News

• OCTOBER 10, 2022 The film of the ceremonies!
  
  
    

• AUGUST 30, 2022 The Ceremonies!
  
  The Liberation Monument Ceremonies were a joy to finally take place on August 30, 2022.
  We started in Weber's Hof, Farsleben with coffee/tea and cookies made by the Kelewoh family.
  
  I did the first speech, explaining about the lost letter and how it motivated me to start the Farsleben Foundation. As a special request in Gina Rappaport's letter: "How can I ever repay the American Army for my freedom?" I came up with the idea to have a monument near the railroad tracks to honour the survivors and the liberators. 
  
  Hereafter we had speeches from survivors and their families. It was at times very emotional, but everyone spoke of the positive things, rather than the negative things. Then we also had the speech of Carroll Walsh read by his daughters. This was very moving, because he said: "We are not the heroes, we were just doing our jobs. It was far better to save lives than taking lives, it made us feel good that day. The real heroes were the survivors fore they had to endure pain and inhumanities."
  
  Then we were provided with lunch, fruit and pastry by the Kelewoh hospitality. Next we saw the student film of the Stranded Train by Robert Hirschmann.
  
  Following this we took a 10 minute walk to the monument. Those that could not walk well were taken there by an US jeep. Four men of the current Old Hickory Division were there: Colonel Morrison gave his own speech and thereafter read the speech of Grorge Gross. Major Fritzpatrick read the speech of Frank Towers. Chaplain Major Rodgers read some spiritual words and asked for a 2 minute silence. Then young Private Benjamin welcomed everyone in Hebrew. Next the survivors and their families could shake the hands with Old Hickory men, the liberator Walsh family and the medic family King.
  
  Then some visited the cemeteries and/or the museum dedicated to the Stranded Train.  At the museum they received a book of the Stranded Train complete with the train manifest.
  All in all an emotional and happy day 77 years later, never to be forgotten again.  
  Please see photos below.

  Ron Chaulet 

• AUGUST 30, 2022 is the DEFINITE DATE for the FARSLEBEN MONUMENT CEREMONIES

  On August 30^th only invited guests are welcome to take part in the Weber’s Hof building. Here speeches will be given by Train Survivors, their families, the 30^th US Division, Children of the Liberators and from the Event Organizers. If you have not received an invitation and wish to attend then please request one via the following email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

  There will be a limited amount of welcome visitors. This will be a large ceremony currently with 80 foreign visitors and about 40 local visitors. This event will not be repeated on this large scale. In the future the monument will probably be remembered on April 13^th each year on a small scale. Thus if you are interested in hearing 1^st hand stories what took place on April 13, 1945 and thereafter in Farsleben/Hillersleben then I suggest you or family to attend this event.

•  10 March 2022 The Farsleben Liberation Ceremonies

  The Farsleben Liberation Ceremonies will take place April 13, 2022 at 11 a.m.  This will be a very small ceremony. It will begin at the Monument and afterwards take place at Webers Hof Culture Center in Farsleben. Under the current covid regulations in Germany only a maximum of 50 guests may be present in the building.  We would like to have a large ceremony with guest speakers perhaps in August this year, (perhaps around the 30th of August), however we are reluctant to set the date and prefer to wait until April when the latest covid regulations are known at that time.

  Bergen Belsen plans to hold their ceremonies not in April, but from August 31^st till September 5^th.

  Having these ceremonies will be a great opportunity to speak with other survivors and their families, plus veteran families.

  The locals of Farsleben, Hillersleben, Wolmirstedt and vicinity have contributed much time and money in making this event possible so that it may never be forgotten what took place at the Farsleben train tracks on April 13, 1945.

  In Wolmirstedt there is also in the local museum with a permanent display of the facts that took place on the Stranded Train and the time thereafter, which you are invited to see, as well as visiting the Jewish cemetery in Hillersleben, but also the cemetery in Farsleben where the persons who did not survive the train trip are buried.

  As you can see on this website the Liberation Monument is already on display near the railroad tracks in Farsleben. This was done so that survivors and veterans could see it, who are unable to make the trip because of health reasons.

  Should you wish to come on April 13^th, 2022, please let me know in advance so that we can register all visitors to be expected.  For those of you, who would prefer to come in August for the large ceremony, please inform me as well. At a later date I will inform you of the exact date.

   

• 13 April 2021 Small memorial service
  
  On 13 April 2021 there was only a small memorial at the liberation monument, due to the Corona virus restrictions in Farsleben. 
  
  The woman with microphone next to the monument is Anette Pilz, Board Member of the Stranded Train Committee.

           The ceromony, video 1
           The ceromony, video 2
           The ceromony, video 3

• April 2020 Ceremonies Cancelled
   
  We regret to inform you that the April 2020 ceremonies in Farsleben, Germany, have been cancelled due to the Corona Virus. There are no flights leaving from Israel to Germany. And there are no flights allowed to enter the USA from Europe. The German department of health also advises not to visit at this time. There is also an outbreak of the Corona Virus in the county Saxony-Anholt, where Farsleben is located. There will be no event planned for this summer.
  We plan to celebrate this next year together in the same period as Bergen Belsen. On the website we will post the new date when it is known. The good news is that the monument is still on schedule and will be ready in April. 
  
  
• Official Monument Dates would be: 17th and 21st of April 2020 at the Seeweg, Farsleben train tracks, before being cancelled.

• The Train Liberation of Farsleben is being documented in a film. Please see the two following links:
  • A train near Magdeburg - official trailer
  • The reunion

• 16th November 2019 near the Farsleben train tracks two Hickory Trees were planted in the vicinity of the future Liberation Monument in Commemoration for the 30th Division, the so called Old Hickory Division. A lot of locals came out in the cold and rain to plant these hard to find trees.
  
  
  
  
  
• A small wireless chip the size of a grain of rice will be placed on top of the monument. By simply scanning the chip with most newer android and apple mobile phones it will effortlessly connect the user to this memorial site: http://www.13april1945.com.
  This will direct the visitor to reach multimedia content to experience more of the history on the events that took place here on the 13th of April 1945.

• Recently four Veterans of the 30th Division attended the Limburg, Holland 75th Liberation Ceremonies in September 2019. This was the same Division that liberated the train. The Veterans were: John O'Hare, George Hamm, Peter Munger and Tony Jaber. Accompanying them were family members and a few current military members of the 30th Division, among them Col. Wes Morrison. See photo's in the Margraten Cemetery, Holland. 
  
  
     

• Below are newly discovered photo's of the 30th Division during the Liberation of Heerlen, Holland on 17 September 1944.

• If anyone recognizes any of the Veteran faces please contact us using the Contact tab on this website.