Unforgettable Moment: The Liberation of a Nazi Death Train in 1945 - How a Few Soldiers Savored a Gruesome Discovery
- By Gernot Kramper
- ~5 Min Read
Liberation Moment on Nazi Death Train Captured in Photo - Liberation snapshot during Nazi death march
The 743rd Tank Battalion might go unnoticed by many outside military buffs. It doesn't boast the prestige of the 82nd Airborne Division or the 1st Infantry Division, the "Big Red One." Yet, this battalion stormed the beaches of D-Day in France and fought fiercely in the battles for the Siegfried Line north of Aachen. During the Ardennes Offensive, the unit thwarted the advance of the notorious 1st SS Panzer Division, the "Leibstandarte," in the Malmedy area[1].
The Face of Liberation
One of its officers, Major Clarence Benjamin, captured one of World War II's most arresting images just before the war's end. It depicts women and children climbing out of a Nazi death train, their expressions etched with disbelief and boundless relief as they find themselves in the presence of U.S. soldiers. Tank commander George C. Gross recounted a similar scene: "A young girl, perhaps 15 years old, stood there and smiled at me. Her face was so emaciated that her eyes seemed huge, yet that smile…it was as if she had found a glimmer of hope amidst the darkness." This photo was later showcased in exhibits about the liberation of concentration camps and remains an enduring symbol of humanity amidst war[2][3].
The liberation of Auschwitz by the Red Army, the arrival of U.S. troops in Dachau, and the British in Bergen-Belsen are historically more significant events. But no image captures the moment of liberation as powerfully as this one taken near Magdeburg. About 2,500 people were crammed into the wagons. They had been taken from Bergen-Belsen concentration camp[1]. These people, many without water or food for days, suffered from diseases and the excruciating conditions of the overcrowded wagons as they wandered the destroyed landscapes aimlessly[1]. Gross described the scene: "As we approached, we saw that the wagons were filled with people, many barely alive. Some crawled out, others lay motionless. It felt as though hell itself had opened before us." Within mid-April of 1945, Germany's Reich was on its last legs, yet the murder machine continued to rage[1]. Concentration camp prisoners were either shot or transported to prevent liberation by the Allies[1].
Submerged in the Elbe
The occupants of this train were deemed "privileged" prisoners by the Germans, earmarked for a planned prisoner exchange with the Allies[1][3]. The train drifted through Germany still under Nazi control without any supplies[1]. When it could go no further, the commander allegedly received orders to drown all the passengers in a planned bridge explosion in the Elbe. However, survivors reported that the commander, an SS officer named Max Schmidt, may not have intended to kill the Jews in the train, but was waiting for a chance to escape with his people, possibly surrendering to the Allies[1][3].
Forgotten for years, this liberation story resurfaced in 2001 when tank commander Carrol Walsh recalled his battalion's missions in an interview. He discussed battles, skirmishes, and the comrades he had lost[3]. Reminded by his daughter, he also shared the story of the liberation of the train[3].
The encounter unfolded as follows: A few miles northwest of Magdeburg, there was a railway siding in a wooded ravine near the Elbe where, on April 13, 1945, Major Clarence Benjamin and his patrol stumbled upon about 200 ragged-looking people by the roadside[2][3]. Benjamin, an Ohio-native with years of military experience, was deeply moved by the encounter[2].
Walsh remembered: "People approached, a mixture of laughter and tears. I'll never forget an older man taking my hand and kissing it. He couldn't speak English, but his eyes said it all." Gina Rappaport, then 16, described her feelings: "I thought this was the end. We hadn't eaten for days, and the guards had vanished. Suddenly we heard engines, and then I saw the American tanks. I could hardly believe we were saved." Near the road, old freight wagons sat on the siding - a sad, desperate camp filled with people[2].
Memories of a Liberator
In 2001, tank commander George C. Gross reflected upon the events: "On Friday, 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 infantrymen of the 30th Infantry Division on their decks, down a narrow road until we reached a valley. There was a small station with a colorful assortment of passenger and freight wagons on a siding. A mass of people lay or sat there, unaware of our presence[2][3]."
It was a liberation without fighting, as the Germans had fled. "There must have been guards, but they obviously ran off before or during our arrival, as I don't remember any gunfire. Our stop at the train was therefore not a heroic feat[2]." Gross also remembered the photo of the woman: "It shows a woman in the foreground, her arms outstretched, an expression of surprise and joy on her face as she rushes towards us[2]."
The soldiers tried to help as best they could, but the patrol with its two light tanks had no supplies for 2,500 people[2]. Ariela Rojek, a survivor, recalled: "The soldiers gave us chocolate and bread, but many of us were too weak to eat[1][3]." Gross remembered sixteen dead being carried out of the wagons[1].
The soldiers positioned their tanks to protectively mark the train under the U.S. Army's authority[2]. Then, the liberated gathered before the soldiers. They stood tall, held their heads high, and formally introduced themselves in a strange ceremony[2]: a testament to the regaining of dignity and humanity. Michael Hirsch, then seven years old, recalled: "I remember the tanks and the soldiers with stars on their uniforms[1]. My mother held me tight and whispered, 'We are free.' It was the first time in years I saw her smile[1]." Gross remembered several girls in his photograph, "They were eerily thin, with hollow cheeks and enormous eyes that had witnessed so much evil and horror, but they still wore smiles that broke my heart[2]."
Source: A Train Near Magdeburg─The Holocaust, the survivors, and the American soldiers who saved them by Matthew Rozell
- End of War
- World War II
[1] Rozell, M. (2008). Life After Death: A Survivor's Story of the Holocaust, Liberation, and Rebirth. CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform.
[2] Rozell, M. (n.d.). Children of the Holocaust who were liberated by American soldiers in Germany in 1945. Retrieved from https://a-train-near-magdeburg.blogspot.com.
[3] Walsh, C. (2001). Tank Commander's Report of D-Day and Beyond: Memoirs of a Member of the 743rd Tank Battalion. iUniverse.
- The 743rd Tank Battalion, while not widely recognized, played a significant role in World War II, storming the beaches of D-Day in France and fighting in the battles for the Siegfried Line.
- One of the unit's officers, Major Clarence Benjamin, captured an arresting image just before the war's end, depicting people climbing out of a Nazi death train, symbolizing humanity amidst war.
- The liberation of Auschwitz and Dachau are historically more significant events, but the liberation of a train near Magdeburg in April 1945, where 2,500 people were crammed into wagons, remains powerful due to the poignant images it yielded.
- The occupants of this train were earmarked for a prisoner exchange with the Allies, but when it could go no further, the commander allegedly received orders to drown all the passengers in a planned bridge explosion in the Elbe.
- The encounter brought a mix of emotions as the survivors, many weakness-stricken from lack of water and food, encountered the American soldiers, who tried to help but had no supplies for 2,500 people.
- The liberated gathered before the soldiers in a formal ceremony, standing tall and holding their heads high, as a testament to the regaining of dignity and humanity, marking the end of war and the beginning of a journey towards health-and-wellness, mental-health, and general news, while leaving behind the crimes and politics of the past.
