Funny you mention holocaust. As a kid of the 70s and 80s only use I ever heard of the word was in the context of a nuclear holocaust. All the old classic apocalyptic sci-fi uses that context. Never heard mention of it in conjunction with German work camps until the 1979 made-for-TV miniseries with James Woods by that title.
As best I can tell this is a partial truth sensationalized by a single Canadian novelist. There were a series of camps in operation from April-September 1945 to categorize and release German prisoners. Some were released early on, others steered into forced labor to help rebuild Allied countries. The conditions were horrid and food logistics abysmal. Thousands died. One estimate upwards of 22,000. Not one of America's finest hours by far. But these were not death camps. They were camps where deaths occurred as the result of priorities in a time of transitional chaos that put the welfare of the Germans near last behind rebuilding destroyed allies. Horrid, but not maliciously punitive.
Still researching but current take is A) original sensationalism to sell books, and B) resurrection of misinformation to fuel revisionist agendas.
Little to see here except for a sad and unfortunate footnote. As interpreted by a 2/3+ American German descendant.
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