The Dachau Massacre 1945
The Dachau massacre was an example of a reprisal by shocked and outraged troops when they were confronted by the war crimes of an enemy. US troops were involved in the liberation of the Dachau concentration camp complex by the Rainbow Division of the US Army. The camp was formally surrendered under a flag of truce by the officer in charge after the camp commandant and most of the guards had fled. They had been relieved by SS troops who were sent to arrange the surrender of the camp, through the Swiss Red Cross, to the arriving Americans.
After the Americans arrived at the camp about 50 SS guards who had surrendered were placed in a coal storage area, under the guard of a heavy machine gun team. Lt Colonel Felix Sparks later claimed that he left the machine gun under the command of a soldier known as “Birdeye” and that the soldier opened fire on the German prisoners, explaining to his superiors that the prisoners were attempting to flee. According to Felix, a dozen of the Germans were killed and several more wounded. Photographs of the scene tell a different story. Felix claimed that he directed the wounded Germans be attended and replaced the machine gunner with another soldier.
Other reports were that the inmates swarmed over the disarmed Germans, killing them with whatever came to hand. In at least two reported incidents American soldiers looked away when they encountered inmates beating their former guards with shovels. Two American soldiers discovered former camp guards hiding in a boxcar on the railroad siding and summarily shot them both. Several of the Nazi guards were shot where they stood by the Americans, who also shot the guard dogs, as the dogs’ handlers had fled before the arrival of the Americans.
In his report announcing the liberation of Dachau General Eisenhower stated that 300 “…SS camp guards were quickly neutralized.” During the process of taking charge of the camp between 35 and 50 Germans were killed by the Americans and the former prisoners, some with the assistance of the Americans. Since the event, various historians have speculated that all of the guards still present in the camp were killed, but comparisons of German records of the numbers present and the numbers of prisoners taken by the Americans makes that an impossibility.
After several eyewitnesses to the capture of Dachau reported the killings the US Army formally investigated the incident, and the Assistant Inspector General for 7th Army formally recommended courts-martial for several of the American officers and troops involved, including Lt Colonel Sparks. The investigation concluded that the SS and Wehrmacht troops present had been deliberately separated by the Americans, with the SS troops being taken to different locations to be shot. By the time the investigation was completed George S. Patton had been appointed Military Governor of Bavaria, and he ordered the charges dropped.