Wilson D. Brooks papers

Collection — Multiple Containers

Identifier: 14.0024

Staff Only

Scope and Contents

Wilson Dean Brooks participated in significant events during and after World War II. He was a part of the liberation of Dachau, Battle of the Bulge, and worked as an investigator for the War Crimes Board. His collection contains photographs capturing the liberation of Dachau, a journal describing military life in Europe, which includes details about Battle of the Bulge, and a vast amount of documents that pertain to war crime trials he oversaw as a judge advocate. His case reports on war crimes make up the bulk of his collection and contain victim testimonies, arrest reports, instances of maltreatment and murder, and other notable information. The files include testimonies from victims of all nationalities, American, Belgian, Czech, Dutch, English, French, German, Hungarian, Lithuanian, Polish, Russian, Slovakian, Spanish, and Ukrainian, The collection includes case files on concentration camps such as Auschwitz, Dachau, Natzweiler-Struthof, Neuengamme, Ravensbrück, Treblinka, Unterriexingen, Vaihingen an der Enz, Welzheim, and Wöbbelin. Also covered in the collection is various cities where forced labor occurred, such as Föhrenwald, Kaufbeuren, Kochendorf, Landsberg, Radom, Rottenburg, Rudersberg, Sandomierz, Ulm, and in notable factories like Daimler-Benz.

Dates

Created: 1944-1946
Other: Date acquired: 05/02/2014

Creator

Brooks, Wilson D., 1912-1983 (Person)

Conditions Governing Access

This collection is open to all researchers.

Conditions Governing Use

Permission to publish, exhibit, or broadcast works from the Institute on World War II and the Human Experience must be requested and granted in writing by the director of the Institute. Permission for publication is given on behalf of the Institute on World War II as the owner of the physical items and the copyright holder. Possession of a copy of an item does not constitute permission to publish, exhibit, or broadcast it. The Institute on World War II and the Human Experience reserves the right to refuse permission to individuals and publishers who have not complied with its policies. Permission fees must be paid before images are provided. Please contact the director of the Institute on World War II and the Human Experience for current publication and duplication rates.

Biographical or Historical Information

Wilson Dean Brooks was born in Pensacola, Florida on May 12, 1912. He married his wife on December 20, 1942 in Georgia. Brooks enlisted in the United States Army on February 22, 1941 at Camp Blanding in Starke, Florida. He served in the Company B 825th tank destroyer battalion and 42nd Infantry Division as a 1st Lieutenant. After Germany surrendered he worked as a judge advocate during the military trials in Europe. He retired from the United States Army on April 26, 1946. Brooks passed away on October 7, 1983 at the age of 71.