Hell Before Their Very Eyes

By: John C. McManus

Narrated by: Joe Barrett

On April Fourth, 1945, United States Army units from the 89th Infantry Division and the Fourth Armored Division seized Ohrdruf, the first of many Nazi concentration camps to be liberated in Germany. In the weeks that followed, as more camps were discovered, thousands of soldiers came face to face with the monstrous reality of Hitler's Germany.

These men discovered the very depths of human-imposed cruelty and depravity: railroad cars stacked with emaciated, lifeless bodies; ovens full of incinerated human remains; warehouses filled with stolen shoes, clothes, luggage, and even eyeglasses; prison yards littered with implements of torture and dead bodies; and - perhaps most disturbing of all - the half-dead survivors of the camps. For the American soldiers of all ranks who witnessed such powerful evidence of Nazi crimes, the experience was life altering. Almost all were haunted for the rest of their lives by what they had seen, horrified that humans from ostensibly civilized societies were capable of such crimes.

Military historian John C. McManus sheds new light on this often-overlooked aspect of the Holocaust. Drawing on a rich blend of archival sources and thousands of firsthand accounts - including unit journals, interviews, oral histories, memoirs, diaries, letters, and published recollections - Hell before Their Very Eyes focuses on the experiences of the soldiers who liberated Ohrdruf, Buchenwald, and Dachau and their determination to bear witness to this horrific history.

©2018 John C. McManus (P)2018 Blackstone Audio, Inc.

Everyone should read or listen To this

Gut-wrenching narrative of the US troops who liberated Nazi concentration camps in spring 1945. The horror they witnessed and experienced in discovering, freeing, and caring for the victims incarcerated there must never pass from memory. The ghastly details are presented almost entirely in first-person quotations from the participants, and do a creditable job of portraying their disbelief, inability to comprehend, and guilt, often giving way to blind rage and hatred of the German instigators.

Awareness is the first step toward preventing recurrence. The bestiality of the Nazi regime must never be allowed to happen again.

Well-read except for the reader’s annoying habit of assuming a stilted accent whenever someone is quoted.

Many thanks to Audible for making this volume available free of charge.

Moving

I don’t get emotional often when reading books like this. I will not forget this book and would recommend it to anyone that is both a historical knowledge seeker. Very moving and the narrator was excellent.

loved it

it is an interesting view from the soilders view instead of the inmates. I have read many memoirs from survivors and even accounts of the guards, but to liberators shine a new light on the camps. very well written.

Great documentary of those who witnessed

The reader was perfect for the tone/message of this book.

Looking for the experiences of those who discovered and liberated camps and the aftermath of caring for the survivors this is it. First hand reports, discussion of policies and organizing as well as personal experience. I am so glad I got this book.

Good book

Content is great but it needed a different narrator. Despite this the author gives a vivid description of the liberations

Compelling story well told

This was a compelling story very well written and the narration by Joe Barrett was a pleasure to listen to.

Fascinating account of Holocaust liberation

I visited Yad Vashem years ago as part of my college education. This account of the liberation of some of the concentration camps by American soldiers at the close of WW2 is unique and thought provoking. Mr McManus did a terrific job in writing and Joe Barrett's performance was perfect for this subject matter.

#MyNonFictionAddiction

I only can say it was a challenge to my emotional homeostasis. Such a revelation can never be endured without some Kleenex & maybe a friendly drink. The barbaric evils are hard to know; truth doesn't change though upon its impact. The human heart holds the tears of far too many tragedies. To tell it is necessary, and to read it, an obligation to the dead. 🔍🗝😢

Never forget

I found this to be an amazing account of the Holocaust as seen through the eyes of the troops who liberated them. This should be required reading for high school seniors so our future generations never let this tragedy happen again.

Unique perspective

Important & thought-provoking. Meticulously written and perfectly narrated. Even hardened soldiers were brought to tears in disbelief of what they saw.