us-005578-irn47452-irn84572
scope and content: British Airborne paratrooper's Denison jacket with a camouflage pattern worn by 22 year old Manfred Gans, a Jewish refugee from Germany, while serving as a Marine Commando for the British Army from May 1944 to May 1945. The Denison smock was designed with an adjustable tail flap, and worn over standard battle dress to keep gear secured when a paratrooper deployed his parachute. In January 1933, Adolf Hitler became the chancellor of Germany and implemented anti-Jewish laws. In July 1938, Manfred went to England. On September 3, 1939, Great Britain declared war against Germany, and Manfred was classified as an enemy alien. In spring 1940, Germany invaded Western Europe. Manfred was arrested and sent to an internment camp on the Isle of Man. Manfred enlisted in the British Army, where he spent two years assigned to a labor unit. At the end of 1942, he was recruited for his language skills and served as a member of a Special Forces troop composed of fluent German speaking refugees. Each man in the unit was assigned a British alias: Manfred's was Fred Gray. On June 6, 1944, he participated in the invasion of Normandy. It was his mission to go out on every patrol and troop action and infiltrate German positions to convince soldiers to surrender, and to interrogate prisoners and gather intelligence as his unit advanced through France, Belgium, and northern Germany. Manfred learned from an American uncle that his parents had been imprisoned in Theresienstadt labor camp-ghetto in German occupied Czechoslovakia. In early May 1945, he drove across Germany, through enemy lines, to find his parents. He was reunited with them in Theresienstadt on May 11. His parents returned to the Netherlands in July. Manfred was demobilized in August 1945. He married Anita Lamm in 1948. She had fled Germany with her parents in 1938, assisted by Manfred's parents. He joined her in the US in 1950.
conditions of access: No restrictions on access
has end date: http://lod.ehri-project-test.eu/dates/1944-12-31
history: Manfred Gans was born on April 27, 1922, in Borken, Germany, to Moritz and Else Fraenkel Gans. His family had been in Borken for over 300 years. Moritz was born on July 7, 1885. He was a German Army veteran who had lost a lung and a leg in Italy during World War I. Moritz was the only Jew ever elected to the city council. Else was born on September 1, 1891, in Volksen, Germany. In 1924, Moritz and Else established a prosperous textile manufacturing business. Manfred’s older brother, Karl, was born on May 23, 1920, and his younger brother, Theodor (Theo), was born on May 1, 1925. The brothers were raised Orthodox. They attended the Jewish elementary school and a Catholic high school. In January 1933, Adolf Hitler became the chancellor of Germany. Manfred and his brothers spent that summer at their Aunt and Uncle’s hachshara farm in Gut Neuendorf. While there, Manfred met Anita Lamm, the daughter of his father’s best friend. Anita was born on August 31, 1923, in Berlin, to Leo and Margaret Lamm. In 1935, as government persecution of Jews increased, Moritz began moving his money out of the country. In 1936, Karl immigrated to Palestine. In spring 1938, Moritz helped the Lamm family immigrate secretly to the United States. After they left, Anita and Manfred began writing to each other. In July 1938, Manfred went to England and stayed with a Jewish family, the Jacobs. He was supposed to return home in the fall, but his parents told him to stay. With the help of the German Jewish Aide Committee, Manfred relocated to Manchester and found work in a factory’s repair shop. Manfred wanted to continue his Orthodox lifestyle, so Mr. Jacobs introduced him to a Jewish family in Manchester, the Steinharts. They suggested that he stay at a relative’s boarding house, and often invited him to partake in religious activities and socialize with their community. After the November 9 - 10, 1938, Kristallnacht pogrom in Germany, Moritz and Else sent Theo out of the country to a boarding sc…
results or resulted from: http://lod.ehri-project-test.eu/units/us-005578-irn47452-irn84572/acquisitions/1
is or was included in: us-005578-irn47452
has beginning date: http://lod.ehri-project-test.eu/dates/1944-01-01
has or had identifier: http://lod.ehri-project-test.eu/units/us-005578-irn47452-irn84572/alternateIDs/1
conditions of use: No restrictions on use
record resource extent: overall: Height: 33.000 inches (83.82 cm) | Width: 19.000 inches (48.26 cm)
has or had holder: us-005578
has record set type: Item
has or had some members with language: eng
physical characterisitics and technical requirements: Durable, long-sleeved hip length green cotton denim paratrooper's jacket with light and dark brown and dark green brushstroke camouflage. It has a reinforced high stand collar, a full-length metal zipper, and shoulder epaulets: the left has a brown plastic button, the right button is missing. There are 4 large patch pockets with envelope flaps and brass-colored metal snap closures on both sides of the zipper. The cuffs are padded and trimmed with black leather. Each cuff has an adjustable cuff tab with 1 button hole, and 2 buttons. There is an adjustable waist tab with 1 snap cap and 2 studs on each side. Between the lower pocket and zipper on each side is a column of 3 metal snap caps. Sewn to the back, center, inner hem of the bottom is a tapered flap, approximately 12 inches long and 2 ½ inches wide, with 2 snap studs at the end. The flap is an adjustable strap, either worn between the legs and fastened to the snap columns on the front, or folded up and attached to 2 back snaps. There is an additional 10 inch cloth panel attached inside on the upper and lower back sections. The underarms have cloth inserts with 6 eyelet vents to expand the range of motion. There is a stamp and a manufacturer's label on the inside left pocket. A long sleeve brown cloth liner has been tacked inside at the collar and cuffs; it is a postwar addition. The jacket was worn by family members after the war. It has been heavily used and has many repairs, patches, tears, and missing portions. front, interior, near tag, stamped, black ink : W[?] / M / D[?] /↑
title: British Army paratrooper's jacket worn in combat by a German Jewish refugee
identifier: irn84572
type: RecordSet
history: The jacket was donated to the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum in 2013 by Daniel Gans, the son of Manfred Gans.
has end date: http://lod.ehri-project-test.eu/dates/1945-12-31