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John H. Horn [1945]

Veterans History Project Service Summary:

  • War or Conflict: World War, 1939-1945
  • Branch of Service: Army
  • Unit of Service: 3rd United States Army Intelligence Center
  • Location of Service: Belgium; Germany
  • Highest Rank: Staff Sergeant
  • Collection Number: AFC/2001/001/1728

View full service history

"The curtain has fallen on one of the most inhuman and most horrible chapters of mankind…" Letter to Max and Elizabeth [10/30/1945]

John Horn, a staff sergeant with the 3rd United States Army Intelligence Center, was a German-Jewish émigré. While some members of his immediate family escaped the Holocaust, having left Germany for America or Palestine before the war, many remained. Most of Horn's letters home deal with general topics--the routine of Army life--but in October 1945, Horn writes from Berlin with a heart-wrenching account of the fate of his family. In only a few lines, Horn encapsulates the murder of Germany 's Jews: the round-ups, the danger of living under assumed identities, the efforts of a few who would save Jews undermined by the actions of traitors, and finally the deportations to certain death at Auschwitz.

[ Photo Album ]

More Resources

[ Letter to Max and Elizabeth [11/29/1944] ]
[ Letter to Herbert [12/4/1944] ]
[ Letter to Max and Elizabeth [1/9/1945] ]
[ Letter to Mother [1/18/1945] ]
[ Letter to Ballhorns [2/20/1945] ]
[ Letter to Max and Elizabeth [6/29/1945] ]

Show more resources (2)

[ Letter to Max and Elizabeth [10/30/1945] ]
[ Envelope addressed to The Ballhorn's [1/12/45] ]

About this Item

Title

  • John H. Horn Collection

Names

  • Ballhorn, Herbert
  • Horn, John H.

Headings

  • -  Horn, John H.
  • -  World War, 1939-1945 -- Personal Narratives
  • -  United States. Army.

Form

  • Correspondence

Extent

  • 1 item

Repository

  • Veterans History Project, American Folklife Center, Library of Congress

Gender

  • Male

Status

  • veteran

Service History

  • World War, 1939-1945

    • Branch of Service: Army
    • Unit of Service: 3rd United States Army Intelligence Center
    • Location of Service: Belgium; Germany
    • Highest Rank: Staff Sergeant
    • Dates of Service: 1942-1946
    • Entrance into Service: Enlisted
    • Military Status: veteran
    • Service History Note: The veteran interrogated SS General (Oberstgruppenführer) Sepp Dietrich.

Materials

  • Manuscript: Correspondence [1 item] -- (collected unknown)

Collection Number

  • AFC/2001/001/1728

Cite as

  • John H. Horn Collection (AFC/2001/001/1728), Veterans History Project, American Folklife Center, Library of Congress

Online Format

  • image

Additional Metadata Formats

IIIF Presentation Manifest

Wars & Conflicts

Service Branch

Location of Service

Battles & Campaigns

Service Unit

Highest Rank

Service Entrance

Discharge Status

Gender

Interviewee

Rights & Access

Using VHP Material in Publication or Exhibition

The Veterans History Project (VHP) at the Library of Congress collects, preserves and makes accessible the firsthand recollections of U.S. military veterans who served from World War I through more recent conflicts and peacekeeping missions, so that future generations may hear directly from veterans and better understand what they saw, did and felt during their service. The Veterans History Project Collection includes oral histories along with documentary materials such as original letters, diaries, photographs, and memoirs.

Veterans and interviewers contribute these materials to the Library for scholarly and educational purposes, retaining any copyright they may hold. Therefore, permission must be obtained before using the interview or other materials in exhibition or publication. Researchers or others who would like to make further use of these materials should contact the Veterans History Project for assistance.

As a publicly supported institution, the Library generally does not own rights to material in its collections. Therefore, it does not charge permission fees for use of such material and cannot give or deny permission to publish or otherwise distribute material in its collections. Responsibility for making an independent legal assessment of an item from the Library’s collections and for securing any necessary permissions rests with persons desiring to use the item.

Please contact us with questions.

Obtaining Copies of VHP Materials

In order for VHP materials to be duplicated, we must receive written permission from the interviewee for you to obtain a copy of the recording unless the proposed use is limited to personal use, research, or other uses permissible by copyright law. If the interviewee is deceased, their next-of-kin may grant written permission.

Please contact VHP for assistance if you need to contact a veteran for permission to use their materials in exhibition or publication, or if you have received permission from the veteran and need access to high-resolution copies of VHP collection materials.

Citing VHP Materials

Please use the following formats when citing Veterans History Project materials (substituting the appropriate name and collection ID number).

Materials as a whole:

  • John P. Snodgrass (AFC 2001/001/[VHP collection]), Veterans History Project Collection, American Folklife Center, Library of Congress.

Manuscript material:

  • John P. Snodgrass (AFC 2001/001/[VHP collection]), Memoirs (MS02), Veterans History Project Collection, American Folklife Center, Library of Congress.
  • John P. Snodgrass (AFC 2001/001/[VHP collection]), Transcript (MS04), Veterans History Project Collection, American Folklife Center, Library of Congress.
  • John P. Snodgrass (AFC 2001/001/[VHP collection]), Correspondence (MS01), Veterans History Project Collection, American Folklife Center, Library of Congress.

Recording:

  • John P. Snodgrass (AFC 2001/001/[VHP collection]), Audio recording (SR01), Veterans History Project Collection, American Folklife Center, Library of Congress.
  • John P. Snodgrass (AFC 2001/001/[VHP collection]), Video recording (MV01), Veterans History Project Collection, American Folklife Center, Library of Congress.

Photograph:

  • John P. Snodgrass (AFC 2001/001/[VHP collection]), Photographs (PH01), photographer unknown, Veterans History Project Collection, American Folklife Center, Library of Congress.
  • John P. Snodgrass (AFC 2001/001/[VHP collection]), Photographs (PH03-PH14), Ralph Williams photographer, Veterans History Project Collection, American Folklife Center, Library of Congress.

Computer file:

  • John P. Snodgrass (AFC 2001/001/[VHP collection]), Computer file (CF01), Veterans History Project Collection, American Folklife Center, Library of Congress.

Artifact:

  • John P. Snodgrass (AFC 2001/001/[VHP collection]), Artifact (AR01), Veterans History Project Collection, American Folklife Center, Library of Congress.

Cite This Item

Citations are generated automatically from bibliographic data as a convenience, and may not be complete or accurate.

Chicago citation style:

Ballhorn, Herbert, and John H Horn. John H. Horn Collection. 1942. Personal Narrative. https://www.loc.gov/item/afc2001001.01728/.

APA citation style:

Ballhorn, H. & Horn, J. H. (1942) John H. Horn Collection. [Personal Narrative] Retrieved from the Library of Congress, https://www.loc.gov/item/afc2001001.01728/.

MLA citation style:

Ballhorn, Herbert, and John H Horn. John H. Horn Collection. 1942. Personal Narrative. Retrieved from the Library of Congress, <www.loc.gov/item/afc2001001.01728/>.