When I visited Buchenwald I picked up a postcard in German. I later found out it was a copy of the ‘Oath of Buchenwald.’ On April 19, 1945 a memorial service for the victims of Buchenwald Concentration Camp was held. A recently drafted survivor’s pledge known as the Oath of Buchenwald: was read. Though Henry was no longer in the camp, it is an interesting part of camp history. It would be another ten days of misery and near-death before Henry would see freedom at Dachau.
Address in French, Russian, Polish, English
and German language on the mourning manifestations
of the Buchenwald camp on April 19, 1945.
Comrades!
We, the Buchenwald anti-fascists, are reporting today in honor of those murdered by the Nazi beast and its helpers’ helpers at Buchenwald and its outside details.
51,000 captured!
51,000 shot, hung, trampled upon, beaten, choked, drowned, starved, poisoned – hosed down.
51,000 fathers, brothers – sons died a torturous death because they were fighters against the fascist murder regime.
51,000 mothers and women and hundreds of thousands of children are decrying.
We the survivors, we the witnesses of the Nazi beastly activities in faint anger saw our comrades fall.
If there was something that kept us alive, it was the thought: The day of revenge will come!
Today we are free!
We thank the allied Armies of the Americans, English, Soviets and all Freedom Armies who fought for our as well as the freedom of the entire world.
We remember at this position the great friend of the anti-fascists of all countries, an organizer and initiator of the fight for a new, democratic, friendly world.
F.D. Roosevelt.
Honor his memory!
We Buchenwalders,
Russians, French, Polish, Czechs, – Slovaks and Germans,
Spanish, Italians and Austrians,
Belgians and Dutch, English,
Luxembourger, Romanian, Jugoslavs and Hungarian
fought together against the SS, against the Nazi criminals for our liberation.
One idea inspired us: Our cause is just – victory must be ours!
In many languages we lead the same, hard, merciless fight that yielded many victims. And this fight is not over yet.
Hitler flags are still waving.
The murderers of our Comrades are still alive!
The sadistic torturers are still walking about.
For this reason we swear in front of all the world at this Appellplatz (roll call place of concentration camp) at this city of the fascist greyness:
We will cease our fight when the last guilty person stands before the judges of the people.
The obliteration of Nazism as well as its roots is our guiding principle.
The rebuilding of our new world of peace and freedom is our only goal.
That is what we owe our murdered Comrades and their families.
In demonstration of your cooperativeness with this fight, lift your hand in the oath and repeat after me:
WE SWEAR!