auschwitz: a history
Auschwitz was opened on May 20, 1940, near the city of Oswiecim in upper Silesia. Silesia, located in Poland, was annexed by the Germans in 1939. It is 37 miles west of Krakow. It includes three main camps: Auschwitz I, Auschwitz II-Birkenau, and Auschwitz III-Monowitz. Auschwitz I was opened in 1940; Auschwitz II-Birkenau was opened in early 1942; Auschwitz III-Monowitz was opened in October of 1942. In 1943, Auschwitz II-Birkenau and Auschwitz III-Monowitz were declared independent by the SS. In 1944, Auschwitz II-Birkenau was reunited with Auschwitz I, and Auschwitz III was renamed Monowitz.
Auschwitz I was established in abandoned Polish military barracks. The SS authorities deployed many prisoners to forced labor. "Auschwitz I was constructed to serve three purposes: 1) to incarcerate real and perceived enemies of the Nazi regime and the German occupation authorities in Poland for an indefinite period of time; 2) to have available a supply of forced laborers for deployment in SS-owned, construction related enterprises (and, later, armaments and other war-related production); and 3) to serve as a site to physically eliminate small, targeted groups of the population whose death was determined by the SS and police authorities to be essential to the security of Nazi Germany." ("Auschwitz") Auschwitz I had a gas chamber and a crematorium. Originally, it contained a makeshift gas chamber in Block 11; a permanent gas chamber was later built in accordance with the original crematorium. In September of 1941, Zyklon B gas was experimented with as a means of murder. With its success, it was implemented at all chambers of the Auschwitz complex. At Auschwitz I, SS physicians performed medical experiments in Block 10. They performed "pseudo-scientific" experiments on twins and dwarfs, as well as experiments with sterilization and hypothermia. Infamous physician Dr. Josef Mengele practiced at Auschwitz I. In between the crematorium and Mengele's torture chamber stood the Black Wall, where SS guards killed thousands of prisoners.
The construction of Auschwitz II began in October of 1941 near Brzezinka. Auschwitz II had the largest prisoner population. Auschwitz II was divided into over twelve different sections, with divisions for men, women, Gypsy families, as well as a camp for Jewish families deported from Theresienstadt. SS officers were in command, with SS dog handlers patrolling. Auschwitz-Birkenau was the killing center of the Auschwitz complex. "It played a central role in the German plan to kill the Jews of Europe," ("Auschwitz"). Zyklon B gas was used in the gas chambers. Two farmhouses near the Birkenau complex were converted into gas chambers; "provisional" chamber I was opened in January of 1942, and was dismantled; Provisional chamber II was opened in June of 1942 and lasted through the fall of 1944. These chambers were deemed "inadequate" by the SS; four large crematoriums were erected instead. They had three divisions: a disrobing area, a gas chamber, and crematorium ovens.
Auschwitz III, sometimes referred to as Buna or Monowitz, was established in October of 1942. It served to house prisoners assigned to work at Buna synthetic rubber works, which was located near the Polish town Monowice. I. G. Farben, a German corporation, built a factory in which its executives planned on exploiting concentration camp labor to help manufacture synthetic rubber and fuels. I.G. Farben invested approximately 700 million Reichsmarks, which is close to 1.4 million U.S. dollars based on the 1942 economy, in Auschwitz III. Monowitz also included a "Labor Education Camp" for prisoners who violated German labor discipline. These prisoners were not Jewish.
Thirty-nine subcamps were established between 1942 and 1944 by Auschwitz SS authorities. Some were constructed in a so-called development zone; those include Budy, Rajsko, Tschechowitz, and Babitz. Some were constructed to the north and west of the Vistula River; those include Blechhammer, Gleiwitz, and Laurahuette. Some subcamps produced and process agricultural goods that were subordinate to Auschwitz-Birkenau; subcamps whose prisoners were sent to labor or production, such as coal mining, were subordinate to Auschwitz-Monowitz. If they were judged too weak or sick to work, they were sent to Auschwitz-Birkenau to be killed. Those who were chosen for forced labor were registered and had a number tattooed on their left arm at Auschwitz I.
Auschwitz III, sometimes referred to as Buna or Monowitz, was established in October of 1942. It served to house prisoners assigned to work at Buna synthetic rubber works, which was located near the Polish town Monowice. I. G. Farben, a German corporation, built a factory in which its executives planned on exploiting concentration camp labor to help manufacture synthetic rubber and fuels. I.G. Farben invested approximately 700 million Reichsmarks, which is close to 1.4 million U.S. dollars based on the 1942 economy, in Auschwitz III. Monowitz also included a "Labor Education Camp" for prisoners who violated German labor discipline. These prisoners were not Jewish.
Thirty-nine subcamps were established between 1942 and 1944 by Auschwitz SS authorities. Some were constructed in a so-called development zone; those include Budy, Rajsko, Tschechowitz, and Babitz. Some were constructed to the north and west of the Vistula River; those include Blechhammer, Gleiwitz, and Laurahuette. Some subcamps produced and process agricultural goods that were subordinate to Auschwitz-Birkenau; subcamps whose prisoners were sent to labor or production, such as coal mining, were subordinate to Auschwitz-Monowitz. If they were judged too weak or sick to work, they were sent to Auschwitz-Birkenau to be killed. Those who were chosen for forced labor were registered and had a number tattooed on their left arm at Auschwitz I.
Soviet forces began approaching Auschwitz to liberate it in mid-January of 1945. As wind got back to the camp, the SS began evacuating Auschwitz I, II, and III, and the subcamps. Approximately 60,000 prisoners of Auschwitz were forced to march northwest for roughly 55km to Gleiwitz, while others were sent west for 63km to Loslau, located in western Upper Silesia. Those who fell behind were shot. Many died from starvation, exhaustion, and exposure. It is speculated that as many as 15,000 prisoners died during the Auschwitz evacuation. Once the prisoners reached Gleiwitz and Loslau, they were sent on freight trains to other concentration camps in Germany, mainly Folossenburg, Sachsenhausen, and Dachau. The trains were not heated; they had no food, water, or shelter; many prisoners died on the transport.
In January of 1945, 4,000 prisoners of the subcamp Blechhammer were forced to evacuate on foot. Approximately 800 prisoners were murdered by the SS en route to the Gross-Rosen concentration camp. Those who stayed behind at Blechhammer due to illness or successful hiding were killed by the SS - there were approximately 200 remaining at the camp. The SS then transported approximately 3,000 prisoners from Gross-Rosen to Buchenwald, a concentration camp in Germany.
The Soviet army entered Auschwitz, Birkenau, and Monowitz on January 27th, 1945. They liberated approximately 7,000 prisoners; many were ill and dying.
Information gathered from the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum website.
The Soviet army entered Auschwitz, Birkenau, and Monowitz on January 27th, 1945. They liberated approximately 7,000 prisoners; many were ill and dying.
Information gathered from the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum website.