiled at me - a flicker of hope amidst the carnage." This iconic photo has been displayed in exhibitions about the liberation of concentration camps, symbolizing humanity's resilience during wartime.
The liberation of Auschwitz by the Red Army, the arrival of U.S. troops in Dachau, and the British in Bergen-Belsen hold greater historical significance. However, none portrays the moment of liberation as powerfully as the image from a Magdeburg railway siding. Inside the wagons, around 2500 people - survivors of the Bergen-Belsen extermination camp - suffered from diseases and squalid conditions, having traveled for days without food or water. When the Reich was already on its last legs in mid-April 1945, the relentless killing machine continued. Concentration camp prisoners were shot or transported to prevent their rescue by the Allies.
The Train's Bid for Survival
The prisoners on this train were deemed privileged, selected by the Germans for a prisoner exchange with the Allies. Unfortunately, the train wandered aimlessly through Nazified territories, devoid of supplies. When it could go no further, German SS officer Max Schmidt ordered the train's commander to drown all the inmates in a planned bridge explosion on the Elbe. However, survivors claim that Schmidt had no intention of killing the Jews in the train but waited for an opportunity to escape, possibly surrendering to the Allies.
The Moment of Liberation: Lost in Time
For years, this moment of liberation was forgotten until 2001 when tank commander Carroll Walsh shared details of his battalion's deployments in an interview. It was only after reminding her, that his daughter recalled the train liberation.
The soldiers arrived at a railway siding in a wooded ravine near the Elbe. There, they found a pitiful sight - emaciated figures reacting with hysteria, some falling into soldiers' arms while others looked on disbelievingly. Walsh remembered an old man taking his hand and kissing it, conveying more with his eyes than words ever could.
The survivors needed help desperately, but the soldiers, with just two light tanks, could only offer chocolate and bread. Sixteen dead were found in the wagons, while others hid beneath the cars, too weak to move.
Memories of Liberty
In 2001, tank commander George C. Gross recounted the events. "On April 13, 1945, I commanded a light tank in a column of the 743rd Tank Battalion and the 30th Infantry Division. The major led our two tanks, each carrying several soldiers from the 30th Infantry Division, down a narrow road until we reached a valley. There was a small station with an assortment of passenger and freight wagons on a siding." The soldiers noticed something was amiss, and as they approached, they found a wretched camp full of prisoners. After the fighting subsided, the battered prisoners gathered before the soldiers, standing tall and proud - their heads held high, reclaiming their dignity.
This liberation was a testament to humanity's capacity to hope and persevere even in the darkest of times. Though it might not be as celebrated as others, it stands as a poignant reminder of the fighting spirit of the 743rd Tank Battalion and the unwavering will of the survivors they rescued.
Source: A Train Near Magdeburg─The Holocaust, the survivors, and the American soldiers who saved them by Matthew Rozell
Enrichment Data:
- The train was bound for the Theresienstadt concentration camp in Czechoslovakia when it was liberated.[2][3]
- Some survivors believed that the train's commander had no intention of killing the prisoners. They claimed he was waiting for an opportunity to surrender to the Allies.[3]
[1]Book: "A Train Near Magdeburg," Matthew Rozell[2]Encyclopedia Britannica: "Bergen-Belsen concentration camp"[3]United States Holocaust Memorial Museum: "Liberation and Survival: Testimonies from the 743rd Tank Battalion"
- The train carrying the remnants of the Bergen-Belsen extermination camp survivors, bound for Theresienstadt concentration camp, was liberated by the 743rd Tank Battalion in a Magdeburg railway siding.
- During the moment of liberation, the survivors were in a pitiful state, reacting with hysteria and disbelief, while the Allied soldiers were able to offer only basic supplies like chocolate and bread.
- The German SS officer Max Schmidt, in charge of the train, had originally ordered the train's commander to drown the inmates, but some survivors claimed that Schmidt was waiting for an opportunity to surrender to the Allies.
- Matthew Rozell's book, "A Train Near Magdeburg," chronicled this unique liberation story, highlighting the fighting spirit of the 743rd Tank Battalion and the unwavering will of the survivors they rescued.
- This lesser-known liberation serves as a poignant symbol of humanity's capacity to persevere during world-and-conflicts and the power of politics and general news to impact individual lives significantly.
