Extermination camp

Nazi Germany set up special places called extermination camps during World War II in German-occupied Poland. These camps were used to kill over 2.7 million people, mostly Jews, as part of what is known as the Holocaust. The victims were mainly killed using gas in special buildings or gas vans. The six main extermination camps were Chełmno, Bełżec, Sobibor, Treblinka, Majdanek, and Auschwitz-Birkenau.

These terrible places were kept secret by the Nazis, who used coded words like "special treatment" or "resettlement" to hide their actions. The idea to use gas to kill large groups of people came from earlier secret experiments done by the Nazis. The goal was to wipe out Jewish people and others, and these camps were a major part of that plan, called the Final Solution to the Jewish question.

Background

See also: Nisko Plan

After Germany invaded Poland in September 1939, the Nazi government began a secret plan to kill people with mental or physical disabilities. This plan was called Aktion T4 and was approved by their leader, Hitler. The Nazis used this plan to learn how to kill larger groups of people.

In 1941, the Nazis started building special camps to kill many people, mainly Jews. These camps used poisonous gas to kill people. This was part of what they called the "Final Solution," their plan to eliminate Jews from Europe. The first of these camps, Bełżec, began operating in early 1942. Other camps like Sobibór, Treblinka, Auschwitz, and Majdanek were built soon after. Many thousands of people lost their lives in these terrible places.

Definition

The Nazis had different types of camps during World War II. Some were called extermination camps, which means their main purpose was to kill large groups of people. There were six main extermination camps: Chełmno, Belzec, Sobibor, Treblinka, Majdanek, and Auschwitz (also called Auschwitz-Birkenau).

These camps were set up to kill people who were brought there by train. Most people were killed just a few hours after arriving. The camps were run by a small group of Nazi soldiers and some helpers from other places. Many people were taken from crowded areas called ghettos to these camps.

History

Main articles: The Final Solution, Nazi ghettos, and Holocaust train

During World War II, many Jewish people were first sent to work camps or crowded into areas called ghettos. Starting in 1942, they were taken to special camps called extermination camps, which were hidden from the public. These camps were mostly built in places in Poland where many Jewish people lived. This made it easier to keep what was happening a secret from people in Germany.

In the early stages, poisonous gases from car engines were used to harm people in some camps. Later, special buildings were made to kill large groups of people quickly. Three of these camps—Treblinka, Bełżec, and Sobibor—used gas from large engines to kill people. These camps were built to quickly end the lives of many Jewish people who were trapped in ghettos. The bodies were first buried but later burned to hide what had happened.

The six main extermination camps were Chełmno, Bełżec, Sobibor, Treblinka, Majdanek, and Auschwitz-Birkenau. Unlike Auschwitz and Majdanek, which also had areas where some people were made to work, camps like Chełmno, Bełżec, Sobibor, and Treblinka were made only to quickly end the lives of entire communities of people, mostly Jewish people, soon after they arrived. Victims were told they were at a temporary stop and would soon move to work camps, but this was a lie.

At camps like Bełżec, Sobibor, and Treblinka, people were killed as soon as they arrived in special buildings made for this purpose. Similar killing areas were also built at Auschwitz and Majdanek. In most other camps, people were first chosen to work before being killed later. These camps operated until the end of the war in 1945.

Extermination procedure

During World War II, leaders of Nazi Germany decided that new ways were needed to kill many people quickly. They had already tried using gas from special containers, but this was expensive and hard to transport.

New methods were tested. One method used a poisonous gas called Zyklon B, which was released in special buildings. This gas was used to kill many people in camps across occupied areas. Besides using gas, guards also used other cruel methods to harm prisoners.

Gassings

See also: The Holocaust § Gas chambers, Gas chamber § Nazi Germany, and Criticism of Holocaust denial § Use of gas chambers

Some leaders were sent to see how these killings happened. In one camp, people were brought in trains and told they were going to take showers. Instead, they were led into rooms where the poisonous gas was released. Some people understood what was happening, while others were tricked into believing they were just being cleaned.

Corpse disposal

After the killings, the bodies were removed and burned. At some camps, special buildings were made to burn the bodies quickly. The job of burning the bodies was given to some prisoners, who worked even though they knew they would also be killed later.

Victims

During a difficult time in history, over 2.7 million people were sadly taken from their lives in six special camps. These camps were all located in what we now call Poland. Many of those affected were families and communities who were unfairly targeted.

Dismantling and attempted concealment

The Nazis tried to break down the places where many people were harmed during World War II. They wanted to hide all signs that these bad things had happened. They made some special groups of people who were in danger do the work of breaking down these places, and they also destroyed records and dug up old graves.

Because the Soviet army moved very quickly during a big operation called Operation Bagration, they reached one of these places, called Majdanek, before it could be broken down. This means that this place was found almost exactly as it was when the bad things happened there.

Commemoration

After World War II, the government of the People's Republic of Poland built monuments at the places where the extermination camps were located. These sites are now open to everyone and are visited by people from all over the world, with Auschwitz near the town of Oświęcim being one of the most well-known.

The March of the Living has been held every year in Poland since 1988. People from many countries such as Estonia, New Zealand, Panama, and Turkey join this event.

The camps and Holocaust denial

See also: Holocaust denial

Some people and groups claim that the Holocaust did not happen as it is commonly understood. They say that the extermination camps were just places where people were moved to other locations. However, this is not true. Many pieces of evidence, including documents from the Nazi government, prove that these camps were used to harm many people.

Learning about these camps is challenging because the Nazi regime tried very hard to hide their actions. But the existence of these camps is well-known through stories from survivors, pieces of evidence that remain, photographs and films made by the Nazis, and records kept by the camp leaders.

Awareness

In 2017, a study in Germany found that 40 percent of 14-year-olds did not know about Auschwitz. In 2018, a survey in the United States showed that 66 percent of young adults did not know what Auschwitz was. In 2019, a survey in Canada found that 49 percent of people could not name any of the Nazi camps located in German-occupied Europe.