Photo 45677

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caption: This French inmate who was liberated from the Flossenberg Concentration Camp in Germany by the 1st U.S. Army points to one of the camp's ovens where the bodies of atrocity victims were cremated. 800 German ss troops supervised this camp which was open in 1939. Since that time according to records found in the camp 54,890 men and over 10,000 women were held prisoner here. In the 14 months period preceding 20 April, 1945, 14,000 inmates died from exhaustion, under nourishment, mistreatment, and various diseases. The prisoners worked in stone quarries and a nearby Messerschmidt Airplane Factory. On April 20th, 1945, 15,000 inmates, including children and elderly people were marched away. Those that could not keep up with the march were killed by the wayside. About 2,000 were left when U.S. troops arrived at the camp. Among those reported to have been in the camp were Kurt Von Schuschnig, former Chancellor of Austria, Leopold, King of the Belgians, Prince Albrecht of Austria, and Hjalmar Schacht, Reich Minister of Finances.