Gardelegen Isenschnibbe Memorial (war crime)

 memorial, cemetery, war memorial, war cemetery

On April 13, 1945, German SS and Luftwaffe troops, retreating from the Allied advance, murdered 1016 political and military prisoners near the German town of Gardelegen. The crime was discovered two days later by F Company, 2d Battalion, 405th Regiment, U.S. 102nd Infantry Division.

The citizens of Gardelegen dug the graves, interred the bodies, erected either a cross or Star of David over each, and surrounded the entire site with a white fence. A total of 574 corpses were recovered from the grave pits and 442 from the barn adding up to a total of 1,016 victims.
Of these, only 4 could be identified by name, another 301 merely by their prisoner number. The unidentified totaled 711. Nationality could be established of only 186 bodies: among the dead were 60 Poles, 52 Russians, 27 Frenchmen, 17 Hungarians, eight Belgians, five Germans, five Italians, four Czechs, four Yugoslavs, two Dutchmen, one Mexican and one Spaniard. A number of them were Jews. (After the war, a few more victims were identified from the recorded prisoner numbers.)

At the entrance to the cemetery, a big sign was erected with a text in English and German:
"Gardelegen Military Cemetery
Here lie 1016 allied prisoners of war who were murdered by their captors. They were buried by citizens of Gardelegen, who are charged with responsibility that graves are for- ever kept as green as the memory of these unfortunates will be kept in the hearts of freedom-loving men everywhere. Established under supervision of 102d Infantry Division. United States Army Vandalism will be punished by maximum penalties under laws of military government.

Frank A. Keating Major General, U.S.A. Commanding "

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