Oral History

Leon Bass describes his experience as a Black soldier

Leon Bass was born in Philadelphia, PA in 1925. He joined the US Army in 1943 and served as a member of the all-Black 183rd Engineer Combat Battalion attached to General Patton's Third Army. Leon's unit was involved in the Battle of the Bulge as well as the liberation of Buchenwald. After the war, Leon went on to receive his doctorate, teach, and speak about the Holocaust and racism. 

In this interview, Leon describes the his frustration with the discord between the United State's condemnation of Nazi racism and antisemitism, in addition to the racism and segregation he and other Black soldiers faced at home in the United States.

Transcript

Tags


  • US Holocaust Memorial Museum Collection, gift of the Holocaust Resource Center at Kean University
View Archival Details

Thank you for supporting our work

We would like to thank Crown Family Philanthropies, Abe and Ida Cooper Foundation, the Claims Conference, EVZ, and BMF for supporting the ongoing work to create content and resources for the Holocaust Encyclopedia. View the list of donor acknowledgement.