Oral History Interview with Michael Ebner

Albert Paul Shalet served with the 7th Armored Division in Europe during World War II. His unit liberated Nordhausen concentration camp April 22, 1945 but stayed there only a few hours. He briefly describes conditions in the camp, and the plant at Nordhausen making V-2 rockets, as well as the physical condition of the survivors and their reaction to the liberators. He saw the gas chambers, ovens, and a room used to extract gold fillings from prisoners’ teeth. He explains how seeing Nordhausen left him with a very deep trauma from which he will never recover. He was part of the Army of Occupation for 14 months. Mr. Shalet closes the interview by reaffirming the truth of his testimony and his horror at what he witnessed.