Auschwitz
Jewish prisoners of Auschwitz would walk under the Iron Gate that read “labor will set you free” to one of the most horrible extermination and concentration camp ever built (History, 2009). “For the first time, Jews could be delivered right up under the shadow of the crematoria chimneys” (Hellman, 1981). Auschwitz-Birkenau is one of the most popular of any extermination or concentration camp during World War II. “Auschwitz is to the Holocaust what Graceland is to Elvis” (Cole, 1999). Historians believe that between 2.1 million to 4 million Jews were killed in Auschwitz alone. In 1941, Himmler briefed the Commandant Hoss about Hitler’s “final solution” and after Hoss found out about Hitler’s plan, Auschwitz became the center of mass destruction for the Jewish population. The Nazis have decided that all Jewish people who lived in Europe would be executed. As the Jewish people arrived to the camp any elderly or pregnant women as well as kids, were sent to the gas chambers immediately. More than half of the Jewish prisoners transported to Auschwitz would be sent directly to the gas chambers to be executed. The prisoners who were fit enough to work were sent to be registered by the Nazi soldiers. There the prisoners were tattooed with serial numbers, stripped down of everything they had, and had all of their body hair shaven off. There were approximately 2.5 million Jews who were sentenced to Auschwitz but only 405,000 of them would be able to become prisoners. Some of the showers that were there to disinfect the Jewish prisoners actually turned out to be gas chambers. Only about ten percent of the Jews who were transported to Auschwitz actually were sent to barracks instead of gas chambers. Auschwitz only contributed less than fifteen percent of the victims of the “final solution.” In August of 1942, the construction of four large gas chambers began. But in the fall of 1942 it became completely clear that the SS were planning on building a mass-murder plant. The gas chambers they built could hold up to 4,400 Jewish prisoners and they realized that the prisoners would all be dead in just twenty minutes. The corpses would then be taken to five ovens where the soldiers would take their valuables and then they would cremate them. In November of 1944, Himmler told everyone to stop the gassings so they could clean up the crimes that they had committed. The Nazis destroyed important documents as well as destroyed major buildings (Jewish Virtual Library, 2015). The Jews were finally evacuated from Auschwitz on January 27th, 1945, by the Soviet Union (Jewish Virtual Library, 2015).
Jewish prisoners of Auschwitz would walk under the Iron Gate that read “labor will set you free” to one of the most horrible extermination and concentration camp ever built (History, 2009). “For the first time, Jews could be delivered right up under the shadow of the crematoria chimneys” (Hellman, 1981). Auschwitz-Birkenau is one of the most popular of any extermination or concentration camp during World War II. “Auschwitz is to the Holocaust what Graceland is to Elvis” (Cole, 1999). Historians believe that between 2.1 million to 4 million Jews were killed in Auschwitz alone. In 1941, Himmler briefed the Commandant Hoss about Hitler’s “final solution” and after Hoss found out about Hitler’s plan, Auschwitz became the center of mass destruction for the Jewish population. The Nazis have decided that all Jewish people who lived in Europe would be executed. As the Jewish people arrived to the camp any elderly or pregnant women as well as kids, were sent to the gas chambers immediately. More than half of the Jewish prisoners transported to Auschwitz would be sent directly to the gas chambers to be executed. The prisoners who were fit enough to work were sent to be registered by the Nazi soldiers. There the prisoners were tattooed with serial numbers, stripped down of everything they had, and had all of their body hair shaven off. There were approximately 2.5 million Jews who were sentenced to Auschwitz but only 405,000 of them would be able to become prisoners. Some of the showers that were there to disinfect the Jewish prisoners actually turned out to be gas chambers. Only about ten percent of the Jews who were transported to Auschwitz actually were sent to barracks instead of gas chambers. Auschwitz only contributed less than fifteen percent of the victims of the “final solution.” In August of 1942, the construction of four large gas chambers began. But in the fall of 1942 it became completely clear that the SS were planning on building a mass-murder plant. The gas chambers they built could hold up to 4,400 Jewish prisoners and they realized that the prisoners would all be dead in just twenty minutes. The corpses would then be taken to five ovens where the soldiers would take their valuables and then they would cremate them. In November of 1944, Himmler told everyone to stop the gassings so they could clean up the crimes that they had committed. The Nazis destroyed important documents as well as destroyed major buildings (Jewish Virtual Library, 2015). The Jews were finally evacuated from Auschwitz on January 27th, 1945, by the Soviet Union (Jewish Virtual Library, 2015).