Sign for Dachau concentration camp acquired by a US soldier
Extent and Medium
overall: Height: 1.500 inches (3.81 cm) | Width: 3.625 inches (9.208 cm)
Creator(s)
- James Vasilopoulos (Subject)
Biographical History
James Vasilopoulos was born in October 1920 in Akron, Ohio, to Theodore and Stella Vasilopoulos. He enlisted in the United States Army in 1942. James was assigned to K Company, 3rd Battalion, 157th Infantry Regiment, 45th Infantry Division, the Thunderbird Division, during World War II. The Division landed in Sicily in July 1943 and fought their way through Italy, France, and then into Germany. They were moving towards Munich when they received orders to liberate the nearby Dachau concentration camp. On April 29, 1945, James and another infantryman were point men for their company and opened one of the gates at Dachau. It was not locked. He said once they were inside the "pandemonium and happiness of the prisoners was beyond description." Vasilopoulous was awarded the Good Conduct Medal, the Bronze Star, and the Combat Infantry Badge. He passed away, age 87, in Akron, on November 30, 2007.
Archival History
The Dachau sign was donated to the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum in 2007 by James Vasilopoulos.
Acquisition
United States Holocaust Memorial Museum Collection, Gift of James Vasilopoulos
Scope and Content
Sign lettered Dachau taken by James Vasilopoulos, a US soldier, upon his arrival at Dachau concentration camp on April 29, 1945, the day of its liberation by American troops. He took the sign from the main gate and detached it by sliding it out of a slot. He and another infantryman were point men for their company and opened one of the gates at Dachau. It was not locked. He said once they were inside the "pandemonium and happiness of the prisoners was beyond description." Vasilopoulos, 25, was a member of K Company, 157th Infantry Regimnetm, 45th Infantry Division, 3rd Battalion, a Thunderbird Division. The Division landed in Sicily in July 1943 and fought their way through Italy, France and then into Germany. They were moving towards Munich when they received orders to liberate the nearby camp.
Conditions Governing Access
No restrictions on access
Physical Characteristics and Technical Requirements
Rectangular wooden sign with painted white text Dachau on the black painted front.
front, white paint : DACHAU
Corporate Bodies
- United States. Army. Infantry Division, 45th
Subjects
- World War, 1939-1945--Concentration camps--Liberation--Germany--Dachau.
- Soldiers--United States.
- World War, 1939-1945--Campaigns--Western Front.
Genre
- Information Forms
- Object