AUSCHWITZ, A PLACE TO WORK AND DIE

Everybody has already heard about World War Two, but today I’ll talk about something more specific inside the World War: Auschwitz.

Auschwitz entry currently

Intro

Auschwitz was a Network of German Nazi concentration camps, constructed by the prisoners in 1940.

The Auschwitz main camp is located in Oświęcim, South Polish, at the border of Sola river. It’s known by the extermination of million of Jews. The first extermination took place in September 1941.

But the Auschwitz story goes far beyond that.

In 1943, Auschwitz became the site of the largest mass murder of the world. By that time, new gas chambers  and crematoriums were open.

Gas chamber in Auschwitz

The cruelty in Auschwitz was ruthless. The prisoners were selected in arrival, the healthy ones were taken to work to death, the old, the weak and the children were killed. They lived in the worst conditions, in barracks, with diseases and no water.

Corruption

Contrary to direct orders of the Nazi leadership, SS members stole every richness found in Jewish clothes, including gold, diamonds and coins of all Europe. This was an habitual practice in Auschwitz as no one counted the values of the prisoners.

The place where they did it was known as ‘Canada’ (land of richness). The majority of workers in ‘Canada’ were women, and for them, working there was one of the few jobs they wanted, because they had water, food and were not beaten.

‘Canada’, Auschwitz

In that unity, there were cases of relationships between prisoners and German guards, even against the specific rules of SS.

Despite being a good unity work for women, it had its disadvantages. The drunkenness and the lack of discipline, it was allowed to the guards to commit sexual abuse.

In the Autumn 1943, Auschwitz was subject to an inspection by the lieutenant Konrad Morgen. The reason was not for the hundreds of dead, of course, but theft. Morgen was shocked by what he found. Despite that, Rudolf Höss (Commandant of Auschwitz) was promoted for a high position at the administration of the Nazi concentration camps.

A few months later, every proofs of corruption in Auschwitz were mysteriously destroyed.

A good life in Auschwitz

Auschwitz was a good place to SS guards, not only for the values and money they could take, as also it was better than combat with their mates of Red Army on the Eastern Front.

For them, it was like a small town, where they had a grocery to buy bones to make broth. There was also a cantine, a cinema, a theater, and even a sports club. Every day, were given portions of alcohol to SS guards.

Auschwitz SS guards enjoying life

To forget the death and starvation who surrounded them, they gorge themselves with drinks and food, that they took of newcomers transports. It was like a party where they sang and laughed up. The military discipline was very soft in Auschwitz.

In the main camp, a brothel was open in Block 24/A. The decision was taken by the Nazi leadership, as a form to provide incentive to value prisoners. The brothel remained active until January 1945.

Medical experiments

In May 1943, Dr. Josef Mengele arrived at Auschwitz to make medical experiments on humans.

Since 1942, two doctors made experiments to new methods of sterilization in men and women. But Dr. Mengele came to begin a variety of new experiments. Auschwitz allowed to pursuit any idea he had. Particularly with children, mostly twins.

His main experiment was the investigation of the genetic inheritance power. He also tried to kill twins at the same time to make autopsies on both and took their organs to send to Berlin.

Hundred of children died in Mengele’s hands with no why, only was.

The end

In January 1945, Germans knew that Red Army soldiers were near. So, they took the prisoners in a journey out of Auschwitz known as Death March. Before they leave, they blew up the gas chambers and crematoriums to hide from the world the murders they’d committed.

Auschwitz was closed in January 1945, with the evacuation of 58000 of prisoners. Thousands of them died in the Death Marches. Another 20000 of prisoners were liberated by the British in April 1945. About 7500 of prisoners were left behind for being too weak or sick.

This was the most black page of our history. An horror story of death and cruelty where the human rights were totally left out.

Webpage of Auschwitz: http://auschwitz.org/en/

Any comments/thoughts/suggestions? I appreciate it 🙂