APRIL

Pictured here is a pile of shoes belong to prisoners who perished in Bergen-Belsen. This photo was taken in April 1945, after liberation. Originally designed as a prisoner of war and transit camp, Bergen-Belsen was to house 10,000 prisoners. From March 1944, Bergen-Belsen became a "regular concentration camp" with new prisoners arriving who were too sick to work at other camps.  Some 35,000 to 40,000 inmates died of starvation, overcrowding, hard labor and disease or were killed. On April 15, 1945, Bergen-Belsen was the first camp to be liberated by the Western Allied forces. More about Bergen-Belsen...

Yad Vashem Archives 1201