The Liberation of the Nazi Death Train:
A Miraculous Rescue Near Magdeburg

In the final days of World War II, the horrors of the Holocaust continued to unfold across Europe. However, one of the most remarkable and lesser-known acts of liberation occurred on April 13, 1945, near the town of Farsleben, Germany, near Magdeburg. On this day, American troops of the 743rd Tank Battalion and the 30th Infantry Division of the U.S. Army liberated a train carrying over 2,500 Jewish prisoners from the Bergen-Belsen concentration camp, a moment forever etched in history as the “Miracle at Farsleben.”

The Train's Grim Journey
The American Rescue
The Aftermath of Liberation
A Lasting Legacy
 

The Train’s Grim Journey

The train had departed from the Bergen-Belsen concentration camp six days earlier, on April 7, 1945, destined for Theresienstadt in Czechoslovakia. The passengers, many of whom were weak and disease-ridden from months of suffering in the camp, believed they were being taken to their deaths. Their fate seemed sealed as they endured the grueling journey, crammed into overcrowded boxcars without adequate food, water, or sanitation. German SS officers in command of the train were under orders to blow it up over the Elbe River if they could not reach Theresienstadt.

The train was one of three such transports attempting to move prisoners as the Allies closed in on Germany from the west. The path to their destination became increasingly dangerous as the war’s frontlines shifted. Due to the advancing Soviet forces, the train was forced to halt near Farsleben, unable to continue because of Allied bombing in the area. It was here that American troops would arrive to witness the unimaginable.

The American Rescue

At approximately 4 p.m. on April 13, 1945, an American reconnaissance jeep and a tank appeared on the hill overlooking the train. The soldiers were part of the 743rd Tank Battalion and the 30th Infantry Division, and their discovery of the halted train was as shocking as miraculous. The Nazi guards, realizing they had been spotted, fled the scene, abandoning the 2,500 Jewish prisoners who were left behind. Among these survivors were approximately 700 children.

As the soldiers approached, they were met with scenes of both joy and desperation. Emaciated figures emerged from the boxcars, their skeletal frames a testament to the horrors they had endured. The relief on their faces as they realized they had been saved was palpable. George Gross, one of the American tank commanders, later recounted the moment, describing the prisoners as “skeletons” who, despite their weakened state, burst into what he described as “an outburst of pure, almost hysterical relief.”

One of the most memorable moments took place when Abraham Cohen, a Jewish-American soldier, shouted to the survivors in Yiddish, “Ich bin euech a Yidd!” (“I am also a Jew!”). He revealed a Star of David necklace, and in that instant, many prisoners embraced him, crying tears of joy. For these survivors, it was a moment of hope and the beginning of their journey back to life.

The Aftermath of Liberation

As the American soldiers opened the boxcar doors and freed the prisoners, they were faced with the overwhelming task of tending to the sick and starving. The survivors, many of whom were too weak to stand, were offered food and medical assistance. American soldiers handed out chocolate and other provisions, but the frailty of the prisoners meant that even these small acts of kindness had to be done with caution. Many of the survivors could only consume food intravenously, and the soldiers had to be careful not to overfeed them, as their bodies were incapable of processing large quantities of food after prolonged starvation.

The train had been halted in the middle of a ravine, and the survivors, many of whom had spent days in the cramped, unsanitary conditions of the boxcars, began to disembark. Some collapsed on the ground, exhausted, while others waved to the American soldiers, thanking them for their rescue.

A Lasting Legacy

For many years, the story of the liberation of the Farsleben train was known only through photographs and the accounts of survivors. However, in 2023, nearly 78 years after the event, previously unseen footage of the train’s liberation was discovered in the U.S. National Archives. This footage, taken by American soldiers on the day of the rescue, offers a haunting yet poignant glimpse into the liberation and its immediate aftermath. Survivors who have seen the footage recognized themselves and their families, bringing a sense of closure to a long and painful chapter in their lives.

One such survivor, Jacob Barzilai, who was 12 years old at the time, recalled seeing the footage and recognizing himself, his mother, and his sister. He described the emotions that overcame him as he watched the video, noting that although he had seen countless photos of the train, this was the first time he had seen moving images of that day. For Barzilai and others, the footage is not just a historical artifact but a personal reminder of the day they were given a second chance at life.

The rescue of the train near Farsleben stands as a powerful testament to the bravery and compassion of the American soldiers who liberated it. For the Jewish prisoners aboard the train, the arrival of the Americans marked the end of one of the darkest chapters of their lives and the beginning of their long journey toward recovery.

Sources: “The Story,” A Train Near Magdeburg.
Paweł Krupiński, Liberation of the Death Transport from Bergen Belsen, Death Camps Memorial Site.
Matthew Rozel, “Seventy Years: The American Angels of Hillersleben,” Teaching History Matters, (February 20, 2015).
“Prisoners from an evacuation train from Bergen-Belsen pose next to a railroad car in Magdeburg,” United States Holocaust Memorial Museum, (April 23, 2020). 
Itamar Eichner, “Never-before-seen footage of Nazi death train liberation unearthed 78 years later,” Ynet, (July 30, 2023).
Stuart Winer, “Newly found video shows moments US troops saved thousands of Jews from Nazi train,” Times of Israel, (August 2, 2023). 
Ben Cost, “US soldiers seen liberating thousands of Jews from Nazi train: Found video,” New York Post, (August 3, 2023).

Video: Farsleben Train, April 1945. US GIs record survivors at liberation site, Farsleben, Germany. [YouTube]
Photo: Screenshot taken from the video above.