Auschwitz was one of the largest and most infamous concentration camps during the Holocaust. The camps were established by the Nazi government during World War II. They were responsible for over 1 million deaths in which most of these deaths were Jews. Prisoners we tortured, experimented on, executed, slaved, and much more. The inception of Auschwitz and the treatment of people there reveal it to be a haunting place full of human atrocities.
A massive web of concentration camps, Auschwitz was the single most lethal site of the Holocaust as well as the largest. After the German invasion of Poland, the SS was in search of a new camp location. They found a town called Oswiccim which was later renamed Auschwitz. (Waschsmann) Over 1 million people were killed here most being Jews. The violence of the SS became normal for the prisoners. They learned that anyone who stood out
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Prisoners we instantly “Stripped of their clothes, shaved from head to toe, put in thin flimsy pajamas, beaten, tortured, and starved.” (Luke) They had to sleep with multiple other people on mattresses that were made from straw. This made for very little room to sleep. There was no access to water so they walked around dirty. Lice and rats filled the barracks. This made them sick and made diseases emerge frequently and spread around like wildfire. (Luke) Being starved besides being killed was another major reason for so many deaths. They were forced into labor every day with little to no rest or breaks. There was a wide range of different works they were forced into including, loading heavy materials, mining, producing chemicals, weapons, fuel, and more. (Adler) According to Jerry Adler the writer of “The Last Days of Auschwitz” A survivor of the camp had stated they “had seen hanged people and burned people. But I was still unprepared for Auschwitz.” This shows just how horrible it really was to be a prisoner in Auschwitz.