Auschwitz

In WWII Hitler set up concentration camps all over Germany, in these concentration camps they had millions of Jews, and there was allot of camps, they would work the Jews, and feed them only bread and soup. They had things in these camps and hospitals called selections in which they made the Jews run from place to place and the ones that weren't healthy would be marked down and they would get the gas chamber then sent to the crematory, when WWII was over, Jews were freed and there were pits full of dead Jews, so in these concentration camps there were millions and millions of Jews, they would stuff about 100 Jews in a wagon, going from one camp to another and there was about 20 wagons, and at the end of there journey there would only be about a dozen stepping off every wagon.

preparations started in November 1944 for the evacuations over december 1944 and January 1945.

It doesnt mean anything before it was used by now the only meaning on Auschwitz is "The word Auschwitz comes from a Nazi concentraion camp in the town Auschwitz.

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It is just the German version of the Polish name: Oswiechim.

Approaching Allied forces discovered the camps throughout Poland after hasty retreats by German camp officers and guards.

They discovered:

.Emaciated prisoners

.Desperate survivors

.Mass graves as well as dead bodies lying in the open

Otto was liberated in Auschwitz and Edith died there. Anne and Margot were transported to Bergen-Belsen where they died in late Feb or early march

The camp was originally established in May 1940 as a large and harsh concentration camp for: 1. Poles who did not co-operate with the Germans. 2. Educated Poles, who might preserve Polish culture and traditions. In 1941-42 the camp was expanded till it became a vast forced labour and killing centre.

The first gas chamber at Auschwitz was at the main camp (Auschwitz I). The rest were at Birkenau (Auschwitz II), starting with the "bunkers," known as the Little Red House and Little White House. Finally, in 1943, the four large facilities were completed at Birkenau, for a total of seven known such facilities in the Auschwitz system.

It was started in May 1940 by the SS. At that stage it was not an extermination camp. Please see the related question.

The victims were transported to the camps by rail, usually in enclosed cattle wagons. There were no breaks for food or water or any other essentials. Often the journey (for example, from Western Europe or Greece) took 3-5 days on those slow goods trains, and a fair number died during the journey.

Moreover, the trains didn't necessarily run straight from, say the Netherlands to Auschwitz. They often made a detour in order to drop some victims off at a couple of other extermination camps.

Yes, all the camps in Poland and other Eastern European were liberated by the Soviet Army.

Most Jews were sent to extermination camps (such as Treblinka II and Sobibor) that were simply killing centres. Most of the newly arrived prisoners were gassed or shot within a few hours of arrival. Their corpses (dead bodies) were cremated (burnt) or buried in large mass graves.

Some Jews were killed in the revolting ways described below, but they were a minority. Given the large number of victims, the Nazis usually wanted to kill quickly so that they could 'deal with' the next trainload of victims.

Auschwitz and Majdanek were somewhat different as they were concentration camps and killing centres. On arrival at Auschwitz, in particular, prisoners who looked physically fit on arrival were selected for slave labour and then often worked to death on grossly inadequate rations.

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Auschwitz I was the original Auschwitz camp, set up in May 1940, mainly for Polish political prisoners and the Polish elites. It also housed the main administrative offices for the whole complex of camps as well as the blocks where medical experiments were carried out, and execution chambers.

A concentration camp is a place where one's enemies - usually in wartime - are kept. Usually to prevent them from being of service to the enemy.

The concept was invented by the British during the Boer War in South Africa - the Boer menfolk had taken to guerrilla warfare and were being aided by their wives and families. The british rounded up the wives and families in an effort to hamper the men's activities.

yes and one of them was up ue ****

The number of survivors of Treblinka II (the extermination camp) still alive at the end of World War 2 is given in the Wikipedia article on Treblinka as 40 (forty). (Compare this with the usual estimate of at least 850,000 victims slaughtered). Please see the link below. In addition, there was an older labor camp, Treblinka I, which was mainly intended for non-Jewish Poles who did not "cooperate" with the Nazis. It was a concentration camp (not an extermination camp) and had more survivors. Apparently some prisoners from this camp were drafted for various tasks at Treblinka II, but otherwise the two camps were distinct and separate.

Suprisingly yes, 7,000 people was liberated from Auschwitz including 3 main camps and sub camps.

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No, generally the victims were killed first. That was what the gas chambers were for.

It began as a big concentration camp, mainly for Poles and was extended in stages. Auschwitz I used existing buidlings to a large extent and most of it was in use in 1940. Auschwitz II (Birkenau) was built in 1941-42 and Auschwitz III (Monowitz) in 1942.

Several sub-camps (about 35) were added.

Mostly Jews but their was same normal polish civilians who looked jewish

It depended on the type of camp. If you were in an extermination camp the new arrivals were divided into 'fit for work' and 'unfit for work'. Those who were unfit were taken away and gassed as quickly as possible. Most of the others were worked to death over a period of months: they had to do hard manual work without enough food.

In other types of camps ('ordinary' concentration camps) you were severely beaten, also humiliated, and then you had to do hard labour - again without enough food. If you were very lucky you might get an office job.

Auschwitz I (or 1) was the original camp established in May 1940. It was an extremely harsh concentration camp, mainly for political prisoners - especially members of the Polish resistance.

Auschwitz II (or 2, aka Birkenau) was begun in October 1941. It housed the extermination camp with the gas chambers and the women's camp as well as various other camps.

The small number of surving inmates left soon after the camps were liberated, mostly in 1945. Most needed medical and nursing care before they could again try to lead a normal life.