Anchor Artifacts – Authenticated Holocaust Railcar & Sherman Tank

Rail Car Before Restoration
Rail Car After Restoration
Rail Car After Restoration

Rail Car

In 2007, the Holocaust Documentation & Education Center acquired a Holocaust Railcar from Poland. 

History of the Holocaust Railcar

  • Holocaust Railcar shipped from Gdynia, Poland and arrived at Port Everglades on January 25, 2007
  • On February 13, 2007, an official unveiling was held at the Broward County Convention Center.

Visiting the Holocaust Railcar

  • Students in grades 6 and above are welcome to come with their classes. Arrangements can be made through the HDEC’s office.
  • Tours of the Holocaust Railcar are available to students, organizations and individuals, by appointment. Please contact the HDEC for more information.

Restoration Process of the Holocaust Railcar

  • From September 2007 until November 2011, the Holocaust Railcar underwent major restoration and preservation to restore the Holocaust Railcar to its wartime state.
  • At least two complete sets of German identification and designation numbers were revealed on the undercarriage of the Holocaust Railcar. These were both conclusively painted on the frame of the Holocaust Railcar during German Railways service, confirming its use during the Second World War.

Sherman Tank

On June 3, 2016 the HDEC acquired a WWII M-4A3E8 Sherman Tank, of the type which was used in the liberation of the Dachau concentration camp in Germany.

The acquisition of this Sherman Tank, which is on permanent loan to the HDEC from the U.S. Army, was a seven-year effort in the making.

The HDEC is indebted and grateful to Senator Bill Nelson and his staff for their tremendous efforts and commitment to help secure this incredible and historic artifact for the HDEC and Museum. The Sherman Tank embodies the story of Liberation when Allied soldiers entered the camps and confronted the enormity of what had been done there.

For more information

Sherman Tank