Auschwitz Concentration Camp

Auschwitz Concentration Camp

Auschwitz was not a camp that anyone would want to go to. In modern day terms, camp is defined as fun, sun, vacation, and friends. Auschwitz was an extermination camp used to confine, torture, kill, and humiliate those that were forced to enter. Auschwitz is now an empty shell of buildings and wire holding the memories to those that survived and their families.

Auschwitz was a forced labor and extermination camp run by the Nazi's during World War II (Sydnor 892). It was established in May 1940, but it did not open its gates to prisoners until June 14, 1940. Seven hundred and twenty-eight Polish prisoners were the first to enter the camp on ‘foundation day'. For the next two years the majority of the prisoners were not Jews, they were criminals, prostitutes, or anyone who violated the German law (Steinbacher 29).

Auschwitz could hold up to ten thousand prisoners. The camp had the largest capacity which also meant that more people were killed in Auschwitz than any other concentration camp (Steinbacher 29). Auschwitz was established for three purposes: 1) to imprison threats and enemies to the Nazis, 2) to have forced laborers to ship and use for the Nazis construction, 3) to physically eliminate targeted groups that was determined by the SS ("Auschwitz").

Prisoners entering Auschwitz either endured brutal conditions or immediate death. They had to publically undress, have their heads and bodies shaved, and were beaten all the way to the showers. Their belongings and clothes were cleaned up and later shipped to Germany to be sold (Steinbacher 31). Over half of the prisoners did not even make it to the showers; instead they were sent to the gas chambers, in order to make room for the next train of arriving prisoners ("Auschwitz").

After being showered, the prisoners then went through a ‘quarantine period' which consisted of isolation, harassment, and having to perform murderous drills for hours. Anyone too weak to handle the humiliation was punished, and many of the weak and humiliated ended up committing suicide (Steinbacher 33). After the stage of entering the camp was complete, they were assigned to a work unit, and were given striped suits and heavy wooden shoes to wear.

Each prisoner was given a number which was worn chest high on their suit, and below it there was a triangle facing downward, called a "Winkel", which also appeared on the hem of the right trouser leg. The color of the Winkel represented why they were in the camp. For example, a green Winkel represents a criminal, a pink Winkel represents a homosexual, and a black Winkel symbolized a prostitute or antisocial. The Winkels also had a letter over them which indicated their nationality. The Winkels worn by the Jews were all the same, it did not matter the reason for imprisonment or nationality, they all had the