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Army Medic Captures Horrors of Mauthausen Liberation

2/16/2026

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Story summary
  • In late April 1945, three Jewish mothers and their newborns arrived at Mauthausen concentration camp in Austria, shortly before it was liberated by a small American unit, underscoring the importance of documenting history.
  • Army medic LeRoy "Pete" Petersohn documented the horrors he witnessed, including piles of dead bodies and starving prisoners.
  • His letter home served as testimony to the atrocities.
  • Petersohn and his fellow soldiers captured photographs and film footage.