An American military government officer who compelled the residents of a German town to exhume and rebury the remains of Jews murdered in concentration camps has been suspended and several displaced Jews have been arrested, it was announced today by military government headquarters for Bavaria.
The announcement said that Capt. D S. Fields, the MG officer in the Bavarian town of Neunburg Vorm Wald, has been removed pending an investigation into the circumstances surrounding the exhumation ceremonies.
“During the ceremony incidents occurred wherein members of the population, both ex-Nazi Party members and others, were forced to commit excesses, including cleaning human bones and removal with their bare hands of decayed flesh,” MG headquarters stated.
“During this time the exhumation party was assaulted and beaten by Jewish and Polish displaced persons witnessing the procedures and certain American soldiers are alleged to have participated in the attacks. Over 50 persons are reported to have been injured, with at least six of them requiring medical treatment.
Both the Military Government and the American constabulary headquarters are investigating the incident, the announcement added, stating that any soldier found to have acted in a disorderly manner will face a court martial.
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The Archive of the Jewish Telegraphic Agency includes articles published from 1923 to 2008. Archive stories reflect the journalistic standards and practices of the time they were published.
