The Liberation of Bergen-Belsen

On January 27, 1945, as the Soviet Army soldiers pressed forward on their journey to Auschwitz, they stumbled upon a haunting sight: a warehouse brimming with the remnants of Nazi atrocities. Amidst the piles of belongings—prosthetic limbs, shoes, eyeglasses, and kitchenware—they encountered more than just abandoned possessions.

Soldier Georgii Elisaverskii vividly described the scene: sick and dying victims, left behind by their captors, clinging to whatever strength remained. Weak and desperate, they fell to their knees, kissing the flaps of their overcoats and grasping at the soldiers’ legs, pleading for salvation.