In the early 1940s Linden was an Assistant Professor of Military Science for the ROTC program at Boston University.[20]
World War II
By the time of the American entry into World War II, in December 1941, Linden was commander of the 53rd Infantry Regiment in the Aleutian Islands as the United States retook them from Japan.[21]
On April 29, 1945 Linden led a 42nd Division detachment to liberate the Dachau concentration camp.[30] Journalists including Marguerite Higgins traveled with Linden's detachment, resulting in international headlines about the soldiers' liberation of more than 30,000 Jews and political prisoners.[31]
After the war
After the war Linden served in occupied Austria as Deputy Commander of the American Occupation Zone. After returning to the United States he was Chief of the Army's Military Arts Department at the Engineer School until he retired in 1952.[32][33][34]
On August 5, 1922, Linden married Marguerite Rachel Harshaw (1892-1979).[37][38] They were the parents of a son, John Henning Linden (1924-2007).[38][39]
Dachau controversy
For years there has been an ongoing controversy between adherents of Felix L. Sparks and those of Linden over whether the 45th Infantry Division or 42nd Division troops led by Linden were the actual liberators of Dachau.[40] Linden's son, Colonel John H. Linden addressed the question in 1997's Surrender of the Dachau Concentration Camp, 29 APR 45: The True Account, referring to numerous firsthand accounts and primary-source documents to bolster his father's version of events.[41]
Looting controversy
Historians and authors researching World War II have found fault with Linden, Harry J. Collins and other officers who performed occupation duty after the war, suggesting that they requisitioned luxury items from the Hungarian Gold Train for furnishing their offices and quarters — items allegedly taken from Jewish families by the Nazis during the war.[42] Linden is reported to have received 10 rugs for his quarters on the von Trapp Estate.[42] Many items were not returned to their original owners, who had been killed or displaced during the war, but were later sold at auctions, with the proceeds used to aid war refugees.[43]
Awards and decorations
Linden's awards and decorations included:[44][45][46]
^Goldenberg, Richard (April 27, 2020). "NY's 42nd Infantry Division liberated Dachau 75 years ago". Army.mil. Alexandria, VA.
^Minnesota Births and Christenings Index, 1840–1980, entry for Henning Linden, accessed via Ancestry.com, February 20, 2012
^World War I Draft Registration Cards, 1917–1918, entry for Henning Linden, accessed via Ancestry.com, February 20, 2012
^UK Incoming Passenger Lists, 1878–1960, Record for USNS William O. Darby, May 1959, entry for Henning Linden, accessed via Ancestry.com, February 20, 2012
^Kastrup, Allan The Swedish heritage in America:the Swedish element in America and American-Swedish relations in their historical perspective. 1975. Page 738. ISBN 1299908055.
^"South High Swedish prize Given to Henning Linden". Star Tribune. Minneapolis, MN. May 29, 1912. p. 7 – via Newspapers.com.
^Junior Class (1917). "The Gopher: University of Minnesota Yearbook". Ancestry.com. Lehi, UT: Ancestry.com, LLC. p. 516. Retrieved July 12, 2020.
^U.S. Army Adjutant General, U.S. Army Register, 1920, page 787
^Jean Bryant, Pittsburgh Press, Dachau Survivor, Lierators Meet Here 33 Years Later, July 16, 1978
^Flint Whitlock, Given Up for Dead: American GIs in the Nazi Concentration Camp at Berga, 2009, page 104
^Kenneth K. Hatfield, Heartland Heroes: Remembering World War II, 2003, page 185
^Howard J. Leavitt, Tales of Valor, 2004, page 338
^Turner Publishing, The Legacy of the Purple Heart, Volume 2, 2001, page 96
^Newspaper article, "42d 'Rainbow' Division, With U.S. 7th Army First Regiments Reach France in November", Chicago Tribune, February 7, 1945
^First to the Rhine: The 6th Army Group in World War II, by Harry Yeide and Mark Stout, 2007, page 285
^Dann, Sam (1998). Dachau 29 April 1945: The Rainbow Liberation Memoirs. Lubbock, TX: Texas Tech University Press. pp. 14–30. ISBN 978-0-89672-391-7. henning linden dachau entrance.
^Cowan, Howard (April 30, 1945). "Dachau Prison Camp Taken, 32,000 Set Free By Yanks". The Evening Sun. Baltimore, MD. p. 2 – via Newspapers.com.
^Newspaper article, Linden Gets Farewell Salute, Stars and Stripes, Europe, Mediterranean, and North Africa Edition, January 19, 1948
^Newspaper article, Commander Retires, by Associated Press, Kingsport Times, September 30, 1952
^Frederick Deane Goodwin Williams, SLAM, the Influence of S.L.A. Marshall on the United States Army, 1994, page 59
^Social Security Death Index, entry for Henning Linden, accessed via Ancestry.com, February 20, 2012
^Death Notice, Henning Linden, Washington Post, March 19, 1984
^ a b"Obituary: Marguerite Linden". The Washington Post. Washington, DC. September 6, 1979.
^National Cemetery Administration (October 3, 2007). "Burial Record, John Henning Linden". Nationwide Gravesite Locator. Washington, DC: U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs. Retrieved July 12, 2020.
^Jensen, Ron (April 2013). "First Through the Gates of Hell". National Guard. Washington, DC: National Guard Association of the United States. p. 74.
^Linden, John H. (1997). Surrender of the Dachau Concentration Camp, 29 APR 45: The True Account. Elm Grove, WI: Sycamore Press Ltd. p. 1. ISBN 978-0-9665-1510-7 – via Google Books.
^ a bAlford, Kenneth D. (2011). Allied Looting in World War II. Jefferson, NC: McFarland & Co. p. 237. ISBN 978-0-7864-8014-2 – via Google Books.
^JTA Archives (January 21, 1947). "U.S. to Give Refugee Committee Valuables Stripped from Hungarian Jews by Nazis". Jewish Telegraphic Agency. New York, NY. Retrieved July 14, 2020.
^U.S. Army Register, published by U.S. Army Adjutant General, 1959, page 606
^Official U.S. Army Register, published by U.S. Army Adjutant General, 1965, page 320
^Benda, Chuck, ed. (July–August 1984). "Class Notes: Deaths; Henning Linden" (PDF). Minnesota. St. Cloud, MN: University of Minnesota Alumni Association. p. 52.
External links
Liberation of Dachau Concentration Camp at Rainbow Division Veterans Memorial Foundation
Henning Linden Silver Star Citation at Military Times Hall of Valor