Holocaust LIAR Paul Parks: "It Was Anuddah SHOAH!"

Sama_El
Published on Oct 16, 2023
This testimony from liberator, Paul Parks, is from USC Shoah Foundation's Visual History Archive and is also featured in Echoes & Reflections: A Multimedia Curriculum on the Holocaust. For more information, visit: http://www.echoesandreflections.org

http://www.45thinfantrydivision.com/index14.htm

Excerpt:

JAMES R. BIRD
57 BELLA ROAD
MEDFORD NJ 08055-4201
609 267 5520

ACADEMY OF MOTION PICTURE ARTS AND SCIENCE 17 FEBRUARY 1999

8949 WILSHIRE BLVD
BEVERLY HILLS CA 90211 1972
SIRS:
SUBJECT: Spielberg's TV documentary(?) The Last Days

This combat disabled veteran of WWII wonders why Steven Spielberg needs to produce a so-called documentary that is based on fiction. I've yet to see the film, but from what I’ve read and been told he persists in crediting Paul Parks as a Liberator of Dachau. I served in the 45th Infantry Division and arrived at Dachau on the morning of April 30th 1945 and am thoroughly convinced, that in addition to units of the 42nd Infantry (Rainbow) Division, there were no Blacks involved in the liberation of this concentration camp.

We wonder about Mr. Spieiberg's motives to produce a documentary which includes false information. There is irrefutable evidence that Paul Parks was not a "liberator" of Dachau as depicted in the film. Apparently, Spieiberg's director and editor, James Moll didn't verify his facts.

Respectfully,

James R Bird

Enclosures: Steven Spielberg Screws Up by Mark Shulte, NEW YORK POST February 15th; and Klawans commentary in THE NATION, March 1st. edition; clipping from Burlington County times, 3 July 1992

c.c. 45th Infantry Division Association

I served through eight campaigns with the 45th Infantry Division (Thunderbirds) and was awarded a Silver Star and two Purple Hearts.

HENRY KAUFMAN
10390 WILSHIRE BLVD.·#901
LOS ANGELES,CA. 90024
PH.(310) 278-8236

HONORABLE SENATOR JOSEPH LIEBERMAN
U.S.SENATE
WASHINGTON,D.C. 20510

Honorable Senator Lieberman,

Please accept my apologies for writing to you at a time that you are involved in a monumental historical task, but I find myself in a dilemma regarding my own historical involvement in a situation that just doesn't seem to go away. I read your foreward in the recently published book "The Rainbow Liberation Memoirs" and while I admire and respect you and those of your family that survived the holocaust, I have to support my old war time buddy, Jim Bird, from Medford, N.J., who was gracious enough to send me a copy of a letter he sent to you, dated Dec.15 1998. Although I quote from Jim Bird's letter to you, stating that "you were conned" by members of the 42nd Rainbow Division, I have to tell you that I have encountered the same thing here in California. The only exception is that not only the 42nd lays claim to being the liberator of Dachau, but I have a list of several other divisions,20th Armored,442nd Regiment,76lst Tank Battalion who have all claimed to have liberated Dachau. I must admit, it is an amazing quest that I am on trying one by one, to disprove each one’s claim. As recently as last month, there was a Rabbi out here, in L.A. who awarded a medal to an Afro/American, from San Francisco, who claimed he was with his unit, the 761st Tank Battalion, when they liberated both Buchenwald and Dachau. I attempted to see this Rabbi armed with a box full of documentation to show him that he had been "conned," but believe it or not he didn't want to see me, or my documents. Be it as it may, Jim Bird fought with me at the invasion of Anzio. He was badly wounded and also the recipient of the Silver Star. I on the other hand, was captured at Anzio and spent 15 months in many POW camps, as well as 5 days in Dachau, under sentence of death. Jim Bird arrived in Dachau on April 30 1945,one day after the liberation and although I was a POW and had nothing to do with the liberation of Dachau, it was my outfit, the 157th RCT, that liberated Dachau on April 29,1945 and two hours later, at 1630 hours that day, the 42nd division came on the scene. My outfit the 2nd battalion of the 157th is recorded in the Military Archives, U.S.Holocaust Memorial, and the 45th Infantry Museum, in Oklahoma City, as the actual liberators. Even though we readily admit that the 42nd came in 2 hours after the 157th liberated Dachau, the 42nd insists that they were the "sole" liberators and very few of their statements can be substantiated. If you request, I would be happy to send you enough documentation to convince you.

In closing, I would like to refer back to my December, l998 Newsletter, published by the Jewish War Veterans of the U.S.A. in Hollywood, California. You will note how I go into detail trying to disprove the many past misleading documentation and documentaries, regarding the liberation of KZ Dachau, by the Afro/American members of the 761st Tank Battalion. My biggest surprise came when I walked into a bookstore recently, and saw the #1 Best Seller "The Greatest Generation" by Tom Brokaw and again much to my surprise I noticed on page 20l, "that although the 761st Tank Battalion had an outstanding combat record during WWll, the military records indicate that contrary to all the false and misleading claims made by self-serving people, the records indicate that the 76lst, was no where near KZ Dachau or Buchenwald, as had been erroneously claimed." I'm very glad that Tom Brokaw did his homework, because the same situation applies to the 42nd Rainbow Division, who have misled you and many other people. Good luck on the Senate Impeachment Trial and I hope you get a chance to read some of the articles that I have previously written, about KZ Dachau.

Respectfully yours,
Henry Kaufman

c/c Senator Diane Feinstein
c/c Senator Barbara Boxer
c/c Mr. James Bird

Enc. three (3) Newsletters

Henry Kaufman
10390 Wilshire Blvd. # 901
Los Angeles,Ca.90024
PH.(310) 278-8236
February 24, 1999

Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Science

8949 Wilshire Blvd.
.Beverly Hills, Ca. 90211-1972
Att: Public Relations:

Subject: Spielbergs Documentary, "The Last Days".

To Whom It May Concern;

Since 1992 when black soldiers decided to convince the world that they had liberated
Buchenwald and Dachau, both concentration camps, the lie continued to persist no matter how much their "yarns" were totally disproven.

In 1992 PBS had shown a film entitled "The Liberators" supposedly, a black Tank Battalion, the 761st had liberated both camps. There are several black ex-soldiers from the World War II era who spread these unsubstantiated falsehoods. The 761st who had an excellent World War II record, disavowed any responsibility for anyone making these claims. The end result was the "liberators" was taken off the air and never again shown.

Now, at the present time we are facing renewed false, sublimated claims in the latest Spielberg film entitled "The Last Days."

In this film there are three different veterans, who claim they too liberated KZ Dachau, Warren Dunn, Katsugo Miho, and Paul Parks. Although none of these three mention the units they were with, at the time of the liberation, the film is actually referring to the 42nd Division which Dunn was a member of, the 442nd RCT (all Japanese regiment) which Katsugo Miho was a member of, and the 365th Combat Engineers, which Paul Parks claims to have been a member of.

What you are seeing in this film is that there were more divisions that liberated KZ Dachau, than there were in the entire Normandy Invasion." If Spielberg did his homework simply had to check the National Archives in Washington, D.C. and if he checked Box 226, Records Group 338 he would have found that a Lt.Colonel Felix L.Sparks of the 3rd Battalion,l57th RCT, 45th Division not only liberated Dachau on April 29,1945 at 12:30 PM, but also got into serious trouble. He and several of his men, namelyl Lt.William P.Walsh, Lt.Jack Busheyhead, Lt.Daniel F.Drain, Lt.Howard E.Buchener, all the above were in the 157th and being investigated at the time by the Inspector General for having shot and killed l7 unarmed SS guards, plus the
Inspector-Generals report reads, "2 Germans were shot by inmates who used the service rifle of PFC Peter J.DeMarzo of the 157th RCT.

Simply put, if all these aforementioned soldiers were accused of these crimes at KZ Dachau, although they were never tried, then how can anybody other than the 45th Infantry, claim they liberated Dachau?

I'm hoping you discredit this film, "The Last Days" and that Spielberg is made aware that he has been "duped." My interest in the liberation of Dachau is merely that I was in "H" Company of the 157th, 45th Infantry Division. I fought in Africa, Sicily and Italy. I was captured on the Anzio Beachhead, February 22,1944. After being in many POW camps in Italy and Germany, I was transferred to Dachau for being a "trouble-maker." I was in Dachau, November 15, to November 20,1944. Unfortunately, my outfit didn't liberate Dachau until April 29,1945. I didn't wait for them, I escaped on April 8, 1945.

Please bear in mind that these false claims are very painful to the 45th Infantry Division, since they have established an amazing outstanding record of 511 days in combat and suffered 62,560 casualties during World War II, Spielberg owes them an apology.

Respectfully
Henry Kaufman