Hell Before Their Very Eyes

"It is not a book for the faint of heart... however, I feel it is a must-read for anyone interested in the Holocaust, and particularly, those who question its occurrence."

"This is the most powerful book I’ve read in decades."

"The author excels at telling the story without sensationalizing the emotional turmoil the soldiers faced. He illustrates his scholarly integrity by including in his narrative the reprisal killings against Germans perpetrated by emotionally distraught GIs."

"McManus [captures] the shock, anger, dismay, and other emotions of the soldiers who discovered what had been going on in the so-called 'Thousand Year Reich.'"

"McManus skillfully uses oral histories as a counterweight to other sources..."

"McManus has produced a fine brief survey of the American liberation of the Nazi concentration camps that is truly a compelling read."

"An absolute must read!!!"

"Hell Before Their Very Eyes is a succinct, well-written book on an under-studied topic."

"Overall, John McManus’s Hell Before Their Very Eyes provides a good and important introductory resource for those unfamiliar with the true horrors of the Holocaust and a good reminder for those who may have forgotten... In a field full of excellent histories, Mc- Manus points toward some new directions for further research."

"Among John C McManus's purposes in writing this volume Hell Before Their Very Eyes: American Soldiers Liberate Concentration Camps in Germany, April 1945, is an examination of the American soldiers' reaction upon liberating these camps—an area which has experienced little study. Another of his purposes—accomplished simultaneously with the aforementioned—is the offering up of undeniable eyewitness testimony soundly countering any talk by those who would deny the Holocaust. Both these goals, and much more presented in this book, lead to interesting, absorbing and important reading."

"This is a history that demands to be published. The use of personal witness accounts is the only way to capture the essence of the traumatic experience the American soldiers had to deal with."

"Describes the history of the camps with scholarly clarity while revealing the immediacy of the emotional horror witnessed by the American liberators. Full of vivid quotations, this book will capture the interest of general readers while engaging undergraduates and grounding them in the subject."