This is an oral history interview with Holocaust concentration camp liberator Max R. Schmidt. Schmidt was a member of the 80th Infantry Division, which liberated Buchenwald on April 12, 1945. He arrived in Europe as a replacement in March 1945, meeting the 80th in Germany. Schmidt and his unit got to Buchenwald the day after its liberation; they only passed it, not having the chance to stay or go inside. He could smell the camp as they approached and saw piles of weapons confiscated from the Weimar townspeople. Passing the camp, Schmidt saw the barracks and some of the prisoners. He and some friends went back to Buchenwald in 1994 and toured it; though the memorial was closed, the staff made a special exception for them. Schmidt is very act...