There is an obscure, yet intriguing detail behind the funeral ceremony that occurred on April 25, 1945. It honored both Christian and Jewish traditions.
Among the photos that Signal Corps photographers captured in Schwarzenfeld during the harrowing 48-hour ordeal, there is a snapshot of three emaciated men wearing garb too voluminous for their frail bodies. They are Polish Jews who fled from SS guards during the Flossenbürg Death March and absconded to a local barn. They managed to remain hidden until the American arrival on April 22, and emerged only when they knew they were no longer in danger of being recaptured by Nazi sympathizers. I’ve included that photo below.
Their back story as Flossenbürg survivors is emphasized by the “K” and “L” apparently painted onto the jacket of the center figure. The abbreviation stands for Konzentrationslager, the German word for ‘concentration camp.’
Signal Corps photos of the funeral show a throng of attendees. Dean Josef Spangler, a cleric local to Schwarzenfeld, officiates the Mass. (He’s visible in the center, wearing a black robe with white trim.) Fr. Viktor stands off to the side, holding papers in his hands and translating services into English for a crowd of American infantrymen.
However, one photo in particular captures two other attendees of interest: the same survivors we observed in the photo above.
Why were they present? They were there to recite Kaddish, the Jewish prayer for the dead. This certainly wasn’t included in the American commander’s ultimatum, and it’s likely that the Jews requested to recite this prayer for their comrades. However, their inclusion is a sign of respect and an act of reconciliation after all that these souls had endured at Nazi hands.
Useful reminders
This post is part of a month-long series reflecting upon historical events that contributed to my debut historical fiction novel, The Sower of Black Field. Visit the “Latest News” area on my website for a recap »
The Sower of Black Field is available in paperback, eBook / Kindle, and audiobook on Amazon. Get your copy »
To learn more about the American role in events in Schwarzenfeld—and other historical instances where American forces compelled German civilians to tend Holocaust victims—see Dr. Christopher Mauriello’s Book, Forced Confrontation: The Politics of Dead Bodies in Germany at the End of WWII. The book is available on Amazon. Get your copy »
