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Auschwitz

Auschwitz was a Nazi controlled concentration, extermination and labor camp located in Poland. Opened in 1940, the camp was liberated in 1945 by Soviet troops. Questions and answers about Auschwitz can be found here.

731 Questions

Did soviet troops liberate the Nazi death camp Auschwitz?

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

How did Auschwitz kill and torture?

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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What type of camp was Auschwitz?

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.

How many people were at the Auschwitz concentration camp?

An estimated 170,000 to 360,000 persons of 22 nationalities (chiefly Jews, Russians, and Poles) died there.

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The most recent estimate - by the research staff at the Majdanek Museum - is about 79,000. (Those very high figures above were issued by the Soviet Union shortly after the war and are unsupported by solid evidence). Please see the link.

What is a concertration camp?

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.

How many people died at Auschwitz Birkenau?

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.

Was there a crematorium at Auschwitz?

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.

How long did it take to build Auschwitz?

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.

What type of prisoners are there in Auschwitz?

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

What did the Germans use to kill the Jews during the Holocaust?

The Nazis relied mainly on:

  • Poison gas.
  • Mass open air shootings.
  • Working prisoners to death in slave labor camps.
  • Giving the victims inadequate food and no medication, which made them die of malnutrition and made them easy victims of diseases such as typhus.

The Nazis decided that gassing was by far the most efficient way of killing large numbers of victims.

What did you do when you entered Auschwitz?

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.

What was the difference between Auschwitz and Birkenau?

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.

What year were people set free from Auschwitz?

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.

What work did the Jews do at Auschwitz?

They were put to forced labor in mining or the German armaments industry; some crushed rock, some forged documents, money and works of art, some moved rocks, some built V-2 Rockets, some stacked rocks, some, as subjects, were abused in scientific and pseudo-scientific experiments, but mostly they were made until they died or were no longer fit to work and were sent to die. The nature of their work wasn't important (in principle) to the Nazis. They were rented out as laborers for a pittance. This pittance times millions filled the SS coffers, and nothing was wasted. The prisoners' hair was sold at 50 pfennig per kilo (7 tons were confiscated at Auschwitz), and before cremation their gold teeth were extracted as Judengeld for the support of the war effort.

Who was involved in Auschwitz?

Millions of people were involved in the Holocaust. It affected the lives of almost all Jews in Europe (approximately six million were killed) as well as gypsies, homosexuals, and other minority groups. It was perpetrated by Adolf Hitler, Himmler, the SS and other Germans, and Europeans in occupied countries who collaborated with the Germans or looked the other way.

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The word involved is vague. It is common to divide those involved into three groups:

  1. The victims
  2. The perpetrators (the people who killed, and also those who transported the victims to killing centres and so on. This group can be extended).
  3. The bystanders. That is the people who knew what was happening and did nothing about it.

How many Jews died in the Auschwitz extermination camp?

Probably about 1 million at Auschwitz. The overall number of Jews killed in the Holocaust is traditionally given as 6 million.

How is the Holocaust remembered?

There are numerous ways people remember the Holocaust.

  • Yad Vashem in Israel honors the victims, survivors, and the ones who helped Jews during that time.
  • Yom HaShoah is the Holocaust Memorial Day in Israel.
  • United States Holocaust Memorial Museum (USHMM) in Washington D.C. is full of information.
  • January 27 is the international Holocaust Memorial day, as Auschwitz-Birkenau was liberated January 27, 1945.
  • Movies, television shows, and docudramasset during the Holocaust include true stories.
  • Biographies such as The Diary of Anne Frank give us a reminder.

How did they transport the Jews?

he drug them behind his car. they were tied by their ankles and drug. pretty brutal. there were about 4 behind every car.

^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^

Completely WRONG. Hitler had them moved by the hundreds in box cars. (trains) The trip was brutal and many died on the trip by starvation and disease.

What methods were used to kill in Auschwitz?

the prisoners, once sent to concentration camps, were split into two lines: one went to work to death, literally, and the other went to the gas chamber. after being gassed they were incinerated in a nearby oven.

What type of jobs did they do in Auschwitz?

Strange as it may sound, some were involved in the manufacture of products like the V-2 rocket, the counterfitting of US and English money and art objects. Most however were involved in manual labor. one of the most popular jobs at work camps was working in the toilets. sure it smelled a bit but you were always in doors and away from the German patrols

Did people know about Auschwitz when it opened?

This is one of the Horror stories of WW2. If people were taken straight from the transport train to the gas chambers, they no doubt thought they were just going to the showers, but, if they had been taken to the main camp, and then at a later stage were removed during the 'selection' system, then I am afraid they KNEW!!

There is the story of a Rabbi who was on his way to the Chamber with hundreds of Women and Children, who prayed to God, and Said something to the effect; "God, if you are real, save my people from this horror" Then, as the 'shower' doors closed on him and his people, he was hear to shout, "You are not a True God, you do not exist, it's all been a lie!!" and then the doors closed, and the gas entered.

This story, with the name of the Rabbi was told by people who were still alive when the Russians entered this Camp in Poland, and shows the true horror of all this.

The next question that could be asked, is just how could people do this, to other human beings? There is no true answer to this!

We, in our 'safe' lives, would say, " I would not do this, I would refuse!" But think about it? Would you refuse, if it meant you were pushed in with these poor people? WELL, MAYBE some of us would! But many of us would just do what we were told to do.

The sad thing about this is, that after the second or third time you did this, you would start not to even think about it anymore.

Which is why, nothing has changed in this World. The same things are being done right now in many parts of the World, though not in the same massive numbers.

History tends to repeat it's self, and if you read History, you will find many incidents of this nature, people killing other people, and in the past in very large numbers.

Only the Methods changed. In WW2 Science was used, not the sword as in the 'old' days.

What was written above the gates of Auschwitz?

"Arbeit Macht Frei", Which is supposed to mean "Work makes one free". This was the most infamous slogan of World War II, especially on the gates of Auschwitz-Birkenau, where the innocent victims, mostly Jews were deceived from the terrible end that they would eventually face.

What was the treatment of prisoners at the Auschwitz camp?

Answer

They were treated like scum, they had to work all day doing pointless things like cleaning batteries. They ate watery soup with different types of bugs in it. They slept in basically cabinet like beds and slept with thousands of other people. Then, they either got poisoned by showers, died of diseases, or died of too much work.

  1. Most were killed as soon as practical after arrival.
  2. Some were selected for work as slave labourers and worked to death.
  3. Some were used for 'medical' experiments.
  4. Some died when the camps were evacuated on foot (death marches) in January 1945.
  5. A few survived.

They were all treated appallingly.

What are some people that died in concentration camps during the Holocaust?

There was a distinction in Nazi Germany beyween extermantion camps and concentration camps. Concentration camps held Jews, political prisoners, criminals, homosexuals, gypsies and the mentally ill who were forced to undertake labour. Many of these prisoners died due to poor treatment, from disease, starvation and overwork, or were executed as unfit for labour.

The extermination camps were created to allow murder to occur on an industrial scale. The vast majority of these victims were Jews but also included the handicapped, and those with criminal records.

For more information on this topic, please see the related links.