The 82nd Airborne Division is recognized as one of the 36 liberating units of the US Army during World War II. On May 2, 1945, troops of the 82nd Airborne and the 8th Infantry Division overran Wöbbelin, a subcamp of the Neuengamme concentration camp.
![Troops of the American 82nd Airborne Division view bodies of inmates at Wöbbelin, a subcamp of the Neuengamme concentration camp. [LCID: 74576]](https://encyclopedia.ushmm.org/images/large/6fa1c624-edbf-4666-8518-f82bf9b2e56a.jpg "Troops of the American 82nd Airborne Division view bodies of inmates at Wöbbelin, a subcamp of the Neuengamme concentration camp. [LCID: 74576]")
Troops of the American 82nd Airborne Division view bodies of inmates at Wöbbelin, a subcamp of the Neuengamme concentration camp. Germany, May 6, 1945.
Item View![A chaplain with the 82nd Airborne Division helps a survivor board a truck that will evacuate him from the Wöbbelin concentration ... [LCID: 77018]](https://encyclopedia.ushmm.org/images/large/ed17902c-6a89-4301-89a3-b75361d76ec2.jpg "A chaplain with the 82nd Airborne Division helps a survivor board a truck that will evacuate him from the Wöbbelin concentration ... [LCID: 77018]")
A chaplain with the 82nd Airborne Division helps a survivor board a truck that will evacuate him from the Wöbbelin concentration camp to an American field hospital. Germany, May 4, 1945.
Item View![American troops with the 82nd Airborne Division look on as German exhume corpses from a mass grave. [LCID: 76892]](https://encyclopedia.ushmm.org/images/large/608ad645-a960-4f32-bda2-c692989daa91.jpg "American troops with the 82nd Airborne Division look on as German exhume corpses from a mass grave. [LCID: 76892]")
US troops with the 82nd Airborne Division look on as Germans are forced to exhume corpses from a mass grave. Wöbbelin, Germany, May 6, 1945.
Item View![On May 2, 1945, the 8th Infantry Division and the 82nd Airborne Division encountered the Wöbbelin concentration camp. [LCID: 18048]](https://encyclopedia.ushmm.org/images/large/2386c0dc-257e-4aa1-9332-67cf67f0a483.jpg "On May 2, 1945, the 8th Infantry Division and the 82nd Airborne Division encountered the Wöbbelin concentration camp. [LCID: 18048]")
On May 2, 1945, the 8th Infantry Division and the 82nd Airborne Division encountered the Wöbbelin concentration camp. Here, American soldiers patrol the perimeter of the camp. Germany, May 4-May 10, 1945.
Item View![On May 2, 1945, the 8th Infantry Division and the 82nd Airborne Division encountered the Wöbbelin concentration camp. [LCID: 09274]](https://encyclopedia.ushmm.org/images/large/601bc65e-944e-473a-a7f2-bb041c9be0bc.jpg "On May 2, 1945, the 8th Infantry Division and the 82nd Airborne Division encountered the Wöbbelin concentration camp. [LCID: 09274]")
On May 2, 1945, the 8th Infantry Division and the 82nd Airborne Division encountered the Wöbbelin concentration camp. This photograph shows US troops in the Wöbbelin camp. Germany, May 4–6, 1945.
Item View![The main gate of the Wöbbelin concentration camp. [LCID: 80050]](https://encyclopedia.ushmm.org/images/large/64d0d209-8d50-404c-b6e6-664b69265c88.jpg "The main gate of the Wöbbelin concentration camp. [LCID: 80050]")
The main gate of the Wöbbelin concentration camp. On May 2, 1945, the 8th Infantry Division and the 82nd Airborne Division encountered the Wöbbelin concentration camp. Photograph taken upon the liberation of the camp by US forces. Germany, May 4, 1945.
Item View![A survivor in Wöbbelin. The soldier in the foreground of the photograph wears the insignia of the 8th Infantry Division. [LCID: 09287]](https://encyclopedia.ushmm.org/images/large/48348581-e446-4317-be14-cc6ad432228e.jpg "A survivor in Wöbbelin. The soldier in the foreground of the photograph wears the insignia of the 8th Infantry Division. [LCID: 09287]")
A survivor in Wöbbelin. The soldier in the foreground of the photograph wears the insignia of the 8th Infantry Division. Along with the 82nd Airborne Division, on May 2, 1945, the 8th Infantry Division encountered the Wöbbelin camp. Germany, May 4-5, 1945.
Item View![The fenced perimeter and an entrance to the women's camp at Wöbbelin. [LCID: 09275]](https://encyclopedia.ushmm.org/images/large/e9248ef5-9c2d-421a-8b37-e2fbf777d47e.jpg "The fenced perimeter and an entrance to the women's camp at Wöbbelin. [LCID: 09275]")
The fenced perimeter and an entrance to the women's camp at Wöbbelin. Photograph taken May 4–6, 1945.
Item View![After the liberation of the Wöbbelin camp, US troops forced the townspeople of Ludwigslust to bury the bodies of prisoners killed ... [LCID: 09231]](https://encyclopedia.ushmm.org/images/large/6f54014f-438f-4699-bc0f-7c9938c7a9f4.jpg "After the liberation of the Wöbbelin camp, US troops forced the townspeople of Ludwigslust to bury the bodies of prisoners killed ... [LCID: 09231]")
After the liberation of the Wöbbelin camp, US troops forced the townspeople of Ludwigslust to bury the bodies of prisoners killed in the camp. Germany, May 7, 1945.
Item View![After the liberation of the Wöbbelin camp, US troops forced the townspeople of Ludwigslust to bury the bodies of prisoners killed ... [LCID: 09224]](https://encyclopedia.ushmm.org/images/large/be76aa4b-d97e-4ae6-bc7d-06d952d1fbf0.jpg "After the liberation of the Wöbbelin camp, US troops forced the townspeople of Ludwigslust to bury the bodies of prisoners killed ... [LCID: 09224]")
After the liberation of the Wöbbelin camp, US troops forced the townspeople of Ludwigslust to bury the bodies of prisoners killed in the camp. This photograph shows German civilians who were ordered to bury the dead; US troops stand in the background. Germany, May 7, 1945
Item View![After the liberation of the Wöbbelin camp, US troops forced the townspeople of Ludwigslust to bury the bodies of prisoners killed ... [LCID: 09258]](https://encyclopedia.ushmm.org/images/large/ea7332ab-3537-4439-ae79-4e08990159d7.jpg "After the liberation of the Wöbbelin camp, US troops forced the townspeople of Ludwigslust to bury the bodies of prisoners killed ... [LCID: 09258]")
After the liberation of the Wöbbelin camp, US troops forced the townspeople of Ludwigslust to bury the bodies of prisoners killed in the camp and give the victims a proper burial. This photograph shows the funeral for the victims. Germany, May 7, 1945.
Item View![After the liberation of the Wöbbelin camp, US troops forced the townspeople of Ludwigslust to bury the bodies of prisoners killed ... [LCID: 09241]](https://encyclopedia.ushmm.org/images/large/63ebb026-70df-4d36-943c-854b06da062b.jpg "After the liberation of the Wöbbelin camp, US troops forced the townspeople of Ludwigslust to bury the bodies of prisoners killed ... [LCID: 09241]")
After the liberation of the Wöbbelin camp, US troops forced the townspeople of Ludwigslust to bury the bodies of prisoners killed in the camp. This photo shows US troops assembled at the mass funeral in Ludwigslust. Germany, May 7, 1945.
Item View![Insignia of the 82nd Airborne Division. The nickname for the 82nd Airborne Division originated in World War I, signifying the "All ... [LCID: n05644]](https://encyclopedia.ushmm.org/images/large/26111d4c-2dee-452f-b5be-fcbb7f6b29a1.jpg "Insignia of the 82nd Airborne Division. The nickname for the 82nd Airborne Division originated in World War I, signifying the \"All ... [LCID: n05644]")
Insignia of the 82nd Airborne Division. The nickname for the 82nd Airborne Division originated in World War I, signifying the "All American" composition of its members. The troops who formed the division came from diverse areas of the United States.
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