British and American Voluntary Organizations in Liberated Bergen-Belsen Concentration Camp: An Unknown Story

Abstract

When the first British troops entered Bergen-Belsen concentration camp on 15 April 1945 it was obvious the liberators had no idea about what was to confront them. During the following days and weeks, specialized military units, six relief teams provided by the British Red Cross and the Society of Friends, two platoons from the American Field Service and around one hundred medical students, among others, were called to take care of the 60,000 dying, sick, starving, and exhausted people at the camp. While the role the British military and medical students played in providing emergency relief in Belsen has been the focus of intensive research, little is known about the contribution of voluntary organizations. Based on widely unknown archival documents and personal papers, this chapter will examine the work of British and American voluntary organizations in Belsen immediately after liberation.