This page shows evidence of the horror Greg witnessed after the "liberation" of Nordhausen, a German V-2 rocket manufacturing forced labor camp, hidden within a mountain. It begins with an excerpt from The Route of the Question Mark. After the pictures are remarks made by Greg in a letter to Wilma.
From The Route of the Question Mark, April 12, 1945
April '45 - Nordhausen - Entrance to underground
factory making V2's. Note camouflage to entrance.
April '45 Nordhausen - Germany. There were slave
laborers - who after being almost starved to death
- were machine-gunned shortly before we arrived.
Nordhausen
Apr '45 Part of the 3500 we found at Nordhausen
Apr '45 - Nordhausen - Not pleasant - but I
don't want to forget ever - what the Germans are.
April '45 - Nordhausen - Entrance to underground
factory making V2's. Note camouflage to entrance.
April '45 Nordhausen - Germany. There were slave
laborers - who after being almost starved to death
- were machine-gunned shortly before we arrived.
Nordhausen
Apr '45 Part of the 3500 we found at Nordhausen
Apr '45 - Nordhausen - Not pleasant - but I
don't want to forget ever - what the Germans are.
EXCERPT FROM A LETTER TO WILMA
14 April, 1945
14 April, 1945
438th AAA AW BN
APO 230 % Postmaster, N.Y.
14 April, 1945 0935
Germany
My dearest sweetheart –[Initial paragraphs are about personal issues]
"When we travel as swiftly as we do – we naturally by-pass many spots with fighting Germans left behind. Occasionally they’ll sneak in and shell a town – which is amazing, to say the least. One other thing disturbed all of us here in this town. We’ve read about it and so have you. The slave labor camp and crematory set-up. This town has one and we’ve seen it. Whenever in the past I’ve seen pictures of it – I’ve always found it difficult to believe. Words can’t describe what it’s actually like and our Colonel has had every one in Battalion go up to see it – just so we’ll remember what the Germans are. There were 3500 of them – mostly starved to death; the others riddled by machine-gun bullets; children, women, men. One of the men told us that they cremated 9000 of them in the past year – and he said that only some of them were dead before being cremated. Those we saw were laid out in long rows – a mass of skin and bones. The crematory had the gas chamber, the butcher table and all. Such depravity and bestiality just isn’t comprehensible unless you see it – and if anyone has a plan to exterminate all Germans – I’m for it."
Wilma, darling –
[Subsequent paragraphs are about personal issues]
All my deepest love,
Greg.
EXCERPT FROM A LETTER TO WILMA
15 April, 1945
15 April, 1945
438th AAA AW BN
APO 230 % Postmaster, N.Y.
15 April, 1945 0925
Germany
Wilma, darling –
[Initial paragraphs are about personal issues]
"I told you about the massacred slave labor people here – yesterday, dear. There’s been one slight note of justice meted out so far. Our Commanding General had 300 of the leading citizens in town brought in – store owners, manufacturers etc. They were organized in teams of 4 and made to improvise stretchers. They were then given the task of lugging the corpses away, one by one, over quite a distance thru the center of town whenever everyone could see – and from there – to a common burying ground which was being dug by another crew of Germans. No German was allowed to wear gloves when picking the bodies up. M.P.’s were all over the place, supervising; and believe me – those Germans didn’t like that task one bit. I stood around watching for some time, as did hundreds of other troops who kept coming and going. I think the Germans in this city, at least, are being made to feel our contempt for them and their type of civilization better then if we lined them up and shot them. They walk with bowed, ashamed, accused faces – and I failed to see any trace of the Master Race on any of them."
[Subsequent paragraphs are about personal issues]
All my everlasting love
Greg.
