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Auschwitz: Red Army soldier recalls moment his tank broke through fence

David Dushman was north of Auschwitz when his Red Army commander was ordered to the camp. At 96 years old - He is one of the few remaining soldiers who freed the camp.

(SOUNDBITE) (Russian) AUSCHWITZ DEATH CAMP LIBERATOR, DAVID DUSHMAN, SAYING:

"When we arrived we saw the fence and these unfortunate people, we broke through the fence with our tanks. We gave food to the prisoners and continued. The 1st Ukrainian Front looked after the rest."

(SOUNDBITE) (German) AUSCHWITZ DEATH CAMP LIBERATOR, DAVID DUSHMAN, SAYING:

"They (the prisoners) were standing there, all of them in (prisoner) uniforms, only eyes, only eyes, very narrow - that was very terrible, very terrible. And I hope, that this will never (happen) again in life."

More than a million men, women and children lost their lives in Auschwitz.

Built by the Nazis in occupied Poland, Auschwitz was custom made for extermination.

But it was much later that David Dushman understood the truth about where he had been.

(SOUNDBITE) (Russian) AUSCHWITZ DEATH CAMP LIBERATOR, DAVID DUSHMAN, SAYING:

"We didn't know that Auschwitz existed. In Russian it's called "Osventsim" We didn't know (about it). When saw it. When I was in Germany for the first time, I watched a German movie, about Buchenwald, that was really terrible. We didn't know that. What did we see? We were in tanks, what could we see?"

A Jew himself - Dushman was no stranger to adversity

(SOUNDBITE) (Russian) AUSCHWITZ DEATH CAMP LIBERATOR, DAVID DUSHMAN, SAYING:

"I frequently wasn't allowed abroad because I had two stigmas. Firstly, I was Jewish, secondly, I was a son of an Enemy of the people. My father, who was one of the first recipients of the Order of the Red Banner during the war, during the Revolution, he was repressed and in 1938 and sent to a (labour) camp."

Dushman was one of only 69 men in his 12,000-strong column of tanks to survive the war, he was so badly injured that he had to have part of one lung removed. But that didn't hold him back from becoming a professional fencer.

He later became a member of the Olympic fencing team in Munich. Where he has lived since 1996.

Dushman may have forged a new life but three quarters of a century later- what he saw remains with him. Most of his Red Army comrades however, are all gone.