The Nazis normally sent German political prisoners to Buchenwald, e.g. Communists, Jehovah Witnesses, etc. Buchenwald was SS controlled but not a Verhnichtungslager like KZ-Birkenau. An American airman would normally have been sent to a Luftwaft POW camp. I'm not doubting the story's truth. However there is a story within this story about how these Americans ended up in the wrong concentration camp.

I've toured Buchenwald (it's near Weimar). Only the crematoriums are still standing but they're interesting since they used the same technology as those in Auschwitz. The Communists who took over East Germany had a strong sense of irony and kept Buchenwald open as a concentration camp for captured Nazis. It's undocumented but probably as many Nazis died in Buchenwald as Nazi victims (I don't feel too sorry for the Nazis).

Gary