German soldiers made to load victims of Bergen-Belsen Concentration Camp onto a truck, Germany, 17 Apr 1945; note British troops in background with Sten submachine gun and Lee-Enfield rifles

Caption     German soldiers made to load victims of Bergen-Belsen Concentration Camp onto a truck, Germany, 17 Apr 1945; note British troops in background with Sten submachine gun and Lee-Enfield rifles ww2dbase
Photographer    Unknown
Source    ww2dbaseImperial War Museums via Wikimedia Commons
Link to Source    Link
Identification Code   BU 4024
More on...   
Discovery of Concentration Camps and the Holocaust   Main article  Photos  
Bergen-Belsen Concentration Camp   Main article  Photos  
Lee-Enfield No. 4   Main article  Photos  
Sten   Main article  Photos  
Photo Size 991 x 968 pixels
Photos on Same Day 17 Apr 1945
Photos at Same Place Bergen, Ost-Hannover, Germany
Added By C. Peter Chen
Licensing  According to the United Kingdom National Archives, Crown copyright material that has been created prior to 1 Jun 1957 is considered to be in the public domain.

Please contact us regarding any inaccuracies with the above information. Thank you.




Did you enjoy this photograph or find this photograph helpful? If so, please consider supporting us on Patreon. Even $1 per month will go a long way! Thank you.

Share this photograph with your friends:

 Facebook
 Reddit
 Twitter

Stay updated with WW2DB:

 RSS Feeds


Visitor Submitted Comments

1. moy says:
2 Jan 2012 02:19:31 AM

its verry good
2. Commenter identity confirmed Bill says:
8 Mar 2012 09:01:02 PM

CRIMES AGAINST HUMANITY:

Located near Bergan and Belsen villages in what was then Prussian Hannover, Germany the camp held over 60,000 it didn't have any gas chambers, but over 30,000 died there, even after VE Day in spit of medical efforts thousands died due to disease, infections and starvation.

THOUSANDS LAY UNBURIED:

In March 1945 alone, 18,000 died and the number of deaths from January to April 1945 were 35,000 within five days of liberation 14,000 more people died. Bergan-Belsen was liberated by the British 11th Armored Div.on
April 15, 1945 when they arrived over 13,000 corpses lay around the camp unburied.

THE AFTERMATH:

Former SS Guards were tried by the British dozens of personnel were found guilty of murder and crimes against humanity most were hanged.

UNIFORMS OF THE SS GUARDS:

SS Guards have been issued the late pattern field-gray uniform without pleats on the pockets.
The SS man with the white armband was used as a sign of surrender, his rank is 2nd Lieutenant, the other guard with chevron on right sleeve is a Lance-Corporal, w/SS runes on his right collar and rank on the left the others are Corporals and (PFC) Private First Class the Corporals collar lace is silver, but in a black & white photo looks white in color, they are wearing the M 1943 field cap w/deaths head insignia the guards are wearing ankle-boots w/canvas gaiters. The man in the white jacket, is unidentified as no rank is showing.
The British are armed with Lee-Enfield No.4 rifles one Sergeant is carrying what looks like a movie camera, the other Sergeant is armed with a No.4 rifle like the other troops, and one carries a Sten 9mm submachine gun.

All visitor submitted comments are opinions of those making the submissions and do not reflect views of WW2DB.

Posting Your Comments on this Topic

Your Name
Your Email
 Your email will not be published
Comment Type
Your Comments
 

Notes:

1. We hope that visitor conversations at WW2DB will be constructive and thought-provoking. Please refrain from using strong language. HTML tags are not allowed. Your IP address will be tracked even if you remain anonymous. WW2DB site administrators reserve the right to moderate, censor, and/or remove any comment. All comment submissions will become the property of WW2DB.

2. For inquiries about military records for members of the World War II armed forces, please see our FAQ.

Search WW2DB
Modern Day Location
WW2-Era Place Name Bergen, Ost-Hannover, Germany
Lat/Long 52.7578, 9.9078
Famous WW2 Quote
"You ask, what is our aim? I can answer in one word. It is victory. Victory at all costs. Victory in spite of all terrors. Victory, however long and hard the road may be, for without victory there is no survival."

Winston Churchill


Support Us

Please consider supporting us on Patreon. Even $1 a month will go a long way. Thank you!

Or, please support us by purchasing some WW2DB merchandise at TeeSpring, Thank you!