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As Allied troops entered Nazi-occupied territories, the final rescue and liberation transpired. Allied troops who stumbled upon the concentration camps were shocked at what they found. Large ditches filled with bodies, rooms of baby shoes, and gas chambers with fingernail marks on the walls all testified to Nazi brutality. General Eisenhower insisted on photographing and documenting the horror so that future generations would not ignore history and repeat its mistakes. He also forced villagers neighboring the death and concentration camps to view what had occurred in their own backyards.
Scenes of Allied troops advancing into German territory and the liberation of the camps, part 1. Views of the camps immediately following liberation as well as inspection tours by General Eisenhower. Movie clip of children in Auschwitz shortly after liberation. Map of the liberation of major Nazi camps, 1944-45. An extensive liberation bibliography is available at the Wiesenthal Center site. Visit the Liberators page of the People section for more information, quotations from liberators, and Web links to individual liberation accounts. Interactive quiz on rescue and liberation. Lesson plans, discussion questions, term paper topics, reproducible handouts, and other resources for teaching about liberation and rescue are available here.
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A Teacher's Guide to the Holocaust |