Holocaust
Auschwitz: Liberation, legacy, and lessons for humanity

This year marks the 80th anniversary of a monumental event in human history – the liberation of Auschwitz by the Soviet army. Auschwitz stands as the largest site of mass murder in history: Of the 1.3 million people sent there, more than a million were murdered, including 960,000 Jews, among them 200,000 children, 74,000 non-Jewish Poles, 21,000 Romani, and 15,000 Soviet prisoners of war. Most were gassed to death, whilst others were killed through starvation, exhaustion, disease, executions, beatings, and horrifying medical experiments. Auschwitz has become a dark symbol – a synecdoche for the entire Nazi apparatus of mass murder and repression, writes Scott Saunders, Global CEO of March of the Living and chair of March of the Living UK.
Yet the Holocaust was not confined to Auschwitz. The Nazi machinery of genocide spread across Europe, reaching ghettos, forests, and camps across the continent. Months before they liberated Aushchwitz, the Soviet army reached Majdanek in the summer of 1944, then advancing to liberate additional camps in the Baltic states, Poland, and Germany. Meanwhile, U.S. forces liberated camps such as Buchenwald, Dachau, and Mauthausen, and British forces liberated Neuengamme and Bergen-Belsen.
The liberation of Bergen-Belsen by British troops on April 15, 1945, was particularly harrowing. Arriving to find over 13,000 unburied bodies and 60,000 inmates suffering from starvation and disease, the British soldiers were confronted with unimaginable horrors. Brigadier Glyn Hughes, who led the medical response at Bergen-Belsen, recalled that the situation they found was “a living nightmare.” The efforts of British liberators to restore dignity and health to the survivors were heroic, and many survivors attributed their survival to the swift humanitarian actions of these soldiers.
At every camp, Allied soldiers confronted unspeakable atrocities, with their testimonies bearing witness to the depths of human suffering. Rick Carrier, one of the liberators of Buchenwald who took part in the March of the Living in 2012, reflected: “Like so many soldiers and survivors, I buried my memory at Buchenwald for 66 years. Being a liberator and participating in the March of the Living has given me the opportunity to look back and understand how important it is for me and you to tell my story.”
Another liberator of Buchenwald, David Hubbard, wrote to his parents shortly after witnessing the camps, writing: “I was there yesterday, and I still can’t get the sight of those poor souls out of my mind… some of the bad things I still remember were the smells and the conditions some of the survivors were in.”
These testimonies echo the sentiments of President Eisenhower, then serving as General Eisenhower, the Supreme Commander of the Allied Expeditionary Force in Europe , who insisted on documenting the horrors of the camps so future generations would never forget: “I have never felt able to describe my emotional reaction when I first came face to face with indisputable evidence of Nazi brutality and ruthless disregard of every shred of decency.”
Like Holocaust survivors, liberators are aging, and we cannot take their presence or memories for granted. Preserving their testimonies is vital to ensuring that the truths of the Holocaust remain an undeniable part of history. In 2025, the March of the Living will commemorate the 80th anniversary of the end of World War II and the liberation of these camps, dedicating this historic occasion to the Allied liberators who risked everything to defeat tyranny.
The March will spotlight the sacrifices and heroism of these soldiers, while continuing to honour the memory of the victims and the resilience of Holocaust survivors. Liberators and World War II veterans will stand alongside Holocaust survivors at Auschwitz – a poignant reminder of the bond between those who freed the camps and those they saved. It will highlight the sacrifices of soldiers like Rick Carrier and David Hubbard, the resilience of survivors, and the enduring imperative to confront hatred and intolerance in all its forms.
In 1945, the Allies triumphed over the darkness of Nazism. In 2025, the world must remember the liberators’ sacrifices, honour their legacy, and recommit to the lessons of history. The March of the Living is not just a commemoration – it is a call to action. At a time when extremism and antisemitism are resurgent, we must uphold the values of freedom and tolerance that the Allies fought so hard to defend.
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Scott Saunders is the Global CEO of March of the Living and chair of March of the Living UK , organizations that bring participants to Poland and Israel to learn about the Holocaust and its lessons. Under his leadership, the organizations work to preserve Holocaust memory and combat antisemitism in the UK through impactful education and remembrance initiatives.
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