Chronology of the Liberation of Buchenwald, April 11, 1945

This detailed chronology of the events shows how SS command of the camp was ended by the 3rd U.S. Army and the underground inmates’ organization succeeded in securing the camp and providing for the liberated inmates.

Children and Adolescents in Buchenwald

At the end of the war, as many as one in three inmates was under the age of 21. There were hundreds of children, some no older than 4. The underground organization of Buchenwald succeeded in saving more than 900 of them.

Ohrdruf Subcamp

The Third U.S. Army reached Ohrdruf Subcamp in early April 1945, the first concentration camp to be liberated by the Western Allies.

U.S. Veterans Remember

Immediately after the Liberation of Buchenwald, April 11, 1945, the U.S. Army began with the medical care of the completely emaciated former inmates. The memories of enlisted men serving in the 120th Evacuation Hospital provide insight into their experiences.