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Ohrdruf Concentration Camp

Gotha, Landkreis Gotha, Thüringen, Germany

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  • Get directions Gotha, Thüringen, Germany
    Coordinates: 50.83330, 10.73330
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Located near the German towns of Gotha and Ohrdruf, Ohrdruf Concentration Camp was part of the Buchenwald concentration camp network and the first Nazi concentration camp liberated by U.S. troops. As many as 10,000 men provided slave labor digging caverns for Nazi underground headquarters and transportation facilities in the nearby towns.

Ohrdruf camp was discovered by accident on April 5, 1945 by members of the 4th Armored Division of the Third Army who discovered the gate to the camp over a small hill while exploring after the capture of the towns. It was surrounded by a high barbed wire fence and had a wooden sign which read, "Arbeit Macht Frei."

On April 12, 1945, Ohrdruf was visited by Generals Eisenhower, Bradley and Patton. The Generals viewed piles of bodies, implements of torture, and a butcher's block used to smash gold fillings from teeth, among other sights. After the visit, Eisenhower ordered every nearby unit not on the front lines to visit Ohrdruf, saying, "We are told the American soldier does not know what he is fighting for. Now, at least, he will know what he is fighting against."



Located near the German towns of Gotha and Ohrdruf, Ohrdruf Concentration Camp was part of the Buchenwald concentration camp network and the first Nazi concentration camp liberated by U.S. troops. As many as 10,000 men provided slave labor digging caverns for Nazi underground headquarters and transportation facilities in the nearby towns.

Ohrdruf camp was discovered by accident on April 5, 1945 by members of the 4th Armored Division of the Third Army who discovered the gate to the camp over a small hill while exploring after the capture of the towns. It was surrounded by a high barbed wire fence and had a wooden sign which read, "Arbeit Macht Frei."

On April 12, 1945, Ohrdruf was visited by Generals Eisenhower, Bradley and Patton. The Generals viewed piles of bodies, implements of torture, and a butcher's block used to smash gold fillings from teeth, among other sights. After the visit, Eisenhower ordered every nearby unit not on the front lines to visit Ohrdruf, saying, "We are told the American soldier does not know what he is fighting for. Now, at least, he will know what he is fighting against."



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  • Added: 26 Mar 2013
  • Find a Grave Cemetery ID: 2490131