In 1945, Joseph Capone’s outfit was the first to discover Dora-Mittelbau, one of thirty slave labor subcamps near the town of Nordhausen.  Its inmates worked to build secret underground factories for the production of V-2 missiles. By 1944, nearly 12,000 slave laborers were confined underground in dangerous, unsanitary conditions.  As they died or became too ill to work, the inmates were removed to Dora-Mittlebau and surrounding subcamps.  It is believed that Dora-Mittlebau had one of the highest mortality rates of any concentration camp.  In this audio short, listen as Mr. Capone gives witness to this horror.

Recorded on May 9, 2012 by the Veteran Voices of Pittsburgh Oral History Initiative at Soldiers and Sailors Memorial Hall and Museum, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Music: Wonderful: Violins, by Little Fish (Oxford) and “Meditation” (Princess Ylousha), by Backbeat Candy.