The most massive murder campaign started in 1942 in a place called Auschwitz. When the Nazis put into operation a plan to systematically destroy the entire Jewish population of Europe. The nazis and S.S officers started death camps. One of these camps was Auschwitz and Birkenau. Something Adolph Hitler said was quote: “My first And foremost task will be the annihilation of the Jews”. And he fulfilled that task. The Jews where rounded up, not against their will but under false pretenses. The SS told the Jews that they where about to go on a journey to resettle them in an undetermined country. 

When These people finally arrived at Auschwitz they saw the front gate that had the words “Arbeit MacH Frei” Which meant labor liberates. Just inside the gate off to the right, The camp orchestra performed twice a day to amuse the SS Officers. The camps where very big almost like small towns but they where to small to accommodate that many. The Jews brought all of their most prized and cherished possessions. Not knowing that they would be confiscated as soon as they got there. The SS took everything. From the gold in the dead prisoners teeth, and gold wedding bands, to the prisoners hair so they could make cloth out of it. Even the prisoners shoes where taken. Then they where given wooden ones that seldom fit and caused blisters and a lot of the time they even caused fatal infections because the prisoners had such weak immune systems they got infections easily. The SS Officers used the shoe leather for articles on their clothing. The SS Officers would take eyeglasses and all suit cases. All of these belongings where kept in a shed called Kanada. These sheds where also referred to as the house of abundance, and the land of plenty. The officers often made rude and snide comments about how they had and always would have their belongings. They got all of their cloths taken away and where given black and white uniforms to wear. Once they got all their cloths taken care of they where taken to their blocks. A block is a building which could hold 700 to1, 000 people at one time. These buildings originally belonged to the Polish army but where transformed by the SS into a concentration camp holding facility. On the inside of these Blocks you would find bunk-beds stacked three high in which at least 12 prisoners would sleep in one bed. In the “restroom” There was ten toilets. Those ten toilets served 700 to 1,000 people. These “restrooms” where filthy and discussing. There were maggot’s flies and feces all over the walls floor and bowls of the toilets.       

One of the prisoners killed at Auschwitz.

This was Hitler’s way of dealing with what he called a “problem”. This is what he thought he had done Quote: I freed Germany of the stupid and degrading fallacies of consequence morality …we will train young people before whom the whole world will tremble… I want young people capable of violence, Imperious, relentlessly, and cruel.

In 1945 the Ss burned documents and destroyed and unhooked gas chambers in attempt to hide death camp evidence. Only 667 prisoners escaped 270 where recaptured and executed at Auschwitz. Those who where not evacuated or executed where liberated by the red army on January 27, 1945.

Jodi Reamer

7^th Social studies

Rossville jr. high

Holocaust Project

Spring 2003

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