SECTION 1: Beginnings Auschwitz was the biggest of all concentration camps in the Holocaust. It opened in 1940 during World War II. It had three separate camps that each had a different purpose; Auschwitz I was for labor, Auschwitz II was for extermination, and Auschwitz III was a prison. Auschwitz was by Oswiecim, a city in southern Poland. Oswiecim was an industrial city and was located along train tracks that led to and from the camp. Since Auschwitz was near train tracks, it was easy to move the Jews from the Ghettos. Heinrich Himmler was the man who gave the order to build the camp. Auschwitz played a big part in Hitler’s “Final Solution”. The “Final Solution” was Hitler’s plan to kill millions of Jews. Auschwitz was also a place where SS guards would dehumanize the Jews. Not only Jews were at Auschwitz, there were artists, gypsies, communists, homosexuals, mentally ill and physically handicapped people because Hitler didn’t think they were as perfect as the Nazis.
There were many prisoners that came to Auschwitz from all over European countries. Hungary had the most prisoners deported to Auschwitz with 426,000 people sent there. Poland was second with 300,000 prisoners. The remaining countries of France, Netherlands, Greece, Bohemia, Slovakia, Belgium, Yugoslavia, Italy, and Norway each had fewer than 70,000 prisoners deported to Auschwitz. Since there were so many prisoners, Auschwitz created sub-camps. There were 39 sub-camps founded by the SS. Some of the sub-camps were located in Upper Silesia including Blechhammer, Gleiwitz and Tschechowitz. The main purpose of the sub-camp was to make agricultural goods and industrial products. Sub-camps were also called development zones.
There were also many commanders at Auschwitz that helped build the camp. The commanders of Auschwitz 1 included Aurthur Liebehenschel from November 1943 until May of 1944, Richard Baer from May 1944 to January 1945 and most famous of all Rudolf Hoess from Maybe 1940 until November 1943. Rudolf Hoess makes Auschwitz a very large camp. He also finds quick and efficient ways to kill the prisoners. The commanders of Auschwitz II were Friedrich Hartjenstein and Josef Kremer. The commander of Auschwitz III was Hinrich Schwarz. All of these men were hard on the prisoners.
SECTION 2: Event Throughout their time at Auschwitz prisoners were forced to do tough labor in harsh conditions. Prisoners would do labor to help build products that helped the Germans in the war. Also, at Auschwitz the Jews would be killed. Auschwitz played a big part in Hitler’s “Final Solution”. The Jews would be split up into 3 camps. They would die from exhaustion and extreme hot and cold temperatures.
The first camp called Auschwitz I was the death camp. Women, children and prisoners in bad shape went straight to this camp. At the death camp, prisoners were killed in gas chambers and crematoriums. At first the gas chambers were bad and took a long time for the Jews to die, but later the chambers were improved to kill the Jews more efficiently. Crematoriums were also used to kill the prisoners. The SS would throw living bodies into the flame and have them burn to death. There were four crematoriums at Auschwitz. Also, doctors did crazy experiments on the prisoners. They performed pseudoscientific research on twins, infants and dwarfs. They did sterilizations and hypothermia experiments on adults. One of the popular doctors that performed many of the experiments was Dr. Josef Mengele.
The second camp, called Auschwitz II was the concentration camp. Many Jews would work very hard and if you couldn’t do the work you were killed. Auschwitz II also contained gas chambers and crematoriums to kill the prisoners. The gas chambers were disguised as showers to trick the prisoners. There were also selections. If a prisoner was too weak to work, they would be killed immediately at one of the killing centers.
The third camp, Auschwitz III, was used for labor. All of the prisoners that were in shape would be sent there to do the tough labor. The prisoners worked in a factory owned by I.G. Farben, a Nazi. They made rubber and fuel. Other prisoners would make German warfare to be sent to the Germans to fight in World War II.
At Auschwitz prisoners got angry with the guards and sometimes led revolts. Hundreds of prisoners found out they were headed for the crematoriums and decided to revolt. The prisoners ended up killing three guards and they blew up a crematoria and a gas chamber. They blew up the building with some explosives smuggled in the camp from women. The prisoners involved in the revolt were killed and the women who smuggled the explosives in were hung in public.
The Germans didn’t treat the prisoners with respect. If the prisoners got out of line they would either be killed or tortured. The Germans wouldn’t bury the Jews bodies; they burned them in the crematorium or burned them in public. Camps would not have much food and often prisoners would die of starvation.
SECTION 3: Results Auschwitz was deserted toward the end of the war. The Germans destroyed parts of Auschwitz and even marched some prisoners to surrounding camps. On these marches, thousands of prisoners were killed. Eventually, Auschwitz was liberated on January 27th, 1945. The Soviets freed 7,000 prisoners from the camp.
In the end, 2.5 million prisoners died at Auschwitz, mostly Jews, but other types of people died there as well. The impact Auschwitz played in the Holocaust was huge because it held and murdered the most prisoners of any camp. Today Auschwitz serves as a memorial to all those prisoners that died in the Holocaust.
NAME:Tim K.
SECTION 1: Beginnings
Auschwitz was the biggest of all concentration camps in the Holocaust. It opened in 1940 during World War II. It had three separate camps that each had a different purpose; Auschwitz I was for labor, Auschwitz II was for extermination, and Auschwitz III was a prison. Auschwitz was by Oswiecim, a city in southern Poland. Oswiecim was an industrial city and was located along train tracks that led to and from the camp. Since Auschwitz was near train tracks, it was easy to move the Jews from the Ghettos. Heinrich Himmler was the man who gave the order to build the camp. Auschwitz played a big part in Hitler’s “Final Solution”. The “Final Solution” was Hitler’s plan to kill millions of Jews. Auschwitz was also a place where SS guards would dehumanize the Jews. Not only Jews were at Auschwitz, there were artists, gypsies, communists, homosexuals, mentally ill and physically handicapped people because Hitler didn’t think they were as perfect as the Nazis.
There were many prisoners that came to Auschwitz from all over European countries. Hungary had the most prisoners deported to Auschwitz with 426,000 people sent there. Poland was second with 300,000 prisoners. The remaining countries of France, Netherlands, Greece, Bohemia, Slovakia, Belgium, Yugoslavia, Italy, and Norway each had fewer than 70,000 prisoners deported to Auschwitz. Since there were so many prisoners, Auschwitz created sub-camps. There were 39 sub-camps founded by the SS. Some of the sub-camps were located in Upper Silesia including Blechhammer, Gleiwitz and Tschechowitz. The main purpose of the sub-camp was to make agricultural goods and industrial products. Sub-camps were also called development zones.
There were also many commanders at Auschwitz that helped build the camp. The commanders of Auschwitz 1 included Aurthur Liebehenschel from November 1943 until May of 1944, Richard Baer from May 1944 to January 1945 and most famous of all Rudolf Hoess from Maybe 1940 until November 1943. Rudolf Hoess makes Auschwitz a very large camp. He also finds quick and efficient ways to kill the prisoners. The commanders of Auschwitz II were Friedrich Hartjenstein and Josef Kremer. The commander of Auschwitz III was Hinrich Schwarz. All of these men were hard on the prisoners.
SECTION 2: Event
Throughout their time at Auschwitz prisoners were forced to do tough labor in harsh conditions. Prisoners would do labor to help build products that helped the Germans in the war. Also, at Auschwitz the Jews would be killed. Auschwitz played a big part in Hitler’s “Final Solution”. The Jews would be split up into 3 camps. They would die from exhaustion and extreme hot and cold temperatures.
The first camp called Auschwitz I was the death camp. Women, children and prisoners in bad shape went straight to this camp. At the death camp, prisoners were killed in gas chambers and crematoriums. At first the gas chambers were bad and took a long time for the Jews to die, but later the chambers were improved to kill the Jews more efficiently. Crematoriums were also used to kill the prisoners. The SS would throw living bodies into the flame and have them burn to death. There were four crematoriums at Auschwitz. Also, doctors did crazy experiments on the prisoners. They performed pseudoscientific research on twins, infants and dwarfs. They did sterilizations and hypothermia experiments on adults. One of the popular doctors that performed many of the experiments was Dr. Josef Mengele.
The second camp, called Auschwitz II was the concentration camp. Many Jews would work very hard and if you couldn’t do the work you were killed. Auschwitz II also contained gas chambers and crematoriums to kill the prisoners. The gas chambers were disguised as showers to trick the prisoners. There were also selections. If a prisoner was too weak to work, they would be killed immediately at one of the killing centers.
The third camp, Auschwitz III, was used for labor. All of the prisoners that were in shape would be sent there to do the tough labor. The prisoners worked in a factory owned by I.G. Farben, a Nazi. They made rubber and fuel. Other prisoners would make German warfare to be sent to the Germans to fight in World War II.
At Auschwitz prisoners got angry with the guards and sometimes led revolts. Hundreds of prisoners found out they were headed for the crematoriums and decided to revolt. The prisoners ended up killing three guards and they blew up a crematoria and a gas chamber. They blew up the building with some explosives smuggled in the camp from women. The prisoners involved in the revolt were killed and the women who smuggled the explosives in were hung in public.
The Germans didn’t treat the prisoners with respect. If the prisoners got out of line they would either be killed or tortured. The Germans wouldn’t bury the Jews bodies; they burned them in the crematorium or burned them in public. Camps would not have much food and often prisoners would die of starvation.
SECTION 3: Results
Auschwitz was deserted toward the end of the war. The Germans destroyed parts of Auschwitz and even marched some prisoners to surrounding camps. On these marches, thousands of prisoners were killed. Eventually, Auschwitz was liberated on January 27th, 1945. The Soviets freed 7,000 prisoners from the camp.
In the end, 2.5 million prisoners died at Auschwitz, mostly Jews, but other types of people died there as well. The impact Auschwitz played in the Holocaust was huge because it held and murdered the most prisoners of any camp. Today Auschwitz serves as a memorial to all those prisoners that died in the Holocaust.