Dachau Concentration Camp was liberated by the 45^th Division. The decomposing bodies of dead inmates were in piles. The 1^st Battalion of the 40^th ECR was ordered to bury the bodies promptly.  The 40^th ECR soldiers learned that some of the deaths were caused by typhus and other highly contagious diseases. 40th ECR soldiers, who had witnessed a typhus outbreak in Naples two years earlier, believe that the prompt burial prevented a serious out break in central Europe.

Photos were supplied by a number of the 40th veterans who have tried to
pool all their photos for posterity so the Holocaust will never be forgotten.

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Piles of shoes show the magnitude of the tragedy.

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 Bulldozers excavated deep trenches in which the bodies were laid side by side.

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 Civilians from nearby German communities were employed to do much of this work. It was believed that this was done so that there would be local citizens who could testify concerning what had happened in the camp.

 The bodies, many wrapped in mattress covers, were loaded on wagons, pulled by horses and deposited in the trench. Bulldozers covered them with thick layers of soil.  Information in the Holocaust Museum indicates that when the bodies were later exhumed, most were identified because a number was tattooed on each body and the SS kept meticulous records, which were recovered.

More pictures below ;

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Entrance to Administration building after initial clean-up by the 40th.

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Staff Seargent Holger Larson, 1st Platoon H Co, of Hibbing, Minnesota standing in the entrance way at Dachau.

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Roofs of Dachau barracks and other buildings from outside the compound.