In “Night” what happened on April 10, 1945?

In "Night" by Elie Wiesel, the date of April 10, 1945, holds significant importance in the story as it marks the liberation of the concentration camp where the author and his father were held. The chapter titled "The Buchenwald Camp" describes the arrival of Allied forces and the immediate changes that took place.

Wiesel writes, "Suddenly, the silence was broken by a machine gun salvo in the distance. Another, closer. And then, as if the earth under our feet were a living, breathing body, it rocked and trembled" (p. 112). This marks the arrival of the American tanks at the Buchenwald camp. The prisoners, who had been weakened by hunger and disease, were filled with renewed hope at the sight of the tanks. Wiesel writes, "The joy of liberation was too great for us to express in words. The idea of freedom became palpable" (p. 112).

However, the liberation was not without its challenges. The camp was filled with sick and dying prisoners, and the Americans had limited resources to care for them. The prisoners were also faced with the difficult task of finding their loved ones who had been separated from them during their time in the camp.

Overall, April 10, 1945, marked a turning point in the lives of the prisoners at the Buchenwald camp. It was a day of both liberation and struggle, as the survivors tried to adjust to a new life of freedom after years of unimaginable horrors.

In conclusion, "Night" is a powerful memoir that captures the atrocities of the Holocaust and the resilience of the human spirit. The date of April 10, 1945, serves as a reminder of the importance of remembering the past and honoring the memories of those who suffered.