us-005578-irn521177-irn521837
scope and content: Copy of Mein Kampf found by Lt. Milton Shurr, a Jewish American soldier, in April 1945 at the recently liberated Buchenwald concentration camp in Germany. It had belonged to one of the SS officers and is signed by the mayor of Trier, Germany and inscribed with best wishes for newlyweds. Shurr was housed in the former officer's barrack. 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 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.
is or was included in: us-005578-irn521177
physical characteristics and technical requirements: 2 v. in 1 (xxvii, 781 p., [1] leaf of plates) ; 1 port. ; 20 cm. inscribed : To the Newlyweds, with best wishes for a happy and blessed marriage. stamped : Trier town seal signature : Mayor of Trier
identifier: irn521837
has beginning date: http://lod.ehri-project-test.eu/dates/1941-01-01
type: RecordSet
conditions of use: No restrictions on use
has or had subject: http://lod.ehri-project-test.eu/vocabularies/ehri-terms/381
has record set type: Item
archival history: The book was donated to the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum in 1988 by Milton L. Shurr.
has or had identifier: http://lod.ehri-project-test.eu/units/us-005578-irn521177-irn521837/alternateIDs/1
has or had holder: us-005578
date: 1945 April-1945 May
has end date: http://lod.ehri-project-test.eu/dates/1941-12-31
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…
has or had some members with language: deu
conditions of access: No restrictions on access
results or resulted from: http://lod.ehri-project-test.eu/units/us-005578-irn521177-irn521837/acquisitions/1
title: Book