'Hope to believe': Concentration camp American flag at Holocaust museum in Naples

A Fort Myers resident and World II War veteran 35 years ago donated a priceless piece of history to the local American Legion post.

Now, after sustaining damage from Hurricane Irma in 2017, the Nordhausen flag ― which concentration camp survivors made as the war was ending ― will call the Naples Holocaust Museum & Cohen Education Center its home indefinitely.

On Monday, July 1, the museum held a special presentation to welcome the flag to its collection on permanent loan.

History of the flag

U.S. troops April 11, 1945, from the Army's 3rd Armored Division, the 104th Infantry Division, liberated the Mittelbau-Dora (Nordhausen-Dora) concentration camp in central Germany. The camp subjected its prisoners to slave labor, manufacturing Nazi Germany's V-2 rockets and V-1 flying bombs.

Thousands of prisoners died from disease, starvation, and harsh working conditions.

First Lt. John Spain Sr. was a member of 750th Tank Battalion's Company B, which was also present during the liberation of Nordhausen. Surviving Jewish Polish prisoners approached Spain Sr. and presented him the flag, which they made from materials around the camp, as a thank you to American soldiers for liberating them.

Spain Sr.'s son, John Spain Jr., grew up listening to his father's accounts of World War II and the story of the flag. He believes the prisoners approached his father because he spoke their native language of Polish.

"He found a way through language to make those prisoners feel so comfortable that they gave up something they cherished," said Spain.

Nordhausen flag travels to the United States

Spain Sr. brought the flag home with him to Connecticut after the war and kept it in his possession when he moved to Fort Myers. Spain Jr. recalled that his father kept the flag in a garment bag until he decided to donate it to American Legion Post 38 in the mid-1990s.

In 2012, Post 38 sent the flag along with other materials to be priced for auction.

"They found that the flag was such a one-of-a-kind heirloom, you could never even begin to put a price on it," said Post 38 Commander Kevin Boyd.

Part of what makes the flag so distinct and priceless is the field of stars, which is made up of six-pointed Stars of David, a symbol of Judaism and Jewish identity. Boyd ― who spearheaded the flag's addition to the Post's gallery ― is happy that the flag will be accessible to more members of the community.

“I was the only commander to use it as a background picture for my portrait because of what it represents,” said Boyd. “With all hope lost, you can still have hope to believe that something good is going to happen and that hope can overcome fear.”

Hurricane Irma damage and conservation

In 2017, Hurricane Irma damaged Post 38 and a leak in the gallery caused water and mold damage to the flag's fabric and backing. After seeing the damage, Commander Harvey Charter of the Victor Paul Tuchman Post 400 American Jewish War Veterans in Fort Myers, took immediate steps to preserve the flag.

Charter raised about $14,000 for the preservation of the flag. He plans on donating any money remaining to the Naples Holocaust museum, 975 Imperial Golf Course Blvd.

"It is probably one of the best accomplishments of my life," said Charter. "It's such a precious heirloom and I just wanted to share it with the community."

Harvey communicated with Cody Rademacher, the museum curator, for much of the restoration process. The flag was sent in September to Art Conservators Lab LLC in Miami. In total, the restoration and framing process took nine months.

The conservation included mold mitigation, removal of the water stain, a gentle cleaning and a new mounting whereby the fabric was sewn onto a cloth substrate. As curator, Rademacher is in charge of the flag's long-term care.

"Though the flag has been cleaned and very well taken care of by the conservator," said Rademacher. "We still then have to live up to their work to ensure it doesn't have to go through treatments again."

Future plans for the flag

Currently, the museum plans to display the flag on a six-month rotation schedule to monitor it for any potential deterioration that often occurs naturally. Its first six-month rotation begins July 2. The flag will be seen in rotation alongside a quilt presented to Soviet troops by surviving Auschwitz inmates when they were liberated in 1945.

"The main goal right now is to get the flag on display in our section specifically about liberation," said Rademacher. "This is a big, striking piece, so it will be one of the last things of our permanent exhibit that people see."

And according to Spain Jr. and Boyd, Spain's father intended to donate the flag to a local Holocaust museum 35 years ago.

However, the Naples Holocaust Museum did not open until 2001, so Spain Sr. donated it to the local American Legion post. Now, the Nordhausen flag will be at the museum on loan indefinitely.

"It's is finally home," Spain said. "I think dad's at rest knowing the flag is in the right place."

This article originally appeared on Naples Daily News: Holocaust survivors' U.S. flag will be displayed at Naples museum