Holocaust History: Concentration Camps

The collection comprises of material acquired by Arthur Corder during the liberation of Mauthausen-Gusen Concentration camp on May 5, 1945. Corder had the clearance to take seized items back to the United States. There are four watches found in the camp commandant's desk, the owners to the watches are unknown. The watches include SYT wristwatch, Benrus wristwatch, Eska wristwatch, and an unidentified wristwatch.

The collection contains an Agfa Billy-Clack Camera and the case. Corder used this camera to document the liberation, health state of the victims, and conditions of the concentration camp. Additionally, there are two photocopies of the original photographs from the liberation of Mauthausen-Gusen. There is a photograph of five men positioned around a Nazi flag. The other is a company of soldiers in front of a building, watching an exercise of seven men crawling on the floor. The collection holds another photograph of Arthur Corder later in life standing with his son Craig.

Within the collection contains Third Reich relics including Sturmabteilung (S.A.) Standard Dagger produced in 1933, a small Nazi flag perhaps used in front of an officer automobile, a Nazi armband, and a large Nazi flag with the canvas grommet side removed. Corder implied the Dagger and armband were formally removed from a camp commandant during the liberation.

Of particular interest is the Certificate of listed captured military equipment dated May 9, 1945. This document certifies Corder the permission to mail the seized objects, including a knife, German Bible, German coins, Nazi flag, and Nazi armband

This postage stamp commemorates the fifth anniversary of the liberation of prisoners from the concentration camps; it was issued on May 5, 1995. The design of the stamp is barbed wire and a prisoners number 11960. Bordering the seal is a list of liberated concentration camps including, Auschwitz, Auschwitz-Birkenau, Auschwitz-Monowitz, Bergen-Belsen, Buchenwald, Dachau, Dora-Mittelbau, Flossenbürg, Gross roses, Hertogenbosch, chewing, Klooga, Krakow-Plaszow, Lublin-Majdanek, Mauthausen, Natzweiler, Neuengamme, Ravensbrueck, Riga, Sachsenhausen, Stutthof, Vaivara, Warsaw, and all other.

Program Series: This Programs series contains brochures, flyers, and booklets from institutions including Yad Vashem, United States Holocaust Museum, Bundesarchiv, and the Survivors of the Shoah. The documents include event programs, notices of exhibitions, memorial services, and conferences.

Photograph Series: This series has facsimiles of Photographs that document life before and during the Holocaust. The images are of portraits of people such as Schindler and various Nazi officials. The photographs capture various locations and events that occurred during the Holocaust, including Jewish demonstrations and resistance, Kristallnacht, Jewish ghettos, Olympic Games in Berlin, concentration camps, Schindler’s factory, Amon Göth’s house, several images of propaganda against Jews, and the liberation of concentration camps.