Unfortunately, historical memory is a short-lived thing. Less than seventy years have passed since the end of World War II, and many have a vague idea of what Auschwitz is, or the Auschwitz concentration camp, as it is commonly called in world practice. However, a generation is still alive that has experienced the horrors of Nazism, hunger, mass extermination and how deep a moral decline can be. Based on the surviving documents and testimonies of witnesses who know firsthand what WWII concentration camps are, modern historians present a picture of what happened, which, of course, cannot be exhaustive. It seems impossible to count the number of victims of the infernal machine of Nazism in view of the destruction of documents by the SS, and simply the lack of thorough reports on the dead and those killed.
What is the Auschwitz concentration camp?
The complex of buildings for the detention of prisoners of war, was built under the auspices of the SS fordirective from Hitler in 1939. The Auschwitz concentration camp is located near Krakow. 90% of those contained in it were ethnic Jews. The rest are Soviet prisoners of war, Poles, Gypsies and representatives of other nationalities, who in the total number of those killed and tortured amounted to about 200 thousand.
The full name of the concentration camp is Auschwitz Birkenau. Auschwitz is a Polish name, it is customary to use it mainly in the territory of the former Soviet Union.
History of the concentration camp. Maintenance of prisoners of war
Although the Auschwitz concentration camp is infamous for the mass destruction of the civilian Jewish population, it was originally conceived for slightly different reasons.
Why was Auschwitz chosen? This is due to its convenient location. First, it was on the border where the Third Reich ended and Poland began. Auschwitz was one of the key trading hubs with convenient and well-established transport routes. On the other hand, the closely approaching forest helped to hide the crimes committed there from prying eyes.
The Nazis erected the first buildings on the site of the barracks of the Polish army. For the construction, they used the labor of local Jews who fell into their bondage. At first, German criminals and Polish political prisoners were sent there. The main task of the concentration camp was to keep people dangerous to the well-being of Germany in isolation and use their labor. The prisoners worked six days a week, with Sunday off.
In 1940, the local population living near the barracks,was forcibly expelled by the German army for the construction of additional buildings on the vacated territory, where later there were a crematorium and chambers. In 1942, the camp was fenced off with a strong reinforced concrete fence and high-voltage wire.
However, even such measures did not stop some prisoners, although cases of escape were extremely rare. Those who had such thoughts knew that if they tried, all their cellmates would be destroyed.
In the same 1942, at the NSDAP conference, it was concluded that the mass extermination of the Jews and the "final solution of the Jewish question" were necessary. At first, German and Polish Jews were sent to Auschwitz and other German concentration camps of the Second World War. Then Germany agreed with the Allies to conduct a "cleansing" in their territories.
It should be mentioned that not everyone agreed to this easily. For example, Denmark was able to save its subjects from imminent death. When the government was informed about the planned "hunt" of the SS, Denmark organized a secret transfer of Jews to a neutral state - Switzerland. More than 7,000 lives have been saved in this way.
However, in the general statistics of the 7,000 people destroyed, tortured by hunger, beatings, overwork, diseases and inhuman experiments, this is a drop in the sea of shed blood. In total, during the existence of the camp, according to various estimates, from 1 to 4 million people were killed.
In the middle of 1944, when the war unleashed by the Germans made a sharp turn, the SS tried to smuggleprisoners from Auschwitz to the west, to other camps. Documents and any evidence of a merciless massacre were massively destroyed. The Germans destroyed the crematorium and gas chambers. In early 1945, the Nazis had to release most of the prisoners. Those who could not run were wanted to be destroyed. Fortunately, thanks to the advance of the Soviet army, several thousand prisoners were saved, including children who were being experimented on.
Camp structure
In total, Auschwitz was divided into 3 large camp complexes: Birkenau-Oswiecim, Monowitz and Auschwitz-1. The first camp and Birkenau were later merged into a complex of 20 buildings, sometimes with several floors.
The tenth block was far from the last place in terms of terrible conditions of detention. Medical experiments were carried out here, mainly on children. As a rule, such "experiments" were not so much of scientific interest as they were another way of sophisticated bullying. Especially among the buildings, the eleventh block stood out, it caused horror even among the local guards. There was a place for torture and executions, the most negligent were sent here, tortured with merciless cruelty. It was here that attempts were made for the first time to mass and most “effective” extermination using the Zyklon-B poison.
An execution wall was constructed between these two blocks, where, according to scientists, about 20 thousand people were killed.
Also, several gallows and burning stoves were installed on the territory. Later gas stations were builtcameras capable of killing up to 6,000 people a day.
Arriving prisoners were distributed by German doctors to those who are able to work, and those who were immediately sent to death in the gas chamber. Most often, weak women, children and the elderly were classified as disabled.
The survivors were kept in cramped conditions, with little to no food. Some of them dragged the bodies of the dead or cut off the hair that went to textile factories. If a prisoner in such a service managed to hold out for a couple of weeks, they got rid of him and took a new one. Some fell into the "privileged" category and worked for the Nazis as tailors and barbers.
Deported Jews were allowed to take no more than 25 kg of weight from home. People took with them the most valuable and important things. All things and money left after their death were sent to Germany. Before that, the belongings had to be dismantled and sorted out everything of value, which was what the prisoners were doing in the so-called "Canada". The place acquired this name due to the fact that earlier "Canada" was called valuable gifts and gifts sent from abroad to the Poles. Labor on the "Canada" was relatively softer than in general in Auschwitz. Women worked there. Food could be found among the things, so in "Canada" the prisoners did not suffer from hunger as much. The SS did not hesitate to molest beautiful girls. Often there were rapes.
First experiments with Zyklon-B
After the 1942 conference, the concentration camps begin to turn into a machine whose purposeis mass destruction. Then the Nazis first tested the power of Zyklon-B on people.
"Cyclone-B" is a pesticide, a poison based on hydrocyanic acid. In a bitter irony, the remedy was invented by the famous scientist Fritz Haber, a Jew who died in Switzerland a year after Hitler came to power. Gaber's relatives died in concentration camps.
The poison was known for its strong effects. It was easy to store. The Zyklon-B used to kill lice was available and cheap. It is worth noting that the gaseous "Zyklon-B" is still used in America to carry out the death pen alty.
The first experiment was held in Auschwitz-Birkenau (Auschwitz). Soviet prisoners of war were driven into the eleventh block and poison was poured through the holes. For 15 minutes there was an incessant scream. The dose was not enough to destroy everyone. Then the Nazis threw in more pesticide. It worked this time.
The method proved to be extremely effective. The Nazi concentration camps of the Second World War began to actively use Zyklon-B, building special gas chambers. Apparently, in order not to create a panic, and perhaps because of the fear of retribution, the SS men said that the prisoners needed to take a shower. However, for most of the prisoners it was no longer a secret that they would never come out of this “soul” again.
The main problem for the SS was not to destroy people, but to get rid of the corpses. At first they were buried. This method was not very efficient. When burned, there was an unbearable stench. The Germans built a crematorium with the hands of the prisoners, but the incessantterrible screams and a terrifying smell became commonplace in Auschwitz: traces of crimes of this magnitude were very difficult to hide.
The living conditions of the SS in the camp
The Auschwitz concentration camp (Oswiecim, Poland) was a real town. It had everything for the life of the military: canteens with plentiful good food, cinema, theater and all human benefits for the Nazis. While the prisoners did not receive even the minimum amount of food (many died of starvation in the first or second week), the SS men constantly feasted, enjoying life.
Concentration camps, especially Auschwitz, have always been a desirable place of duty for a German soldier. Life here was much better and safer than those who fought in the East.
However, there was no place more corrupting all human nature than Auschwitz. A concentration camp is not only a place with good maintenance, where nothing threatened the military for endless murders, but also a complete lack of discipline. Here the soldiers could do whatever they wanted and to which one could sink. Huge cash flows flowed through Auschwitz at the expense of property stolen from deported persons. Accounting was done carelessly. And how was it possible to calculate exactly how much the treasury should be replenished, if even the number of arriving prisoners was not taken into account?
SS men did not hesitate to take their precious things and money. They drank a lot, alcohol was often found among the belongings of the dead. In general, employees in Auschwitz did not limit themselves to anything,leading a rather idle life.
Doctor Josef Mengele
After Josef Mengele was wounded in 1943, he was considered unfit for further service and sent as a doctor to Auschwitz, the death camp. Here he had the opportunity to carry out all his ideas and experiments, which were frankly insane, cruel and senseless.
The authorities ordered Mengele to conduct various experiments, for example, on the effect of cold or height on a person. So, Josef conducted an experiment on temperature effects by enclosing the prisoner on all sides with ice until he died of hypothermia. Thus, it was found out at what body temperature irreversible consequences and death occur.
Mengele loved to experiment on children, especially on twins. The results of his experiments was the death of almost 3 thousand minors. He performed forced sex reassignment surgeries, organ transplants, and painful procedures in an attempt to change the color of his eyes, which eventually led to blindness. This, in his opinion, was proof of the impossibility for a "purebred" to become a real Aryan.
In 1945, Josef had to flee. He destroyed all reports of his experiments and, having issued fake documents, fled to Argentina. He lived a quiet life without deprivation and oppression, without being caught and punished.
When Auschwitz collapsed. Who released the prisoners?
In early 1945, Germany's position changed. Soviet troops began an active offensive. The SS men had to begin the evacuation, which later became known as the "death march". 60,000 prisoners were ordered to walk to the West. Thousands of prisoners were killed along the way. Weakened by hunger and unbearable labor, the prisoners had to walk more than 50 kilometers. Anyone who lagged behind and could not move on was immediately shot. In Gliwice, where prisoners arrived, they were sent in freight cars to concentration camps in Germany.
The liberation of the concentration camps took place at the end of January, when only about 7 thousand sick and dying prisoners remained in Auschwitz who could not leave.
Life after release
The victory over fascism, the destruction of concentration camps and the liberation of Auschwitz, unfortunately, did not mean the full punishment of all those responsible for the atrocities. What happened in Auschwitz remains not only the bloodiest, but also one of the most unpunished crimes in the history of mankind. Only 10% of all those directly or indirectly involved in the mass destruction of civilians were convicted and punished.
Many of those who are still alive do not feel guilty. Some refer to the propaganda machine that dehumanized the image of the Jew and made him responsible for all the misfortunes of the Germans. Some say that an order is an order, and there is no room for thought in war.
As for the concentration camp prisoners who escaped death, it seems that they don’t need to wish for more. However, these people wereusually left to their own devices. The houses and apartments where they lived were long ago appropriated by others. Without the property, money and relatives who died in the Nazi death machine, they needed to survive again, even in the post-war period. One can only marvel at the willpower and courage of people who went through concentration camps and managed to survive after them.
Auschwitz Museum
After the end of the war, Auschwitz, the death camp, entered the UNESCO World Heritage List and became a museum center. Despite the huge flow of tourists, it is always quiet here. This is not a museum in which something can please and pleasantly surprise. However, it is very important and valuable, as an incessant cry from the past about innocent victims and moral decline, the bottom of which is infinitely deep.
The museum is open to everyone and admission is free. Guided tours are available for tourists in various languages. In Auschwitz-1, visitors are invited to look at the barracks and storage of personal items of the dead prisoners, which were sorted with German pedantry: rooms for glasses, mugs, shoes and even hair. You will also be able to visit the crematorium and the execution wall, where flowers are brought to this day.
On the walls of the blocks you can see the inscriptions left by the captives. In the gas chambers, to this day, there are traces on the walls of the nails of the unfortunate, who were dying in terrible agony.
Only here you can fully feel the horror of what happened, see with your own eyes the living conditions and the scale of the destruction of people.
The Holocaust in artworks
One of the works denouncing the fascist regime is Anne Frank's "Refuge". This book, in letters and notes, tells the vision of the war by a Jewish girl who, together with her family, managed to find refuge in the Netherlands. The diary was kept from 1942 to 1944. Entries close on August 1st. Three days later, the entire family was arrested by the German police.
Another famous piece is Schindler's Ark. This is the story of the manufacturer Oskar Schindler, who, overwhelmed by the horrors taking place in Germany, decided to do everything possible to save innocent people, and smuggled thousands of Jews to Moravia.
The film "Schindler's List" was made based on the book, which received many awards from various festivals, including 7 Oscars, and was highly appreciated by the critical community.
The politics and ideology of fascism led to one of the biggest catastrophes of mankind. The world does not know more cases of such a massive, unpunished killing of civilians. The history of delusions, which led to great suffering that affected all of Europe, must remain in the memory of mankind as a terrible symbol of what must never be allowed to happen again.
