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After Daybreak: The Liberation of Belsen, 1945
“The things I saw completely defy description.”
When British troops entered Bergen-Belsen concentration camp in April 1945, they uncovered scenes of horror and depravity that shocked the world. But they also confronted a terrible challenge — inside the camp were some 60,000 people suffering from typhus, starvation and dysentery, who would die unless they received immediate medical attention.
After Daybreak is the story of the men and women who faced that challenge — the army stretcher-bearers and ambulance drivers, medical students and relief workers who worked to save the inmates of Belsen — with the war still raging and only the most primitive drugs and facilities available. It was, for all of them, an overwhelming experience. Drawing on their diaries and letters, Ben Shephard reconstructs events at Belsen in the spring of 1945, from the first horror of its discovery through the agonizing process of trying to save the survivors. By the end of June, some 45,000 people had survived, but another 14,000 had not. Should we, therefore, see the relief efforts as an epic of medical heroism — as the British believed? Or was the failure to plan for Belsen, and the undoubted mistakes that were made there, further evidence of Allied indifference to the fate of Europe’s Jews — as some historians now argue?
After Daybreak is a powerful and dramatic narrative, full of extraordinary incidents and characters. It is also an important contribution to medical history.
When British troops entered Bergen-Belsen concentration camp in April 1945, they uncovered scenes of horror and depravity that shocked the world. But they also confronted a terrible challenge — inside the camp were some 60,000 people suffering from typhus, starvation and dysentery, who would die unless they received immediate medical attention.
After Daybreak is the story of the men and women who faced that challenge — the army stretcher-bearers and ambulance drivers, medical students and relief workers who worked to save the inmates of Belsen — with the war still raging and only the most primitive drugs and facilities available. It was, for all of them, an overwhelming experience. Drawing on their diaries and letters, Ben Shephard reconstructs events at Belsen in the spring of 1945, from the first horror of its discovery through the agonizing process of trying to save the survivors. By the end of June, some 45,000 people had survived, but another 14,000 had not. Should we, therefore, see the relief efforts as an epic of medical heroism — as the British believed? Or was the failure to plan for Belsen, and the undoubted mistakes that were made there, further evidence of Allied indifference to the fate of Europe’s Jews — as some historians now argue?
After Daybreak is a powerful and dramatic narrative, full of extraordinary incidents and characters. It is also an important contribution to medical history.
200 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2005
23 people are currently reading
203 people want to read
About the author
Ben Shephard
15 books8 followersBen Shephard was an English historian, author and television producer. He was educated at Diocesan College, Cape Town and Westminster School. He graduated in history from Oxford University and he made many historical documentaries for the BBC and Channel 4, including producer of The World at War and The Nuclear Age.
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Displaying 1 - 21 of 21 reviews
July 1, 2015
Stunning read. After reading about WW2 and the Holocaust for 40 years, I'm amazed how little I still know. Concentration camp liberation has never been told more carefully and more honestly than what I have read in this book. Remembering that the British knew nothing of the extent of death and horror here and were equipped only to move forward with their troops to finish the European war. The descriptions of the harrowing conditions, the lack of supplies, the tens of thousands who kept dying hour after hour for months. I believe the British were heroic in their attempts to organize and administer in this place called Hell.The devotion and endless efforts of a meager staff and the tireless work of Doctors, nurses and an oddball assortment of helpers are awe inspiring. I read this and then look at our government's inability to help victims of Katrina and it boggles the mind.
There are many things I didn't really know... like after people began to regain some health and dead bodies were removed and a hospital like atmosphere developed, I hadn't ever considered the fury and rage experienced by many survivors or the sexual needs or the political organizations.
Just an amazing and important book. (less)
5 minutes ago · delete
There are many things I didn't really know... like after people began to regain some health and dead bodies were removed and a hospital like atmosphere developed, I hadn't ever considered the fury and rage experienced by many survivors or the sexual needs or the political organizations.
Just an amazing and important book. (less)
5 minutes ago · delete
January 17, 2012
Looking into the face of Hell
Last year I read “After Daybreak: The Liberation of Belsen, 1945”. It relates the story of those British troops whose job it was to make sense and order of the death and chaos that was the Bergen-Belsen concentration camp in April, 1945. Despite the arrival of the British troops and their supplies, knowledge, and hard work, inmates continued to die by the thousands. Initially, death rates actually skyrocketed due to the increase in mobility effected by recovering inmates.
At first, I was really upset with the British troops’ lack of preparation. They seemed to overlook so many of what I saw as practical tools and habits. After reading the book through, I understood on a small level what they faced. They faced a situation hitherto unknown to ‘civilized’ man. They faced a situation whose basic nature was utterly inconceivable to most of society at that time. Although the British did research, I do not believe they could even remotely understand the extent of the cruelty shown to other human beings at Belsen, even in a very basic sense. As the author states, until Belsen, that level of depravity and cruelty towards other human beings was utterly and completely outside the realm of societies’ ability to understand. By the end of the book, I came to understand that much of what we understand about treating people in similar conditions came almost directly from the experience of those troops working to save concentration camp inmates.
It is impossible to read about the horrors of the concentration camps and not be intensely affected. Many times during my reading I had to stop and just weep. I’ve researched some of what we now refer to as the ‘Holocaust’, but the real, human impact has always escaped me. Attempting to truly assimilate the suffering and cruelty on such an immense level is so overwhelming as to be inconceivable. I’m referring to the sheer enormity of the horror and depravity in the concentration camps. I’m referring to horror on such a large scale that it is literally beyond the mind’s ability to grasp. The cruelty, baseness, and sheer inhumanity shown by the Nazis were absolutely stunning for me...in the literal, physical sense of the word.
When I tried to look at the horror as a whole, as the agony of millions of people, my mind was not capable of comprehension. When I finally looked just at the individuals, I just wept and wept for them. For a person to be forced to experience such levels of degradation, cruelty, and hatred just made me weep. For a person to be forced to live in such pits of hopelessness, depravity, and despair beyond words clawed at my heart. To be forced to not only know intimately the meaning of the Aramaic words "Eli Eli lama sabachthani?", but to live those words month after month, is truly inconceivable.
As emotional and disturbing as the truth of this book was, I would highly recommend it. I believe anyone researching concentration camp conditions or the organization and efforts of those who attempted their rescue would greatly benefit from reading this book. And I also firmly believe we must never let the world forget or dismiss the horror of the Holocaust.
Last year I read “After Daybreak: The Liberation of Belsen, 1945”. It relates the story of those British troops whose job it was to make sense and order of the death and chaos that was the Bergen-Belsen concentration camp in April, 1945. Despite the arrival of the British troops and their supplies, knowledge, and hard work, inmates continued to die by the thousands. Initially, death rates actually skyrocketed due to the increase in mobility effected by recovering inmates.
At first, I was really upset with the British troops’ lack of preparation. They seemed to overlook so many of what I saw as practical tools and habits. After reading the book through, I understood on a small level what they faced. They faced a situation hitherto unknown to ‘civilized’ man. They faced a situation whose basic nature was utterly inconceivable to most of society at that time. Although the British did research, I do not believe they could even remotely understand the extent of the cruelty shown to other human beings at Belsen, even in a very basic sense. As the author states, until Belsen, that level of depravity and cruelty towards other human beings was utterly and completely outside the realm of societies’ ability to understand. By the end of the book, I came to understand that much of what we understand about treating people in similar conditions came almost directly from the experience of those troops working to save concentration camp inmates.
It is impossible to read about the horrors of the concentration camps and not be intensely affected. Many times during my reading I had to stop and just weep. I’ve researched some of what we now refer to as the ‘Holocaust’, but the real, human impact has always escaped me. Attempting to truly assimilate the suffering and cruelty on such an immense level is so overwhelming as to be inconceivable. I’m referring to the sheer enormity of the horror and depravity in the concentration camps. I’m referring to horror on such a large scale that it is literally beyond the mind’s ability to grasp. The cruelty, baseness, and sheer inhumanity shown by the Nazis were absolutely stunning for me...in the literal, physical sense of the word.
When I tried to look at the horror as a whole, as the agony of millions of people, my mind was not capable of comprehension. When I finally looked just at the individuals, I just wept and wept for them. For a person to be forced to experience such levels of degradation, cruelty, and hatred just made me weep. For a person to be forced to live in such pits of hopelessness, depravity, and despair beyond words clawed at my heart. To be forced to not only know intimately the meaning of the Aramaic words "Eli Eli lama sabachthani?", but to live those words month after month, is truly inconceivable.
As emotional and disturbing as the truth of this book was, I would highly recommend it. I believe anyone researching concentration camp conditions or the organization and efforts of those who attempted their rescue would greatly benefit from reading this book. And I also firmly believe we must never let the world forget or dismiss the horror of the Holocaust.
March 27, 2014
After Daybreak is a superbly researched account of The Liberation of Belsen and its aftermath. The author, Ben Shepherd, has gone to great lengths to create a full picture of the day of liberation in April 1945 and the days that followed. It is, inevitably, gruesome and paints a grim picture of life in Belsen.
There were some issues around the allies' attitude to the Holocaust in general and some of their actions at Belsen in particular. Shepherd draws attention to these problems very thoroughly but refuses to make judgements which is exactly correct.
A very fine addition to the Holocaust library.
David Lowther. Author of The Blue Pencil (thebluepencil.co.uk)
davidlowtherblog.wordpress.com
There were some issues around the allies' attitude to the Holocaust in general and some of their actions at Belsen in particular. Shepherd draws attention to these problems very thoroughly but refuses to make judgements which is exactly correct.
A very fine addition to the Holocaust library.
David Lowther. Author of The Blue Pencil (thebluepencil.co.uk)
davidlowtherblog.wordpress.com
May 2, 2012
This is the third book that I was reading with "The Long Road Home: The Aftermath of the Second World War" (it is also by Ben Shephard), and "An Uncommon Friendship: From Opposite Sides of the Holocaust" and the combination of the three was very enlightening, depressing and sobering. I highly recommend this to those interested in WWII, human interaction, social anthropology, medical history and so much more.
So sad. So amazing. So truly touching.
So sad. So amazing. So truly touching.
September 29, 2016
After Daybreak: The Liberation of Belsen, 1945 is written by historian Ben Shephard. The book begins with a short yet informative prologue which outlines the state of the world just before Belsen’s liberation, and an introduction in which the author states his reasons for writing such a book. Rather than an exclusive history about the camp, Shephard is concerned with the aftermath. He has aimed to present the story of all those who helped the 60,000 people in the camp to overcome typhus, starvation and dysentery ‘with only the most primitive drugs and facilities available’.
All who know just the slightest crumbs of what occurred in the Bergen-Belsen concentration camp during the Second World War will be able to comprehend just how horrific the conditions for and treatment of its prisoners were. ‘When British troops entered [the camp] in 1945,’ Shephard says, ‘they uncovered scenes of horror and depravity that shocked the world’. Upon its discovery by the Allied forces, the camp was seen as ‘a humanitarian disaster, a challenge to the conscience of the world’. The British people involved ‘regarded their conduct at Belsen as one of the great epics of medical history’. And so the book begins.
Unlike many of the concentration camps which included a majority of Jewish prisoners, Belsen was split into several different sections which also housed ‘criminals’, ‘neutrals’ and political prisoners. The most famous of its inmates was Anne Frank, who sadly died of typhus just weeks before the camp was liberated. By using so many different sources – ‘contemporary military records, the diaries of those who worked at Belsen and the testimony of survivors’ – the author has successfully built up a full picture of what occurred in April and May 1945, those pivotal months for all involved. A wealth of diaries and letters have been included throughout which help the author to reinforce points and illustrate the horrors of the camp, all taken from accounts and testimonies of individuals from all walks of life. These begin with the diary of a schoolteacher from Sarajevo and go on to include a lawyer from Amsterdam, a French musician, British colonels involved with the liberation, speeches from various members of the British Government, stretcher bearers and Red Cross volunteers, amongst others.
Along with his main body of text, Shephard has included two appendices which state the death toll in Bergen-Belsen and the evacuation of its prisoners, a section of notes which expand upon things mentioned in the book, and a far-reaching bibliography made up of dozens of consulted sources. Shephard has aimed to make After Daybreak accessible to a wide readership, rather than creating a purely scholarly or academic text. Here, he succeeds. His account is incredibly informative and is presented as a very readable history book. Shephard does not involve himself with long, laborious sentences, but with the presentation of facts, which he has presented in an accessible and fully explained manner.
All who know just the slightest crumbs of what occurred in the Bergen-Belsen concentration camp during the Second World War will be able to comprehend just how horrific the conditions for and treatment of its prisoners were. ‘When British troops entered [the camp] in 1945,’ Shephard says, ‘they uncovered scenes of horror and depravity that shocked the world’. Upon its discovery by the Allied forces, the camp was seen as ‘a humanitarian disaster, a challenge to the conscience of the world’. The British people involved ‘regarded their conduct at Belsen as one of the great epics of medical history’. And so the book begins.
Unlike many of the concentration camps which included a majority of Jewish prisoners, Belsen was split into several different sections which also housed ‘criminals’, ‘neutrals’ and political prisoners. The most famous of its inmates was Anne Frank, who sadly died of typhus just weeks before the camp was liberated. By using so many different sources – ‘contemporary military records, the diaries of those who worked at Belsen and the testimony of survivors’ – the author has successfully built up a full picture of what occurred in April and May 1945, those pivotal months for all involved. A wealth of diaries and letters have been included throughout which help the author to reinforce points and illustrate the horrors of the camp, all taken from accounts and testimonies of individuals from all walks of life. These begin with the diary of a schoolteacher from Sarajevo and go on to include a lawyer from Amsterdam, a French musician, British colonels involved with the liberation, speeches from various members of the British Government, stretcher bearers and Red Cross volunteers, amongst others.
Along with his main body of text, Shephard has included two appendices which state the death toll in Bergen-Belsen and the evacuation of its prisoners, a section of notes which expand upon things mentioned in the book, and a far-reaching bibliography made up of dozens of consulted sources. Shephard has aimed to make After Daybreak accessible to a wide readership, rather than creating a purely scholarly or academic text. Here, he succeeds. His account is incredibly informative and is presented as a very readable history book. Shephard does not involve himself with long, laborious sentences, but with the presentation of facts, which he has presented in an accessible and fully explained manner.
March 26, 2013
For me this was a fascinating book. I am the daughter of a retired British army officer and grew up in Germany. I went to school in the camp that is now called Hohne, but was once the panzer training school. I have been to Belsen more times than I can count but have to say that, as is the case with some of those mentioned in the book, I did not have the 'emotional intelligence' to fully comprehend what happened. Despite studying Nazi Germany to degree level I have never, until now really looked into Belsen and this book has put a lot in to context for me.
All told a very insightful book.
All told a very insightful book.
March 11, 2013
I read this book as research for a book I was writing. I have had a life-long obsession with trying to understand the Holocaust - of course, it can't be understood,but I still believe reading everything I can about it is important so that we never forget that it happened. This book taught me alot that I didn't already know, so it was very interesting. Hard to read - but interesting and important to read.
April 12, 2019
Written with the benefit of hindsight - albeit with contemporary accounts - this makes an interesting, if frustrating, read.
There is a bias against the British who are almost made as villainous as the Nazis in places. Tens of thousands died after liberation and a lot of that was due to mistakes that would not be made today.
We live in far more knowledgeable times now and are much more aware of the Holocaust, it's implications and it's horror. As with a lot of historical events, at that point in history, it can be hard to comprehend what is going on (9/11 springs to mind) and it is only with that benefit of hindsight that we can look at what mistakes were made. And it is then the finger pointing starts.
Putting that to one side, as a historical document, this is as important as any other in the Holocaust canon and brings home the horror of the aftermath. It didn't just end one day and people didn't stop dying once liberated. This last fact is the most tragic of them all.
There is a bias against the British who are almost made as villainous as the Nazis in places. Tens of thousands died after liberation and a lot of that was due to mistakes that would not be made today.
We live in far more knowledgeable times now and are much more aware of the Holocaust, it's implications and it's horror. As with a lot of historical events, at that point in history, it can be hard to comprehend what is going on (9/11 springs to mind) and it is only with that benefit of hindsight that we can look at what mistakes were made. And it is then the finger pointing starts.
Putting that to one side, as a historical document, this is as important as any other in the Holocaust canon and brings home the horror of the aftermath. It didn't just end one day and people didn't stop dying once liberated. This last fact is the most tragic of them all.
June 29, 2023
This book was excellent. It revealed to me how classist the British were during World War II, and while the book is giving the British a whitewash, from the very few SURVIVOR testimonies there are, and the statistics and statements in the book, I personally would hold the British RESPONSIBLE for the majority of the deaths in the camp after they liberated it. REad the book and decide for yourself but that is conclusion I came to. The nazis were evil in the making of the camps, but Bergen Belsen is evil in showing how a beaurocratic British system cause more unnecessary deaths.
February 4, 2021
Περιγράφει την ιατρική φροντίδα που παρασχέθηκε στους έγκλειστους του στρατοπέδου συγκέντρωσης μετά την απελευθέρωσή τους.
Γράφτηκε γύρω στο 2000. Δεν πρόκειται για πρωτογενές υλικό, αλλά για δημοσιογραφική συρραφή αποσπασμάτων από εκατοντάδες αλλά βιβλία, απομνημονεύματα κα�� επιστολές της εποχής.
Καλογραμμένο και αρκετά ενδιαφέρον, αλλά σχετικά ψυχρό. Μάλλον θα το χαρακτήριζα ως επιστημονική μελέτη.
Γράφτηκε γύρω στο 2000. Δεν πρόκειται για πρωτογενές υλικό, αλλά για δημοσιογραφική συρραφή αποσπασμάτων από εκατοντάδες αλλά βιβλία, απομνημονεύματα κα�� επιστολές της εποχής.
Καλογραμμένο και αρκετά ενδιαφέρον, αλλά σχετικά ψυχρό. Μάλλον θα το χαρακτήριζα ως επιστημονική μελέτη.
September 16, 2024
I got this book at the library. It was very boring for me, to be honest. I returned it after reading half. Then I decided to check it out and finish it. I know a lot about the camp. I just wanted to learn even more. I do like the author giving details and facts from both sides of the issue. I want to learn about this camp due to sweet Anne Frank passing on there. And I also met a survivor of the camp. Sonia Warshawski. (You should watch her documentary: Big Sonia)
July 25, 2017
This book was quite informative! I found that the presentation of the material flows nicely and analyses the situation of liberation from multiple perspectives, while staying true to survivors' and volunteers' accounts.
December 7, 2019
A meticulously researched and exhaustive study of the British army's response to the liberation of Belsen in April 1945, which is also simultaneously a dramatic narrative of loss, resilience, horror and lipstick. A profound book.
January 17, 2018
A thorough and balanced review of the situation at Belsen in the immediate aftermath of its liberation. Devastating to read the condition of the people there - both physical and mental.
August 1, 2018
A very emotional read that kept me glued to the book. My cousin was one of the first British soldiers to enter the camp but he never spoke of it! This book was real and raw!
May 10, 2020
Horrific facts of Bergen/Belsen camp. Handled well, if slightly anti-British military/government.
September 22, 2016
After Daybreak: The Liberation of Bergen-Belsen, 1945 by Ben Shepard is book that depicts the process of saving the victims of the largest genocide in history. It focuses on the struggles of saving so many people with conditions never before seen. The main characters are the prisoners and the British soldiers trying to save their lives. The book begins with the British finding the camp and striking a deal with the Germans to surrender control of the camp. Next, the British face the daunting task of disposing of the thousands of deceased bodies. And finally, the many doctors had to find a cure to extreme malnutrition which is a task they were not prepared for.
I enjoyed the level of detail the author included in this book. Although in my opinion this story is an amazing one, it was conveyed in a dry, boring way. It is very straightforward without much suspense or excitement causing it to be a very tedious read. If I could change anything it would be the way this story was conveyed. I would make it from a first person point of view from either a prisoner or a British soldier.
I think a people who want to read a very informational book about the liberation of Bergen-Belsen will enjoy this book. I do not think anyone looking for an entertaining read will enjoy this book due to it's lack of excitement.
I enjoyed the level of detail the author included in this book. Although in my opinion this story is an amazing one, it was conveyed in a dry, boring way. It is very straightforward without much suspense or excitement causing it to be a very tedious read. If I could change anything it would be the way this story was conveyed. I would make it from a first person point of view from either a prisoner or a British soldier.
I think a people who want to read a very informational book about the liberation of Bergen-Belsen will enjoy this book. I do not think anyone looking for an entertaining read will enjoy this book due to it's lack of excitement.
June 21, 2025
This is a good account of the liberation of Bergen-Belsen and its aftermath. It’s frustrating how so many people died after the Germans had gone: the British weren’t prepared, they made a number of mistakes in their treatment of the survivors, and there was a lack of leadership at the beginning when time was critical. It wasn’t until after the end of hostilities that sufficient resources really arrived. The horrors of Belsen had a massive impact on British public opinion; they brought home the nature of the Nazi regime and of the Holocaust.
September 9, 2011
A day by day account of what happened in the camps. There are stories from both the prisoners and workers to provide different points of view. Chapters are sections of time periods and events. If you have an interest in the subject I would highly recommend it.
July 1, 2012
Very detailed and painful account on the liberation of Bergen Belsen. Although it was hard to follow sometimes.
April 4, 2017
This review is from: After Daybreak: The Liberation of Bergen-Belsen, 1945 (Hardcover)
Ben Shephard has created a very even handed account of the unbelievable difficulties the military faced after coming upon Bergen-Belson, the near logistical capacity to get that many bodies buried, that many survivors treated and accommodated to clean and sanitary conditions and with no drugs to treat typhus, to rid a camp of the lice and fleas that spread thypus and to figure out a diet for the starving victims that did not kill more than it assisted...is not even something one could imagine the commanders to have at their disposal in the middle of battle conditions.
People have meted out much post event criticism, the Allies should have known the conditions they would discover, should have had a reserve of medical specialists, should have prioritized supply lines. Critics always have a wonderful advantage of looking back from a distance imagining other scenarios. I find it amazing that as much was done given the Battalion that liberated this camp were in the middle of battles, that the Allies had groups of soldiers that they couldn't supply even though these soldiers certainly had priority over all civilians, because until an enemy surrenders the resupply of the military on the ground has the highest priority.
It is a moving account, willing to address all of the errors, the small victories as the men and women who worked tirelessly to offer the best care they knew how to provided slowly addressed the overwhelming task before them. Half the camp had typhus and we had no drugs for typhus at the time. This is very moving, as it underlines mans unbelievable will to survive the most unimaginable conditions, and mans ability to tend to those who have suffered in spite of setbacks and loss.
I think this is a very important text.
Ben Shephard has created a very even handed account of the unbelievable difficulties the military faced after coming upon Bergen-Belson, the near logistical capacity to get that many bodies buried, that many survivors treated and accommodated to clean and sanitary conditions and with no drugs to treat typhus, to rid a camp of the lice and fleas that spread thypus and to figure out a diet for the starving victims that did not kill more than it assisted...is not even something one could imagine the commanders to have at their disposal in the middle of battle conditions.
People have meted out much post event criticism, the Allies should have known the conditions they would discover, should have had a reserve of medical specialists, should have prioritized supply lines. Critics always have a wonderful advantage of looking back from a distance imagining other scenarios. I find it amazing that as much was done given the Battalion that liberated this camp were in the middle of battles, that the Allies had groups of soldiers that they couldn't supply even though these soldiers certainly had priority over all civilians, because until an enemy surrenders the resupply of the military on the ground has the highest priority.
It is a moving account, willing to address all of the errors, the small victories as the men and women who worked tirelessly to offer the best care they knew how to provided slowly addressed the overwhelming task before them. Half the camp had typhus and we had no drugs for typhus at the time. This is very moving, as it underlines mans unbelievable will to survive the most unimaginable conditions, and mans ability to tend to those who have suffered in spite of setbacks and loss.
I think this is a very important text.
Displaying 1 - 21 of 21 reviews