On this day 80 years ago, the 48-hour ultimatum ended without a bullet fired. To the Schwarzenfelders it was tantamount to a miracle.
In the early afternoon, Schwarzenfeld’s five hundred men, women and children assembled in a grim human wall around 140 hastily constructed caskets, their heads bowed in prayer. Fr. Viktor translated services in English for American soldiers witnessing the event. Despite all the catastrophes threatening to impede progress—a shortage of nails, a war-depleted work force of women and children who had never touched a hammer, and a widespread electrical power outage that rendered all electrical saws useless—he successfully coordinated the effort that saved Schwarzenfeld.
Several small, yet interesting stories arise from this funeral ceremony. Look for those in the coming days.
While researching the American side of the story, I had the exquisite fortune of working with Dr. Christopher Mauriello, Director of Holocaust and Genocide Studies at Salem State University. When we crossed paths in 2013, he was working on his book, Forced Confrontation: The Politics of Dead Bodies in Germany at the End of WWII. I highly recommend it for anyone interested in learning more about Patton’s Third Army and their experiences as they arrived in Germany. Chris discovered over 75 cases where American military units discovered the remains of Holocaust victims and compelled German citizens to tend the dead. He calls this process “forced confrontation.”
The scenario in Schwarzenfeld was replaying itself throughout Germany. After American planes destroyed the train carrying Flossenbürg’s Jewish prisoners on April 19, the SS divided survivors into groups and marched out on different paths throughout the Oberpfalz. In small villages, towns, and cities across the countryside, U.S. forces were discovering mass graves along death-march routes and at smaller labor and transfer camps. Genuinely shocked by the atrocities, military commanders compelled town officials to mobilize their citizens in reburial efforts. However, Schwarzenfeld is the only known instance where an American commander issued a deadline to perform the process—and threatened German civilians if they failed to fulfill all conditions on time.
It was also the only known instance where an American citizen intervened and confronted his countrymen, proclaiming the town’s innocence.
Imagine if this spiritual hero had returned to the States in 1941, when the Nazis evicted the Passionists from the monastery in Schwarzenfeld. The story I’m telling today would have been dramatically different.
In fact, it’s nearly a miracle I’m telling it at all. I’ll explain in future posts.
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 »
