WHAT IS AUSCHWITZ?
"More than 80 per cent of those who arrived at Auschwitz-Birkenau were murdered at once. The majority of the remainder died as a result of overwork, ill-treatment, disease or lack of food."
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Auschwitz-Birkenau was the largest of all concentration camps during The Holocaust and was responsible for the highest number of deaths. At first the camp served as a place of intimidation to the Polish to prevent them attacking the Germans and then acted as a jail to those who did attack. Auschwitz was made up of 3 sub camps; Auschwitz I, Auschwitz II and Auschwitz III, each of which played a different role overall.
AUSCHWITZ I (Est. April 1940)
Auschwitz I was known as the main camp and had a gas chamber, crematorium, prison block and hospital where medical experiments would be carried out by doctors usually on children. Between the hospital and prison blocks stood the "Black Wall" where guards executed thousands of prisoners. AUSCHWITZ II (Est. October 1941) Auschwitz II held the largest number of prisoners and was divided into ten sections which were separated by electric barbed wire fences. This camp held sections for women, men and children and family camps for Gypsies and Jewish people. It was also the camp which held the facilities for a "killing center". AUSCHWITZ III (Est. October 1942) Auschwitz III was created in order to house prisoners that were sent to work in the synthetic rubber works. Also in this camp was a "Labor Education Camp" for prisoners who were not Jewish and had apparently violated the German labor disciplinary rules. |