"For the SS, the games served to maintain the appearance of normality and conceal the criminal nature of the camp," the Buchenwald exhibition said. Buchenwald sits atop Ettersberg hill, a 30-minute drive from the England team's Euro training base and at the end of the winding and forested Blutstrase -- Blood Road. Jones, who chronicled his experiences in "The Auschwitz Goalkeeper: A Prisoner of War's True Story", credited his fitness from playing football with saving his life during a gruelling death march. Many top footballers were imprisoned at Buchenwald, as detailed in the exhibition, including Henrik Nadler and Eugene Maas. More than 56,000 prisoners either died from starvation and poor conditions or were executed at Buchenwald.

Source: BBC June 25, 2024 17:55 UTC