#OnThisDay in 1945, Dachau is liberated by United States troops. On April 26, as American forces approached, there were 67,665 registered prisoners in the main camp and its subcamps.
Below you can see a survivor attacking a former SS camp guard after its liberation.
Below you can see a survivor attacking a former SS camp guard after its liberation.
As units approached, at least 25,000 prisoners were force-marched south or transported away from the camps in freight trains. During these so-called death marches, the Germans shot anyone who could no longer continue; many also died of starvation, hypothermia, or exhaustion. 
As the Allies neared the camp on April 29, they found more than 30 railroad cars filled with bodies brought to Dachau, all in an advanced state of decomposition. In early May 1945, American forces liberated the prisoners who had been sent on the death march.
The number of prisoners incarcerated in Dachau between 1933 and 1945 exceeded 200,000.
The number of prisoners who died in the camp and the subcamps between January 1940 and May 1945 was at least 28,000. It is unlikely that the total number of victims will ever be known.
The number of prisoners who died in the camp and the subcamps between January 1940 and May 1945 was at least 28,000. It is unlikely that the total number of victims will ever be known.
Photo allegedly showing execution of SS troops in a coal yard in Dachau during its liberation. April 29, 1945.
U.S. Army photograph
U.S. Army photograph
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