Throughout German-occupied Europe, the Germans arrested those who resisted their domination and those they judged to be racially inferior or politically unacceptable. People arrested for resisting German rule were mostly sent to forced-labor or concentration camps. The Germans deported Jews from all over occupied Europe to extermination camps in Poland, where they were systematically killed, and also to concentration camps, where they were used for forced labor. Transit camps such as Westerbork, Gurs, Mechelen, and Drancy in western Europe and concentration camps like Bolzano and Fossoli di Carpi in Italy were used as collection centers for Jews, who were then deported by rail to the extermination camps. According to SS reports, there were more than 700,000 prisoners registered in the concentration camps in January 1945.
At the Wannsee Conference in Berlin in January 1942, the SS (the elite guard of the Nazi state) and representatives of German government ministries estimated that the "Final Solution," the Nazi plan to kill the Jews of Europe, would involve 11 million European Jews, including those from non-occupied countries such as Ireland, Sweden, Turkey, and Great Britain. Jews from Germany and German-occupied Europe were deported by rail to the killing centers in occupied Poland, where they were killed. The Germans attempted to disguise their intentions, referring to deportations as "resettlement to the east." The victims were told they were to be taken to labor camps, but in reality, from 1942 onward, deportation for most Jews meant transit to killing centers and then death.
Auschwitz was the largest camp established by the Germans. It was a complex of camps, including a concentration, extermination, and forced-labor camp. It was located at the town of Oswiecim near the prewar German-Polish border in Eastern Upper Silesia, an area annexed to Germany in 1939. Auschwitz I was the main camp and the first camp established at Oswiecim. Auschwitz II (Birkenau) was the killing center at Auschwitz. Trains arrived at Auschwitz-Birkenau almost daily with transports of Jews from virtually every German-occupied country of Europe. Auschwitz III, also called Buna or Monowitz, was established in Monowice to provide forced laborers for nearby factories, including the I.G. Farben works. At least 1.1 million Jews were killed in Auschwitz. Other victims included between 70,000 and 75,000 Poles, 21,000 Roma, and about 15,000 Soviet prisoners of war.
Auschwitz played a central role in the "Final Solution," the Nazi plan to murder the Jews of Europe. The Nazis deported Jews from nearly every European country to the Auschwitz II (Birkenau) killing center in occupied Poland. In all, at least 1.1 million Jews and tens of thousands of other people perished in Auschwitz.
The Auschwitz concentration camp complex was subordinate to the Inspectorate of Concentration Camps. Originally subordinate to the SS Main Office, the Inspectorate was transferred to the SS Operations Main Office after World War II began. In March 1942, the Inspectorate of Concentration Camps was incorporated into the SS Economic-Administrative Main Office and remained subordinate to that agency until the end of World War II.
In November 1943, the SS decreed that Auschwitz-Birkenau and Auschwitz-Monowitz would become independent concentration camps. The commandant of Auschwitz I remained the SS garrison commander of all SS units assigned to Auschwitz and was considered the senior officer of the three commandants. SS offices for maintaining prisoner records and managing prisoner labor deployment continued to be located and centrally run from Auschwitz I. In November 1944, Auschwitz II was reunified with Auschwitz I. Auschwitz III was renamed Monowitz concentration camp.
Auschwitz Camp Commandants
Commanders of the Auschwitz concentration camp complex were:
SS Lieutenant Colonel Rudolf Hoess from May 1940 until November 1943
SS Lieutenant Colonel Arthur Liebehenschel from November 1943 until mid-May 1944
SS Major Richard Baer from mid-May 1944 until January 27, 1945.
Commanders of Auschwitz-Birkenau while it was independent (November 1943 until November 1944) were
SS Lieutenant Colonel Friedrich Hartjenstein from November 1943 until mid-May 1944
SS Captain Josef Kramer from mid-May to November 1944.
The commandant of Monowitz concentration camp was
SS Captain Heinrich Schwarz from November 1943 until January 1945.
Author(s):
United States Holocaust Memorial Museum, Washington, DC
Critical Thinking Questions
How might the local population have been aware of this camp, its purpose, and the conditions within? How would you begin to research this question?
Did the outside world have any knowledge about these camps? If so, what actions were taken by other countries and their officials? What choices do other countries have in the face of mistreatment of civilians?
How does this camp demonstrate the complexity and the systematic nature of the German efforts to abuse and kill the Jews?
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