Soldiers and Slaves: American POWs Trapped by the Nazis' Final Gamble

by Roger Cohen

In February of 1945, 350 American POWs, selected because they were Jews, thought to resemble Jews or simply by malicious caprice, were transported by cattle car to Berga, a concentration camp in eastern Germany. Here, the soldiers were worked to death, starved and brutalized; more than twenty percent died from this horrific treatment.

This is one of the last untold stories of World War II, and Roger Cohen re-creates it in all its blistering detail. Ground down by the crumbling Nazi war machine, the men prayed for salvation from the Allied troops, yet even after their liberation, their story was nearly forgotten. There was no aggressive prosecution of the commandants of the camp and the POWs received no particular recognition for their sacrifices. Cohen tells their story at last, in a stirring tale of bravery and depredation that is essential for any reader of World War II history.

Genres: History, Nonfiction, Holocaust, War, Audiobook, World War II, American History

336 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2005

Reviews

[Marylou · Rating 2 out of 5]

This was one of the most confusing books that I've read in a long time. Roger Cohen was making an effort I think to bring into focus a horrible unjustice from World War II. However, in doing so he lost his way by not sorting the men out somehow. I'm not sure how it should have been done, but it could have been done better than he did it. Several times while reading this book I wanted to stop reading it Something always pulled me back ... perhaps the German blood in me felt guilty ...

As far as I know, this cause was never brought up again ... it should have been. It was a Holocast of it's own!

[Sonny · Rating 4 out of 5]

Brutal. It amazes me that the German people were not massacred down to the last one after the brutality they exhibited toward the Jewish and other peoples of Europe during WWII.

[Jean Graham · Rating 4 out of 5]

To add to the excellent reviews above, which more than adequately convey the uniquely tragic story of Jews and GI's at Berga, the following:
1) Much of the German high command (and the SS), largely out of fear of the Fuehrer and Himmler and because of the propaganda of Josef Goebbels, plus pure fanaticism, persisted in the belief that the war could be won long after it was clear that it was lost; they lacked the courage to admit it to themselves. To this end, the goal was set at Berga to have the underground synthetic-fuel factory (mainly to provide fuel for the Me-262 jet fighter, introduced way too late in the war to affect its outcome) ready to go by the fall of 1945, and fully operational by 1946 – as if the armies of the western allies and the Russians were not rapidly closing in from both sides and the end of the Reich was not imminent. The digging of the tunnels was a totally pointless exercise in futility, except for the fact that it provided an opportunity to eliminate additional Jews, and many other "undesirables", by working and starving them to death; likewise the death march when Berga was abandoned as the Americans closed in from the west.
2) "Befehl ist befehl" – an order is an order – and the orders from Adolf Eichmann implementing the Final Solution had to be carried out to the very end, even, as at Berga, when to carry them out was beyond all humanity or reason. This rationale of "just following orders" was universally used in an attempt to escape responsibility (it's exactly what Eichmann claimed at his trial), and the willingness of many of the Germans to carry out their orders, even at the cost of their own humanity, is hard to explain even to this day (see "Hitler's Willing Executioners" and "A Moral Reckoning" by Daniel Jonah Goldhagen). From a military standpoint, the scarce (by late 1944) resources used to keep the trains rolling into Auschwitz from Hungary and elsewhere could have been better employed to attempt to hold back the Russian hordes – but continuing to round up and murder as many Jews as possible was still an even higher priority.
3) The need to have the Federal Republic of Germany as an ally against the Soviet Union and the DDR (East Germany) was deemed more important by the United States than continuing to pursue Nazi war criminals and bring them to justice. This was an exact parallel to the situation with Japan, where many of the perpetrators of atrocities against the Chinese people and allied prisoners of war went unpunished because Japan was needed as a bulwark against the Russian Far East. Private individuals and NGO's had to take up the pursuit (and eventually Father Time accomplished what they could not).
The touching accounts of Mordecai Hauer returning to Hungary to try and find his mother and other family members, and of the unattended Jewish cemetery in Demmelsdorf, where "alles in ordnung"-- all is in order – (since there is a sign suggesting the cemetery not be disturbed) – are a haunting postscript to the story of Berga, and serve to drive home the truth that "no man is an island"...and we already know for whom the bell tolls...but how long would it take, John Donne, for the bell to toll six million times?

**** review by Chuck Graham ****

[Annie Oosterwyk · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book follows two groups of prisoners as they experience "the final solution" of the Nazi war machine during the final months of WWII.
One group is Jewish (or suspected of being Jewish) American POWs who are captured and removed from the American POW camp and sent to Berga concentration camp to dig tunnels for the Nazis. The plan is to create an underground synthetic fuel factory since the Allies are destroying those above ground.
The other group is the Jews from Hungary. These are the last free Jews under Nazi control and Eichmann is trying to eliminate them before the war ends. This groups travels from camp to camp as the Allies and Russians advance, with selections reducing their number. Health determines who is finally sent to Berga.
The author uses interviews and personal memoirs to recreate events through the eyes of the prisoners. We feel the horror of families ripped apart and the struggle to support the ones remaining.
We watch as the body count rises for both groups, see how they perceive each other and how the Nazis see them both. There is also a very interesting debate by three of the European Jews about God's will, the meaning of life and fate.
When it is clear that the project at Berga is futile, the European Jews are sent on a death march to the south. The Americans follow soon after.
The brutality of those in charge is highlighted, along with their refusal to take responsibility when the war ends. The attitudes and actions of the German people are analyzed and we follow one of the Hungarian Jews as he returns to his home and looks for his family. We get a sense of the scope of the tragedy when he can't find any Jews and the cemeteries are also deteriorating. WWII victims from the town are listed on a monument,name by name, and at the very bottom, the number of Jews taken is an addendum. The Germans think only of the future, not wanting to take any blame for what happened.
After the war, the politicians in the US are more concerned with the Cold War than justice for this relatively small group of men. One wonders why this was. Would the outcome have been the same if the victims had not been Jewish? The evidence was gathered by relatives of the prisoners and there were prisoners who offered to testify, but the defense was poor.
In the end, Justice was not served and some of the worst offenders had sentences commuted from death to parole, by American judges based on the incomplete testimony. What IS an appropriate punishment for evil of this magnitude?

[Jim · Rating 4 out of 5]

An informative and well-written historical account of a horrible mistreatment (killing) of American POWs (a large percentage of whom were Jewish soldiers culled from those captured during the Battle of the Bulge) and concentration camp victims forced to dig a last-minute facility intended to produce jet fuel. The German plan was to literally work the starving group to death even as Russian and American troops came closer. On top of everything, the murderers for the most part escaped true punishment. A little-known part of WWII history that thankfully is reported.

[Catherine · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a well researched and very well written account of how American POWs were taken from prison camps and forced to work carving tunnels into a hillside where the Nazis were going to build a facility to produce jet fuel. They were worked to death and those who didn't succumb to hard labor and little food were forced on a death march as the Allies came close to liberating them. The book does a wonderful job of telling their stories.

[Marie · Rating 5 out of 5]

A passionately researched and written report that brings attention to a lesser-known and/or forgotten tragedy, that needs to be heard. Offering an additional account of the cruelties committed in Nazi Germany and during the war, further emphasizing the weight of the things one already knows.
A grim reminder that no town or community, however small it may be, is safe from the horrors of a regime that is driven by hate.

[John Vonhof · Rating 5 out of 5]

I finished this for the second time--as an audiobook. I love the history of our part in the wars and find the stories of heroics fascinating. These soldiers were used as pawns by the Germans. Reading about the horrors imposed on them was hard. It's a valuable part of our history as a nation. Highly recommended.

[Len Knighton · Rating 4 out of 5]

History has taught us much about World War Two’s concentration camps and prisoner of war camps, but next to nothing about the slave labor camps, particularly those made up of American GI’s. Roger Cohen takes us deep into one infamous camp, Berga, where scores of Americans died in the final months of the war. He tells us of the living conditions, the working conditions in the tunnels, and the brutality of the Nazis, focusing on a couple who were especially brutal. We also learn of how justice was not served through the American military who tried, convicted, sentenced, and then reduced sentences to the most notorious.
Perhaps a little long, it is, nonetheless, a story well told and important to know.

Four stars

SOLDIERS AND SLAVES

P. 85
[Sonny] Fox stayed where he was as other Jews were led away to the “Jewish barracks.” He was shocked that night to hear the American soldiers left behind in the barracks making anti-Semitic jokes. “It was one of those moments where you think about the distance between who we profess we are as a people and who we really are as individuals in the society,” he said.

[Patty · Rating 5 out of 5]

A well researched and irreplaceable account of the little known history of the horrific happenings at the slave labor camp Berga in WW 2 Germany where 350 U. S. POWs and other political prisoners of the Nazis were held, mistreated according to the Geneva Conventions, and many died.

[Ashley Carney · Rating 3 out of 5]

Far too detailed and mixed stories on a confusing, winding journey.

[Linda · Rating 5 out of 5]

Looks at the plight of the 350 American soldiers sent to work in the mines at Berga, following individual stories, and interweaving their stories with those of a Hungarian Jewish family. Gripping.

[Kate · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting account of what the 350 US prisoners-of-war (and some European concentration camp prisoners went through) at and after the labor camp of Berga. I'm not sure how the author chose the (Jewish) Hungarian civilians profiled in this story, which was not woven back in with the story of the American Soldiers until 2/3rds of the way through the book, and even then it was just a mention that they both happened to be at the same camp and did not interact.

We're familiar with the concept of concentration camps and forced labor camps at this point, but the Allies apparently had no idea of what was going on. Although the 350 US soldiers (mostly chosen because German soldiers felt they were Jews, whether or not this was true) were sent to Berga in 1944, when the war was nearly over, they were still worked to death in dramatic numbers. The book includes the story of their conditions in the camp, the labor assignments, their death march and ultimate liberation, and a couple escape attempts. How shocked they were that the German soldiers were not abiding by the Geneva conventions for prisoners of war.

Ultimately, 73 of the 350 died, in addition to the millions of civilians killed in similar ways. It's a tragic story. I'm not sure if there was any intent to make the reader/listener feel MORE compassion towards the American vs. European prisoners, or more shock? There was certainly some effort to show that the German people were at least complicit in much of the proceedings and the blame cannot be shifted wholly on to Hitler and the SS. That there is a lot of residual shame and denial in Germany - but that there are lessons to be learned. That acting as an agent of a government does not absolve one of having a conscience. That modern Germany can honor those who took a stand against the overwhelming current of the time.

I spent a lot of time thinking about modern interrogation, the conditions at Guantanamo, and how the American people are aware that we have been engaging in torture even if our leaders are not willing to call it that. Anyway, politics aside.

I really appreciate that the author took advantage of the 60+ year lag since the unfolding of these events to provide updates, some sense of closure to the story. It's worth explaining why we have not heard a lot about Americans being sent to labor or concentration camps. The survivors were made to sign confidentiality agreements, which is ridiculous enough, because apparently speaking out could have some detrimental impact against POWs in Japan or Allied control of Western Germany (where Berga was located)?? American survivors were ashamed and felt no one could understand their unique and terrible experience, and they were even prevented from testifying at the trials of their abusers, which ridiculously enough resulted in reduced sentences because a burden of proof was not felt to have been met. Some were even denied disability benefits, and little attempt at compensation was made until more than 50 years later.

Ultimately part of surviving seems to be the ability to move beyond past injustices and move forward with one's life in a direction of one's own choosing, rather than letting hate fester inside until the end of your time here on Earth. I do think there is something empowering about that.

[Jake Hermes]

In Roger Cohens Soldiers and Slaves, it teaches us about World War II and The Holocaust. Cohen’s purpose was for everyone to hear the stories of those Jewish and American POWs held captive by the Nazis in the 1940’s. Mr. Cohen used a more straight forward way of shooting out information on this subject, going straight to the heart for most readers. He didn't want to come out subtle or discreet, he wrote it in such a way that was absolutely terrifying for his audience of just about anyone. Describing horrors of Berga with such precision and vivid descriptions that it felt like I was there. The story is told from William Shapiro, Hans Kasten, Morton Goldstein and Mordecai Hauer’s personal experiences in Berga.

The theme of this book is to inform readers that when American soldiers or any soldier and all Jewish people were treated so poorly when captured that they didn't feel like humans. The author wanted to get this message out even if it was 60 years too late, he wanted to feel like he contributed to the help. Cohen felt like the GI’s stories and the Prisoners stories were all quickly covered up with America’s involvement in the Cold War, so if people hadn't heard then they were definitely going to hear now.

This book was written in a style that I had never read before, a style in which left my gut wrenched and my heart swollen. The author made you feel for these people in a way that you can only feel for loved ones. I feel like this was definitely effective, it brought me into this book like never before. I would say the description of this book was the reason I enjoyed it so much. Cohen described Berga so well, using only ten weeks of information from those who stayed there. Like how they had to dig seventeen tunnels in the horrible air conditions where most people’s lungs would begin to be covered in coal dust and gunpowder causing pulmonary failure and automatic death. The times when Kasten, a German-American stood up for POW and took beatings for them so they were treated under correct conditions. Things like these made this story so much more touching.

In my opinion, this book is my favorite nonfiction book that I have read so far. The absolutely compelling evidence that was found out in this book on Nazis and sadistic they were was absolutely shocking. I loved the way he let the people themselves write their parts and they would introduce themselves into the book. It was phenomenal. I didn't dislike anything at all I found this book to be fantastic and wouldn't change a thing. In the case of similarity to any other book I've ever read there is none at all, it's by far the most touching book I've ever read and the most detailed. I loved this book and would definitely recommend it to anyone!

[Davina · Rating 4 out of 5]

It is interesting to see the collision of two groups of Jews who had remained largely untouched by the War until quite late, the American Jewish Soldiers and the Hungarian Jews. The Hungarians had managed to protect their Jewish population from deportation almost until the whole country was about to be overrun by the advancing Soviet forces. This is also a story which must bring up the question of fanaticism, when do you finally let you and accept that you have lost, that you were wrong? This is a sad tale with much death and brutality, yet this is as much about survival. Overall, well done and worth reading.

[Jenika · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cohen is to be respected for the effort he made to bring to light the little known horrors of a small almost forgotten camp in Nazi Germany where boys and young men were literally starved, beaten, tortured and worked to death. Through the memories of a half dozen survivors he takes his readers through their lives with their loved ones, with each other and with their brutal captors. This is the first book of its kind I have read and at times I had to stop and reflect and send a healing prayer to everyone connected with this sad chapter in human history.

[Bethanyweed · Rating 3 out of 5]

A fairly good book-boring in some spots, just skipped through it... but it tells an extremely unique situation at the end of WW2, where American prisoners of war literally became part of the Holocaust, in a slave labor camp identical to any other concentration camp. So even though it's a bit slow going in some spots, it's worth the read.

[Trebor · Rating 4 out of 5]

A well researched and detailed true story. These U.S. soldiers were put in slave labor camps and worked to death along with Europeans Jews and anyone else the Nazi's deemed subhuman. In contrast, the Americans treated POW's more like guests than prisoners. Our camps were often referred to as "the Fritz Ritz". Brutality and barbarism not too long ago. Beware of the dark side of nationalism!

[Jenny T · Rating 4 out of 5]

A devastating account of a little-known concentration/work camp in Germany where 350 American soldiers were sent in February 1945. My heart goes out to the veterans who live every day with memories of this terrible time.

[Jenny · Rating 3 out of 5]

What can I say? I read a lot of WWII history materials.

[Cheryl · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was about a little known Nazi camp that used American Jewish POW's as slave labor and the aftermath

[Wendy Hollister · Rating 4 out of 5]

non fiction.

[Matty · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very interesting. Fascinating due to content of rare info of the small amount of American POWs in Nazi concentration camps. German American; Americans of many religious creeds.

[Robert Colquhoun · Rating 4 out of 5]

An interesting piece of relatively unknown WWII history. Yet another example of just how brutal and disgusting the Nazi Solution truly was. Definitely worth the read.

[John · Rating 4 out of 5]

Excellent and readable history of a little known atrocity that took place in WW2. Before this book I knew nothing of it. Good read, highly recommened.

[Jeffrey · Rating 3 out of 5]

Story of American pows put into forced labor and forced to work in a concentration camp. A good read. Historically educational.

[Kathy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Amazing history lesson.......

[Jodi Sousa · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of the best WWII books I've read in years - and I've read more than my fair share.

[Shawn · Rating 5 out of 5]

It is amazing how humans act and react in conflict. A must read to get perspective on the horror of war.