Created by Concentration Camp Inmates for Their American Liberators

The Holocaust Museum and Janet G. and Harvey D. Cohen Education Center has received a very special World War II-era artifact – the “Nordhausen Flag.” The flag, created in 1945 by the newly liberated Nordhausen concentration camp inmates, was presented to the American troops who liberated them. The flag used a “stars and stripes” design in honor of the U.S. troops. The flag will be on permanent loan to the Museum from American Legion Post 38, Rabe O. Wilkison Chapter located in Fort Myers, FL. The Flag Presentation ceremony and reception took place yesterday July 1, 2024. 

The Nordhausen Flag will be on public display at the Museum beginning Tuesday, July 2, 2024. (Museum hours are Tuesday through Sunday from 1pm – 4pm; last guests enter at 3pm; closed Mondays and major U.S. holidays)

Background on Nordhausen Camp:

Nordhausen was a concentration camp in central Germany where the infamous V-2 rockets were manufactured by slave laborers. Many prisoners were worked to death on the V-2 production lines; others died from starvation and disease. Nordhausen was liberated by American troops from the 3rd Armored Division, the 104th Infantry Division on April 11, 1945. Also present during Liberation was the attached 750th Tank Battalion.

Background on the Flag and Its Post-War Journey:

1st Lt. John Spain, Sr. was a member of 750th Tank Battalion’s Company B which was present at the liberation of Nordhausen.  When he returned home to Connecticut after the war, he brought the Nordhausen Flag with him. It was still in Lt. Spain’s possession in 1982 when he moved to Fort Myers, FL. In the mid-1990s, he donated it to American Legion Post 38 in Fort Myers. Post 38 had the flag framed and put on display in its John Ebling Veterans’ Art Gallery.

Harvey Charter, Post Commander of Victor Paul Tuchman Post 400 American Jewish War Veterans, first saw the Nordhausen Flag on display at Post 38, where he is also a member. The flag, fragile to begin with, risked becoming more so as the years passed. Charter began raising funds for its eventual conservation so future generations would be able to see it and learn its unique story.

Hurricane Ian:

Like many other buildings in late September 2022, Post 38’s facilities in Fort Myers were damaged by Hurricane Ian. A water leak in the Ebling Gallery had seeped inside the picture frame holding the Nordhausen Flag, causing water and mold damage to the flag’s fabric and backing. Seeing the extent of the damage to this World War II-era relic, Harvey Charter and Post 38 Commander Kevin Boyd knew immediate steps had to be taken to preserve the flag. Charter knew of the Holocaust Museum & Education Center’s experience with artifacts from that era. He contacted Museum Curator Cody Rademacher for advice on how to mitigate the issue, prevent further damage to the flag, and protect Post visitors from the mold problem. On Rademacher’s recommendation, the Post 400 installed dehumidifiers and HEPA filters to help stabilize the environment around the flag.

Cody Rademacher also recommended a fabric conservator be consulted for guidance on preserving the flag for future generations. Viviana Dominguez of Art Conservators Lab LLC assessed the situation and initiated a treatment program. This included mold mitigation, removal of the water stain caused by the leak, a gentle cleaning of the entire flag, and a new mounting whereby the wartime fabric was sewn onto a cloth substrate. The flag was then properly reframed in protective material. The funds raised by Charter paid for these preservation steps.

Aware of the risks associated with possible future hurricane activity in Southwest Florida, Post 38 made the decision to permanently loan the flag to the Holocaust Museum & Cohen Education Center in Naples. The Museum’s new larger building will provide more substantial protection during storms, as well as a monitored and climate-controlled environment, and featured display space with Holocaust-era artifacts and exhibits. It was important to Lt. Spain Sr., his son John Spain, Jr., and Post 38 that the Nordhausen Flag be preserved for future generations to learn from and appreciate. Displaying the flag at the Holocaust Museum & Cohen Education Center will allow many more students and members of the public the opportunity to see this unique artifact.

Future Plans for the Nordhausen Flag:

The Museum will create a special display schedule for the Nordhausen Flag and it will be on display beginning Tuesday, July 2. It will be seen in rotation with another unique fabric artifact from the period – a quilt sewn by surviving Auschwitz inmates and presented to Soviet troops who liberated them in January 1945. The quilt is composed of multiple squares of striped and other color cloth pieces. Large, individually sewn-on letters on top of the quilt spell out in Russian “Thank you Red Army for the Liberation of Auschwitz, 1945.” More information on the display schedule will be available later.

Museum President and CEO Susan Suarez said “The Museum thanks American Legion Post 38 Commander Kevin Boyd and Jewish War Veterans Post Commander Harvey Charter for their dedication in preserving such a valuable piece of history. We are grateful for this loan and the honor of looking after the Nordhausen Flag - a very special reminder of World War II and the end of the Holocaust.  Thanks to their generosity in sharing the flag, its unique story and message will be shared with future generations and never be forgotten.”

Susan Suarez, President and CEO of The Holocaust Museum & Janet G. and Harvey d. Cohen Education Center