us-005578-irn521177-irn514915
type: RecordSet
archival history: The piston ashtray was donated to the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum in 1988 by Milton Shurr.
biographical history: Milton Shurr was born on January 28, 1911, in Rochester, NY, to Mr and Mrs. Harry Shurr. On June 3, 1941, he married Muriel Friedman, from New York City. That year, motivated by news about the persecution of Jews in Europe, including news from correspondents about the camps, Milton joined the field staff of the Council of Jewish Federations and Welfare Fund. He moved from Minneapolis, MN, to Oklahoma City, OK, to head the Fund. He transitioned from being a program organizer in public health to arranging regional conferences to fundraise and to inform US citizens of what was happening abroad. The United States entered World War II on December 8, 1941, following the attack on Pearl Harbor. Milton was drafted into the US Army and enrolled in Officer's Candidate School. Corporal Shurr was then sent to military government school to be trained to rebuild postwar Germany. First Lieutenant Shurr and the rest of his class were deployed to Great Britain in February 1944. They assisted in the preparations for Operation Overlord, set for June 6, 1944. He was recruited from the Quartermasters Corp by the Army's Department of Civilian Affairs. Slated to deploy one week after D-Day, their departure was delayed to send more fighting troops. They then landed on Omaha Beach near Isigny. Milton was stationed with the 1st Army. He was assigned to collect medical or other supplies dropped on the beach and then throughout France. In October 1944, Milton was placed with the 1st Army Displaced Persons Team in Vervier, Belgium, and was in Malmady during the Battle of the Bulge. He continued to travel widely with a driver searching for supplies. They drove through combat territory and were often bombed. Around January 1945, Milton fell ill with hepatitis and was sent to England to recover. He returned to his unit in Germany the day after Patton's 3rd Army liberated Buchenwald concentration camp on April 11, 1945. Buchenwald was then transferred to the command of the 1st Army, which had the t…
physical characteristics and technical requirements: Heavy, circular, silver, stainless steel ashtray made from a truck’s piston head. It has a deep central well, thick sides, and a flat rim with 3 attached, evenly spaced, curved, rectangular rests for cigarettes. Three deep grooves are cut into the exterior. The underside is flat and smooth with a slightly raised rim and engraved with a German name and rank. It is spattered with white paint. bottom, center, engraved : H. Pister / Obersturmbannführer [Senior Storm unit leader]
conditions of access: No restrictions on access
conditions of use: No restrictions on use
date: 1945 April-1945 May
has or had holder: us-005578
has or had identifier: 1
has or had some members with language: deu
has record set type: Item
identifier: irn514915
is or was included in: us-005578-irn521177
record resource extent: overall: Height: 1.500 inches (3.81 cm) | Width: 5.125 inches (13.018 cm) | Depth: 4.875 inches (12.383 cm)
results or resulted from: 1
scope and content: Ashtray made from a truck piston head found by Lt. Milton Shurr, a Jewish American soldier, at the recently liberated Buchenwald concentration camp in April-May 1945 in Germany. It is inscribed to Herman Pister, the SS camp commandant, who fled before US troops arrived. He was captured, tried, and sentenced to death, but died before the sentence was carried out. First Lt. Shurr, Civil Affairs Unit, assisted in planning for D-Day, June 6, 1944. He landed on Omaha Beach soon after the invasion to organize supplies, then was placed with the 1st Army Displaced Persons Team. On April 11, 1945, the US Third Army liberated Buchenwald. Command of the camp was transferred to the 1st Army, which was responsible for establishing order, improving camp conditions, and caring for the inmates. Shurr worked 16 hour days trying to find food for 15,000 starving survivors. He later was sent to Bavaria as a health welfare officer to assist with the re-establishment of schools, hospitals, and other social services by the US Military occupation government. In 1949, he declined a permanent position and returned to the US.
title: Piston head ashtray made for concentration camp commander found by US military aid worker