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Motion picture photographer documented WWII combat, Holocaust
By Bonnie Miller Rubin, Tribune reporter
January 2, 2011
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When Philip Drell was drafted into the Army in 1942, he had no idea that he would witness history. But his war experiences would change the course of his life.
The Skokie resident was a combat motion picture photographer during World War II, chronicling some of the era's most shocking images, from the invasion of Normandy to the liberation of the Dachau concentration camp. His work can still be seen in galleries and on the History Channel.
Later, he photographed many notable figures, from Eleanor Roosevelt to Doris Day.
Mr. Drell was assigned to a special unit, headed by Hollywood directors such as George Stevens — who went on to make "Giant" and "The Diary of Anne Frank" — and writers Irwin Shaw and William Saroyan.
"They had unprecedented access," said Wendy Sarti, a professor of history at Oakton Community College, who coordinated an event in 2004 to showcase Mr. Drell's work. "He could recall every photo … and talked to me about what it meant to be a 23-year-old young man, seeing the things that he did."
Mr. Drell, 91, died of complications from Alzheimer's disease on Monday, Dec. 20, at Alden Courts of Des Plaines.
The son of Russian immigrants, Mr. Drell grew up on the North Side and graduated from Roosevelt High School in 1937, said his wife, Winifred. They met at a party in 1950, when he tried to introduce her to a friend.
"I'm very short and this other guy was very short, so he thought we'd make a good match … but I didn't like short men," she said. The couple married on Feb. 15, 1953.
Mr. Drell's love of photography was nurtured as a teenager, when he was a camp counselor. When his work caught the eye of an Army officer, he was sent to the Special Motion Picture Coverage Unit, which moved through France and into the heart of Germany.
One of his most memorable experiences occurred in Paris, when Mr. Drell negotiated the surrender of 600 German soldiers by addressing the commanding officer in the only language they both understood: Yiddish.
"They begged me to tell them how to surrender," said Mr. Drell in a 1965 Chicago Tribune story. "They saw I was an American and wanted to surrender to us and not to the French, who they said would tear them apart."
When the unit arrived at the Dachau concentration camp on April 29, 1945, Mr. Drell documented the gaunt and naked bodies.
"One of the first things he saw was train cars, and when they opened the cars, the bodies just fell out," Sarti said. "He said there were no words to describe what he saw. He never forgot a quote from a U.S. intelligence officer that 'Dachau would stand for all time as one of history's most gruesome symbols of inhumanity.'"
He was a recipient of the Bronze Star. After the war, the unit also received a commendation from Gen. Dwight Eisenhower, citing its "unusual determination and zeal, frequently in disregard to personal danger."
Mr. Drell continued to take photographs professionally into his 80s, said his wife. "He loved everything about it."
Other survivors include a son, Brian; a daughter, Roberta; and a grandson.
Services have been held.
Motion picture photographer documented WWII combat, Holocaust
By Bonnie Miller Rubin, Tribune reporter
January 2, 2011
Quantcast
When Philip Drell was drafted into the Army in 1942, he had no idea that he would witness history. But his war experiences would change the course of his life.
The Skokie resident was a combat motion picture photographer during World War II, chronicling some of the era's most shocking images, from the invasion of Normandy to the liberation of the Dachau concentration camp. His work can still be seen in galleries and on the History Channel.
Later, he photographed many notable figures, from Eleanor Roosevelt to Doris Day.
Mr. Drell was assigned to a special unit, headed by Hollywood directors such as George Stevens — who went on to make "Giant" and "The Diary of Anne Frank" — and writers Irwin Shaw and William Saroyan.
"They had unprecedented access," said Wendy Sarti, a professor of history at Oakton Community College, who coordinated an event in 2004 to showcase Mr. Drell's work. "He could recall every photo … and talked to me about what it meant to be a 23-year-old young man, seeing the things that he did."
Mr. Drell, 91, died of complications from Alzheimer's disease on Monday, Dec. 20, at Alden Courts of Des Plaines.
The son of Russian immigrants, Mr. Drell grew up on the North Side and graduated from Roosevelt High School in 1937, said his wife, Winifred. They met at a party in 1950, when he tried to introduce her to a friend.
"I'm very short and this other guy was very short, so he thought we'd make a good match … but I didn't like short men," she said. The couple married on Feb. 15, 1953.
Mr. Drell's love of photography was nurtured as a teenager, when he was a camp counselor. When his work caught the eye of an Army officer, he was sent to the Special Motion Picture Coverage Unit, which moved through France and into the heart of Germany.
One of his most memorable experiences occurred in Paris, when Mr. Drell negotiated the surrender of 600 German soldiers by addressing the commanding officer in the only language they both understood: Yiddish.
"They begged me to tell them how to surrender," said Mr. Drell in a 1965 Chicago Tribune story. "They saw I was an American and wanted to surrender to us and not to the French, who they said would tear them apart."
When the unit arrived at the Dachau concentration camp on April 29, 1945, Mr. Drell documented the gaunt and naked bodies.
"One of the first things he saw was train cars, and when they opened the cars, the bodies just fell out," Sarti said. "He said there were no words to describe what he saw. He never forgot a quote from a U.S. intelligence officer that 'Dachau would stand for all time as one of history's most gruesome symbols of inhumanity.'"
He was a recipient of the Bronze Star. After the war, the unit also received a commendation from Gen. Dwight Eisenhower, citing its "unusual determination and zeal, frequently in disregard to personal danger."
Mr. Drell continued to take photographs professionally into his 80s, said his wife. "He loved everything about it."
Other survivors include a son, Brian; a daughter, Roberta; and a grandson.
Services have been held.
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