Liberation didn't come easy and was definitely a shock to the rest of the world, especially America. Major camps such as Auschwitz; liberated in January 1945, Buchenwald and Dachau; liberated in April 1945 were liberated by mostly US Troops. The horrors they speak of are hard to imagine. These troops were forced to overcome their initial shock of the destruction and help surviving victims by giving them warmth, comfort, and food. They also buried the dead with mass burials.
Here is a link to the USHMM's website discussing the testimonies of said soldiers with links to their stories- https://www.ushmm.org/collections/bibliography/liberators
Here is another link to the USHMM's website with a video showing the stages of infiltrating Germany- https://encyclopedia.ushmm.org/content/en/animated-map/liberation-of-nazi-camps
Liberation kind of put the Holocaust into perspective for the rest of the world, it the first time some people were hearing about the devastation and it was much worse than everyone had once imagined. Germany as a whole was the enemy.
Here is a link to the History Channel's website with more insight on the liberation of Dachau- https://www.history.com/news/dachau-concentration-camp-liberation
Overall, the world was in mourning.
Put em' on trial!
