In April 1945, just before the war's end, Lon Redman encountered his first concentration camp—Flossenburg. There was no organized resistance against the American soldiers. They easily evacuated the guards. Examining the area, the Americans came upon numerous bodies; some were still alive. They also found a railroad car run by gravity that went down to a third level where there were ovens. The soldiers brought all the citizens from nearby out of their homes to tour the camp and see what had gone on. They claimed they had heard nothing about it. After the war's end, Redman commanded a rehabilitation camp of 5,000 North German Jews. The inhabitants of the camp were fed, clothed, and evacuated to Australia, the U.S., Israel, or wherever they wanted to go.
Standards
- 5.3 Demonstrate an understanding of the economic, political, and social effects of World War II, the Holocaust, and their aftermath (i.e., 1930–1950) on the United States and South Carolina.
- 6.5.CE Explain the impact of nationalism on global conflicts and genocides in the 20th and 21st centuries.
- 7-4 The student will demonstrate an understanding of the causes and effects of world conflicts in the first half of the twentieth century.
- The influence of both world wars and the worldwide Great Depression are still evident. To understand the effects these events had on the modern world, the student will utilize the knowledge and skills set forth in the following indicators:
- 7-4.5 Summarize the causes and course of World War II, including drives for empire, appeasement and isolationism, the invasion of Poland, the Battle of Britain, the invasion of the Soviet Union, the "Final Solution," the Lend-Lease program, Pearl Harbo...
- 7-4.6 Analyze the Holocaust and its impact on European society and Jewish culture, including Nazi policies to eliminate the Jews and other minorities, the Nuremberg trials, the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, the rise of nationalism in Southwest...
- The influence of both world wars and the worldwide Great Depression are still evident. To understand the effects these events had on the modern world, the student will utilize the knowledge and skills set forth in the following indicators:
- 8.5.CO Compare South Carolina and U.S. wartime contributions and demobilization after World War II.
- USHC-7 The student will demonstrate an understanding of the impact of World War II on the United States and the nation’s subsequent role in the world.
