Ross M. Snowdon papers

The papers consist of five photographs taken by Ross M. Snowdon, a Master Sergeant in the 11th Armored Division, after the liberation of Mauthausen concentration camp in 1945 and a booklet about the history of the 11th Armored Division during World War II. Ross Snowden was born on July 2, 1922 and enlisted in the US Army on August 19, 1940. He subsequently was attached as chaplain to the 11th Armored Division with the rank of Master Sergeant. He was part of Division Headquarters when it overran the unfinished fourth stone wall of Mauthausen concentration camp on May 5, 1945. Chaplain Snowden oversaw the forced reburial of corpses by nearby villagers, telling them that it was their responsibility to have known what was going on in their midst. Chaplain Snowden returned to Mauthausen in 1985 to dedicate a plaque to the 11th Armored Division. He is the past president and Chaplain Emeritus of the 11th Armored Division Association. Chaplain Ross Snowdon and his wife, Laura Koch Snowdon, have two children and three grandchildren