Spaniards in the Holocaust: Mauthausen, Horror on the Danube (Routledge/Canada Blanch Studies on Contemporary Spain) 1st Edition

I was researching Mauthausen because my father served with the 26th Infantry Division under Patton in the Third Army. I have found a lot of information but this book, and perhaps it is the most honest on the subject. Loaded with rich detail and conflicting and often opposing views this must have been very difficult to write. Although there is a great amount of detail and first hand accounts there are only a few mentions of Patton's Third Army. They did assist in the liberation of the camp and at they same time they were fighting the Germans. The image of U.S. soldiers hunting the Mauthausen SS on horseback is a wonderful image to drop but I would love to hear a first hand account of that! The end of WWII was a hot mess and from my dad's letters to my mom-well- he just wanted to get out of Austria and the war-alive. I have never read a better book or summary of the psychology the German's used against the inmates or a more specific description of the debasing horror they went through. My hat is off to the Spaniards that survived. Courage and strength for the most part and they should be proud of their struggle. Much of the end of the War was a muddle with blame, accusations, grandstanding and the usual human factor gumming up the works. That so many Nazi's escaped is, to me, astounding considering the tragic use they made of their twisted time in power. The details in this book are extremely important to, and the teaching of, future generations. I was sort of amazed that some people fault the Liberation of the camp by the American soldiers. This challenge to history is amazing, given that my dad tried to feed the survivors and leave resources behind when they moved on. The lists of names, battle actions and post war status is EXTREMELY important.Someone needs to secure the rights and reprint it at a much lower cost. I got one of the last copies at the old price and I am very happy to own it. Someone needs to dig into the history of Mauthausen from May1-14 and write up an historic, accurate description of exactly what happened, minus all the opposing and contradictory points of view. The author tried, but walked the razor's edge and remained neutral and balanced. I understand NOW why my father who risked his life under the leadership of Patton for 18+ months to free Europe and its thousands of enslaved prisoners from the clutches of the Nazi horde, rarely spoke of what happened during that time. He only lived a small part of it, did his job, fed and freed people on the edge of death and then got back home as quickly as he could when it was over. He was a changed, but not transformed, soldier a Lt. Colonel who eventually had a Veteran Disability. He stayed alive and lived a long and happy life. The Germans were trying there best to Kill Americans right up to the very end, and beyond. Just like the camps they were relentless and vengeful. My father's opinion in letters back to my mom held the same opinion as the author's. He lived through it, not so with many of his countrymen,who died along the way. This is a valuable book for a great many reasons and I'm glad the author stuck his neck out to write it. There is a lot of controversy about the war and what happened after it ended. There are still people very adamant about different versions of things. I know my dad described trying to feed survivors and how dangerous and necessary that was even while still maintaining his own troops. I was unaware of many of the issues, but now I know more. Probably more than my poor father did. This particular episode of history is hugely important but needs a lot more scholarly work, while survivors still live.

This book is focused on the terrible experience of a particular group of prisoners in the not so well known concentration camp of Mathausen and its minor branch Gusen. The peculiarity of the Spaniards concentrated there was that they came from the devastating Spanish Civil War, and to the depressing and terrible need for exile they had to add their capture while fighting against Nazis in France during IIWW. Paradoxically their previous experience of war, suffering and organization in Republican Spain contributed to their possibilities of survival. But the real centre of the book, at least for me, was that it shows that solidarity, moral principles and complete identification with the destiny of the rest of their fellowcitizens and some other non-Spanish prisoners allowed them to face up to the depravity and iniquity of their Kapos and SS officials without any loss of dignity or self-esteem. Besides, several of them managed to keep proofs in the form of photos, files and other documents that were of enormous help in the Nuremberg processes.Yes,Hell,Horror and eventually Death can be faced up without condescending to cowardice, self-degradation or despair.