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Sonderkommando literally means special squad/detachment. The sonderkommando were detachments sent out to execute Jews in the occupied Soviet Union.
Jewish Sonderkommando is the term that we give special squads that are know by many other names. Their official title in documents in Auschwitz is 'stokers', apt as their main duty was to burn corpses, mainly in the krematoria, but also (in two separate incidents) in mass cremation pits.
The role of the Jewish Sonderkommand was arguably the worst fate that could befall a Jewish inmate, so bad that many chose death rather than join, many others chose death in the first few days of their work. It is a myth (unfortunately spread because of the movies) that the Jewish Sonderkommando would be executed after a certain amount of time. Fortunately we have the testimony of one man who survived from the begining.
As well as being responsible for cremation, jobs that the SK had to do (though no one did all of the jobs) include:
- disposal of the ashes from the cremation.
- keeping new arrivals calm whilst escorting them to the gas chambers.
- cleaning out the train carriages (including the dead).
- taking the corpses from the gas chambers to the ovens.
- cutting the hair and taking gold teath from the corpses.
- searching the body cavities of the corpses.
- washing and re-painting the corpses.
- collecting and surrendering gold and valuables discovered and left behind.
- tailoring clothes (mainly for the guards).
They also had standard duties like keeping their barracks clean and fetching standard food (they were not allowed to interact with the general population).
They did have rewards also, these include:
- being able to chose and wear better clothing (claimed from the new arrivals), they only had to sew a yellow stripe on the back.
- though officially they were not supposed to take food, they did take food from the new arrivals.
- they generally had one of their own as their kapo.
When the new krematoria were built in Birkenau conditions improved for them, but at the start they were kept in a prison cell, they had to work at night and they had to undress the gassed victims, as the Germans had not realised yet that it was easier for the victims to undress themselves.
