An Unbroken Chain - Intro

As a young Jewish teenage boy, Henry Oertelt lived with his mother and brother in Berlin, Germany as the storm clouds of Hitler’s Nazi hatred, discrimination and violence toward Jews grew darker. Henry avoided arrest by the Gestapo until 1943, when at age 22 he began his amazing saga of surviving five Nazi concentration camps. His story of the 18 cliff-hanging events which led to his Nazi death camp survival is told in his book, An Unbroken Chain.

In a world premiere podcast here at KVSC, Dr. Oertelt tells his astounding story of survival, human dignity and perseverance. 

Dr. Oertelt has a long history of involvement with SCSU, and with Holocaust remembrance activities. He is the recipient of many honors, among them an Honorary Doctorate from SCSU in 2006, and an Honorary Doctorate from Southwest State University in Marshall in 2007.

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Epilogue Part 2 and  Acknowledgements:
Finally, Henry is back in Berlin only to discover the family’s apartment has been given to Nazi party loyalists. He reunites with some family and tried to adjust to his freedom. We learn the details of Henry’s emigration to the United States and the splendid news of his wife and new family. Acknowledgements: Henry Oertelt thanks all the people in his life who inspired him to write his story of survival of the Nazi Holocaust.

An Unbroken Chain - Part  Twelve

Chapter 15:
This episode is the 18th Link in the Unbroken Chain.  The American troops are nearby as heard through machine gun fire and bombs.  But on April 20, 1945, the Nazis order all remaining prisoners out of the barracks. Henry was put on a death march with all his fellow inmates. American liberators find those still standing after 3-days of constant marching with no food, water or rest.

An Unbroken Chain - Part  Ten

Chapters 12, 13, 14:  
Henry puts his life in the hands of an SS Doctor.  He describes the harrowing ordeal of surgery - and the conditions of "recovery". A non-Jewish political prisoner befriends Henry and saves him from another death camp.  For the first time they hear the bombings from the front lines.  Hope for freedom begins, it’s April 16, 1945.

An Unbroken Chain - Part  Nine

Chapters 9, 10, 11:  
This episode deals with four more links in the events that helped Henry Oertelt survive the Nazi Holocaust.   Henry’s optimism and profession as a fine furniture designer helped him survive.  He was now sent to another death camp, Flossenburg in Bavaria. The camp was horribly overcrowded and daily beatings of prisoners was the norm.  Henry’s brother Kurt is sent to a different camp, which was devastating, but also led to another link that helped him live.  He needed medical help.

An Unbroken Chain - Part  Eight

Chapter 7 and 8:  Henry’s ability to work certainly helped save his life. His slight stature and youth also contributed.  The brothers are sent to yet another concentration camp, Golleschau. You hear about the value and heartache of just one piece of bread, and Henry’s new job to create a custom desk, under the watchful eye of an SS Guard.  Henry begins to have alarming health problems.

An Unbroken Chain - Intro

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