On this date, 8 May, 80 years ago, the Allies (England, France, the United States, and Russia) accepted Germany’s unconditional surrender, ending World War II and the Third Reich.
Auschwitz had been liberated on 27 January 1945, and Otto Baer, b. 1895 in Themar, was freed after two years of incarceration. Starting in April 1945, American forces started to liberate the state of Thüringen, reaching Themar on 7 April 1945. Among the American soldiers was Ludwig Mühlfelder, son of Julius Mühlfelder whose birthplace in 1891 was Themar. Theresienstadt Ghetto was liberated by Russian forces of 8 May 1945.
At least 27 members of Themar’s Jewish families were in Germany, including 8 who were in the Theresienstadt Ghetto in the former occupied Czechoslovakia. At least 205 members of the Jewish families of Themar were to be found in places around the world.
Over the years, family members and their descendants have forged contact with their relatives and reestablished a connection with Themar and the small villages surrounding Themar which are their ancestral villages.
