Berga: Soldiers of Another War

Completed shortly before his death, Academy Award-winning documentary filmmaker Charles Guggenheim's Berga: Soldiers of Another War combines interviews with survivors and archival photographs to limn the chilling story of how a contingent of American soldiers were placed in a satellite camp near Buchenwald just because they "looked Jewish" or had "Jewish-sounding" last names. Out of the 350 Americans captured during the Battle of the Bulge in 1944, less than a third were Jewish, but all ended up in the Nazi work camp of Berga where they were treated not as prisoners of war but as "undesirables." Although most are familiar with the tragic tales from Auschwitz and other death camps, few are likely to have heard of what happened at Berga, one of the horrific secrets of World War II. DVD extras include a conversation with Guggenheim and historian/author David McCullough (John Adams). An emotionally powerful film, sure to provoke both anger and sadness in viewers, this is recommended. Aud: H, C, P. (J. Carlson)