VHS version contains complete Reels 4 and 14 of the George Stevens Collection at LOC. The " and Betacam SP were supervised transfers of only relevant footage, for use only in the USHMM Permanent Exhibit (Americans Encounter the Camps). Additional documentation reporting Rabbi David Max Eichhorn's depiction of this religious service at Dachau located in USHMM departmental files.
MCU Stevens and GI in parkas stand in front of Toluca jeep. US Army comes across railcars filled with dead prisoners in Dachau and assists survivors. LS along row of boxcars on railroad siding, GIs in distance, snow on ground. GI walks into FG looking at cars. MS corpse of inmate in striped uniform lies on gravel beside track, CU. Snow-covered corpse curled in corner of boxcar. MS from behind, GIs looking down at dead SS man, CU battered face, other dead SS. Frozen bodies of dead prisoners covered in snow in boxcar, CU of haunting face, pile of bodies in doorway of boxcar, GI photographs, CU of bodies. MCU of dead prisoner in striped uniform curled beside railroad track. Another pile of bodies covered by snow, bare feet. LS Dachau courtyard, Red Cross marked trucks in front of large long building which had been part of camp. CU of SS marking on side of building, LS of former SS barracks, people walking across courtyard. Survivors stand and squat eating and smoking around small fire stoves inside the camp, gate in BG. Good CUs of men around stoves. CU of bowl of cereal and can of heating powdered milk. MS former inmates in civilian dress standing around on sidewalk next to barrack, pan left to rows of laid out corpses covered by blankets. Pile of prison uniforms in BG. CU of their faces in a row. CU of emaciated uncovered corpses. LS wagon piled high with loaves of bread being unloaded and lined up on tables by inmates, prisoner wearing French armband, others with Xs or 2 parallel strips on coats. Young boy in cap scraping bottom of barrel. MCU as group of survivors carry wrapped up body by on mattress, the person may still be alive, CU of mattress, head appears to move. Men line up and are deloused. Good shots. Two young survivors in caps and uniforms walk through Dachau. LS to CU as men pull large wagon of soup kettles toward camera. LS GIs walking past pile of what turn out to be bodies in front of crematorium. Flame visible. Shot kennels and piles of clothing, MS of clothing hung up off ground next to barrack, huge mound of clothing. Stacked naked corpses outside crematorium. MCU pan of the dead. CU of the bodies which include a prosthesis for a leg. MS, pile of dead SS men lined up along fence, CU of SS insignia on coat. CUs of dead. Survivors wrapped in blankets sitting on back of flatbed truck, CUs, MS group in striped uniforms stands next to truck. Pan to naked corpse on litter in FG. Crowd of survivors swarm around truck, may be striking at someone. Germans with hands up as survivors walk around, GIs observing, perhaps trying to determine if some men in prison uniforms are Germans trying to mix into the camp population. CU of Germans with hands up, one with a bandaged eye. Survivors going down line trying to identify former captors along with a GI in a cap with a striking profile. Former prisoners talk to men with hands up. CU of young German prisoners talking to same GI. LS of line of men filing into building, GI guard at door and GIs come out. LS ceremony in courtyard, men gathered around podium, flags waving including American and one with the Dachau symbol in center. Good CUs of many flags. British, Russian and US flags flying from roof of camp building. LS podium, cameraman filming, pan to men and flags waiting. Good MCU of survivors, many still in striped uniforms, looking into camera. Speaker at podium. MLS of US Army chaplain and Rabbi David Max Eichhorn conducting religious service - reaction shot as the audience looks up at him. This was the first Jewish religious service honoring the Jews who died as a result of Nazi persecution in Dachau.
Liberation at Dachau