Jewish Community Partners

The letter below was written by Captain (Dr.) Ben Schaffer to his wife Fagie Schaffer while he was in Austria at the end of World War II as one of the first medical staff to enter Mauthausen concentration camp. Captain Schaffer, a dentist serving in the medical corps of the U.S army, was Margaret Fargotstein and Amy Baxter’s maternal grandfather. Ben and Fagie lived the rest of their lives in Memphis. 

Towards the end of their visit to the Auschwitz State Museum and the Birkenau death camp, the participants on the recent Kehilla: A Memphis Journey to Poland and Israel trip gathered in one of the empty barracks at Birkenau to reflect on the horrors they had just witnessed. Several members of the group shared personal Holocaust stories. Trip participant Margaret Fargotstein shared her grandfather’s letter. Captain Schaffer took the photographs depicting Mauthausen as it was discovered by allied troops.

 

 

Thursday, May 10^th, 1945

Germany

 

Dearest One,

I didn’t have to go on a hospital route today, so will try to catch up on several things.

I still can’t get over the things I saw yesterday. Four days ago (we were still at war*) our company received an emergency call for medical officers and enlisted personnel and to bring delousing equipment. They were to report to Mauthausen, Austria – about 15 miles east of Linz, Austria.

The 11^th armored division (who had been at Camp Barkely*) has liberated a large concentration camp and several smaller ones. So their officers asked for some of our men.

Major Buckley and a couple of others went down the next day to view the place, and they returned with horrible stories. It so happened that yesterday’s run carried me to a P.O.W. hospital located just across the Danube River from Linz, and upon finishing my business there, I headed for Mauthausen.

The village of Mauthausen is a small place situated in the hill and mountainous territory. Normally the area would be beautiful. As we (my driver, my interpreter and I) approached the area we saw hundreds of the former inmates walking out “free”. They were easy to recognize. Most of them still wore their flimsy stripped prisoner shirts. All were starved and were mere skin and bones. Many made motions to their mouths indicating hunger, but we couldn’t do anything for them. First of all, we were also hungry having no food with us, and secondly if we had food and gave it to them they would end up with dysentery. Others waved to us – so weak they could hardly raise their hands. Still others were too weak to walk and either lay or sat on the sides of the road waiting for death to take them. Some few, however, appeared stronger and shouted to us “American, American!” Well – this was the front and I must say it did my heart good to be able to give the poor souls a friendly smile and wave. Lots of them saluted as we passed – and for the first time – I had the feeling of a liberator receiving the greetings of the liberated.

We finally arrived at a fairly large place and in we went. Rode around the area, saw some horrible sights, and then found out this camp was only a small one compared to the one 7 miles further. So on we went.

Honey, let me interrupt the sequence of this story to again thank G-D that our loved ones live in the U.S. For – but for that fact – some of those people, or should I say living skeletons and dead, could be us.

I received permission from the Colonel in charge to go in and inspect any part or all if I desired. So the three of us went in. First was the “shower room”. The inmates undressed and went in for what was to be showers. But the doors closed and locked on them and instead of water, out of the showerheads came poison gas. It only took a few minutes and then the bodies were removed to the next building – the crematorium. Many would be still alive. Soon smoke would rise from the chimneys and the smell of hair and human flesh was in the air. There were still bodies in the crematorium when the place was captured. Also being used to a degree but the people are dead of malnutrition and sickness.

The barracks were a sight not to behold. The bunks were 3-5 inches in height rammed and jammed next to each other. Quite a large number of inmates too weak to get our of them. Disease runs rampant. At this one place there are over 4,000 cases of T.B., mostly women, about 200 cases of Typhus – the epidemic type, and every other disease imaginable. Dysentery is horrific. One of the barracks had nothing but dysentery cases. The bunks were 5 high and the poor souls too weak to help themselves, so the one on top was fairly lucky. They just lay there dying – urinating and defecating in their bunks. The human waste would then drip and fall on the other bunks below. It was all too horrible for comprehension.

The Tubercular women were about the worst of the lot. Just bone covered by skin – some only weighing 65-70 pounds. As many as 4 to one bunk and the (Illegible) that carry them out.

The entire “Koncentration-Lage”, as they are called was built out of granite except for the wooden barracks, and the granite was quarried nearby by the inmates and the place built by them – each stone being carried up the so-called “180 steps of death”.

As they became too sick to work they were sent to the “dispensary” which was like a separate little camp below the large one. Here they died having been given no attention. The bodies were stripped of clothes “too important an item” and the bodies buried in huge pits.

So many have died the past few days (nothing in the world could have saved them) that the Colonel had to resort to mass burial. He made use of a large soccer field and had bulldozers and steam hovels dig out large graves. The bodies are placed like cord-wood in the graves and the bulldozer covered them – as do some large numbers of civilians. But – there are army Chaplains of all three faiths present to give a simple burial service. I saw an untold number being buried myself.

I took a few pictures from the outside of the place and had intended to take some on the inside. But – I got chicken. When I saw those people – I did not have the heart or nerve to level my camera at them. Perhaps it is for the best.

I only hope and pray that G-D deals mightily with the perpetrators of such crimes and atrocities to humanity.

I’ve tried to put into words some of what I have seen. It is an impossibility to do so accurately. There is just too much. Even our own minds didn’t want to grasp it at all. What can mere words express?

If this description spoils your next meal, I’m sorry. I know. I didn’t feel much like eating afterwards.

I’m bringing this to a close as I want you to get this as soon as possible and our mail is just going out.

Tell the girls I haven’t forgotten them. I’m just busy as can be. I’ll write first chance I get.

No mail for our company for a week now. Have no idea when we’ll get our next batch.

Kiss our children for me. All my love……

 

Ben

 

Notes for reference:

*WW2 ended May 8^th, 1945.

*Camp Barkely was in Abilene, Texas.