Paul Tillard – Mauthausen. Paris, 1945. First Edition

Paul Tillard – Mauthausen. Paris, 1945. First Edition

MAUTHAUSEN by Paul Tillard – An Early Testimony by a Camp Survivor. Accompanied by Harrowing Photographs of Prisoners in Forced Labor, Corpses with Severe Signs of Torture, and More. Paris, 1945. First Edition. French.

An early testimony published immediately after the war by Mauthausen survivor, journalist, and writer Paul Tillard (1914–1966). In April 1943, Tillard was deported to Mauthausen after being imprisoned at the Compiègne camp due to his involvement in the French Resistance (La Résistance). He was imprisoned at Mauthausen for a year, and upon his release in May 1945, he began documenting his experiences in the camp. In his detailed account, Tillard meticulously describes the daily life in Mauthausen with extraordinary precision. His testimony includes vivid depictions of the faces of fellow prisoners, full conversations he overheard between camp commanders, and chilling words spoken to him upon arrival. For instance, at the transit station leading to the camp, a German officer told him: "The place you're going to—you will not return from, so it doesn’t matter what you take with you." Throughout his imprisonment, he recorded the words and suffering of the inmates he encountered. He provides detailed descriptions of extreme hardships faced by prisoners, such as a six-year-old child forced to clean the corridor leading out of the barracks with his bare hands every day. He documents the relentless humiliation the inmates endured—guard dogs set upon prisoners, firing squads, precise counts of the bodies stacked in piles, forced labor in the snow and freezing cold, starvation, and daily torture. His extraordinary memory enabled him to document entire days in the camp, with pages dedicated to recounting events hour by hour. 

He completed his chilling testimony within months of liberation, and the book was published that same year. Over the years, Tillard authored several other significant works on the fate of the Jews during World War II. To this day, Mauthausen remains one of the most important first-hand sources on the horrors of the camp.

Illustrated with shocking photographs of prisoners upon arrival, taken by the Nazis before the camp’s dissolution, as well as images of survivors in their emaciated state and corpses of the victims captured immediately after the camp’s liberation. Includes a preface by Jean-Richard Bloch, emphasizing the book's significance as a firsthand testimony from a man who "spoke daily with angels" during his imprisonment.

78 [2] pages. 21.5 cm. Good condition.