World War II: Nazi death camps World War II is a terrible time. Those of the people who caught her and remember the horrors that they had to endure do not like to remember that period of their lives. This is especially true of those unfortunate people who saw the Nazi death camps with their own eyes. Much has been written and said about this phenomenon, but it does not become less terrible from this in the least.
What it is? This was the name of the places for the forced isolation of people objectionable to the ruling fascist regime. Unlike prisons, their creators were not guided by practically any norms of humanity. Anyone could go to the death camps, including women, the elderly and even children. As a rule, even those who survived in those inhuman conditions became hopeless invalids. Children who were prisoners of the camps received terrible mental disorders, unable to forget about all the horrors they witnessed.
What were they intended for, what were they? In Germany of those years, these institutions were intended for terror and genocide in relation to both civilians and prisoners of war. Commoners know of them as "concentration camps", although this variety was just one of many. The main types were labor camps and death camps, in which people were literally killed by conveyor belts. As events developed on all fronts, and in a manner far from favorable for Nazi Germany, the popularity of these varieties grew.
What were they created for? They were created immediately after the Nazi regime came to power. The first priority for them was the repression and physical destruction of all dissenting people. Many believe that the Nazis began to organize their organization only with the outbreak of World War II, but this is far from the case: in the same Dachau, they opened the first "branch" back in 1933, when nothing reminded of Hitler's crazy plans to crush the entire world. By the beginning of the war, the death camps held within their walls more than 300 thousand anti-fascists, who were captured both in Germany itself and in the countries occupied by it. Most of them were built just in the conquered territories. At first, the Nazis pretended to be building ordinary places for keeping prisoners of war, and many believed so almost until the end of the war. The truth turned out to be much more terrible: it turned out that the Nazis used these camps as places where millions of people were physically destroyed. We do not know to this day and will probably never be able to find out reliably how many people were actually killed by the Nazi executioners. In the final stages of the war, there were frequent cases when the best, most combat-ready SS divisions to the last covered the "utilization" of the camps, which consisted in the complete destruction of all prisoners and documents that could tell the world about all the indescribable atrocities of the Nazis. In the final stages of the war, there were frequent cases when the best, most combat-ready SS divisions to the last covered the "utilization" of the camps, which consisted in the complete destruction of all prisoners and documents that could tell the world about all the indescribable atrocities of the Nazis. In the final stages of the war, there were frequent cases when the best, most combat-ready SS divisions to the last covered the "utilization" of the camps, which consisted in the complete destruction of all prisoners and documents that could tell the world about all the indescribable atrocities of the Nazis.
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About their real purpose The Americans and the British during the war were extremely active in pushing the idea that in fact the death camps of the Third Reich did not exist at all. Say, all these objects are ordinary prisons for prisoners of war. But this is far from the case. These terrible places existed: their main purpose was the physical destruction of people. First of all, Slavs, gypsies and Jews were killed, who were recognized as "inferior" people. In order to take away human lives with maximum convenience, the builders took care of efficient gas chambers and crematoria. Many of the death camps of the Third Reich were aimed at round-the-clock and continuous extermination of people. When designing them, no importance was attached to the content of people: it was assumed that the doomed prisoners would wait no more than a few hours for their turn. Several thousand people passed through the crematoria every day (!). The following camps belong to the "factories of death": Majdanek, Auschwitz, Treblinka, some others. Of course, this list of death camps is far from complete.
How were the prisoners treated? All prisoners became completely powerless, their lives were worthless, they could be killed at any time, just "in the mood." All aspects of the lives of these unfortunates were strictly controlled. They did not stand on ceremony with the violators: most often they were killed on the spot. But even this was far from the most terrible fate, since the Nazi doctors constantly needed experimental subjects for the next experiment.
How were the prisoners of the camps divided? It should be noted that at first the prisoners were classified according to many parameters, including both race and place of detention, the reason for arrest. Initially, all prisoners were divided into four large groups: anti-fascists (political opponents), the very representatives of “inferior races”, as well as ordinary criminals and “potentially unwanted elements”. All prisoners from the second group were eventually sent to Hitler's death camps, where they were massacred. At the slightest suspicion of unreliability, they were tortured by SS guards, they were sent to the most difficult, dangerous and harmful work. In the midst of political prisoners, sometimes even members of the nationalist party, who were accused of some serious "crimes against race", members of religious sects were found. It was possible to please in a death camp even for listening to a foreign news channel on the radio. Homosexuals, people prone to panic, simply dissatisfied were ranked as "unreliable". Oddly enough, but "purebred" criminals were in the best position, since they were used by the administration as assistant overseers; numerous privileges were applied to them.
Distinguishing marks of prisoners of camps It is well known that in camps people were assigned serial numbers. Much less is known about the fact that prisoners had to wear colorful triangles on the left side of the chest and on the right knee, as well as a number in the form of a patch on their clothes. Only in Auschwitz it was applied directly to the human body, in the form of a tattoo. Thus, the red triangle was meant for the “political” one, the criminals received a green badge, all the “unreliable” had a black triangle, homosexuals wore pink, and the gypsies wore brown. The requirements for the Jews were stricter. In addition to the usual classification triangle, they also relied on yellow, and they were required to sew the "Star of David" on their clothes. In addition, they especially singled out those Jews who were guilty of diluting the "Aryan blood"those who dare to marry or marry a representative of the "true Aryan race." Their yellow triangles had a black border. Prisoners of war were classified according to their country. So, the French bore the mark "F", the Poles were supposed to have the letter "P", etc. The letter "K" was used to mark war criminals (Kriegsverbrecher), the sign "A" was used to mark persistent violators of labor discipline (Arbeit - "work"). All people with mental impairments were required to have the Blid badge on their clothes. If the administration suspected a prisoner of preparing to escape, a red and white target was applied to his clothes (on his chest and back), which allowed the guards to shoot at such unfortunates at the slightest suspicion of disloyalty on their part. Prisoners of war were classified according to their country. So, the French bore the mark "F", the Poles were supposed to have the letter "P", etc. The letter "K" was used to mark war criminals (Kriegsverbrecher), the sign "A" was used to mark persistent violators of labor discipline (Arbeit - "work"). All people with mental impairments were required to have the Blid badge on their clothes. If the administration suspected a prisoner of preparing to escape, a red and white target was applied to his clothes (on his chest and back), which allowed the guards to shoot at such unfortunates at the slightest suspicion of disloyalty on their part. Prisoners of war were classified according to their country. So, the French bore the mark "F", the Poles were supposed to have the letter "P", etc. The letter "K" was used to mark war criminals (Kriegsverbrecher), the sign "A" was used to mark persistent violators of labor discipline (Arbeit - "work"). All people with mental impairments were required to have the Blid badge on their clothes. If the administration suspected a prisoner of preparing to escape, a red and white target was applied to his clothes (on his chest and back), which allowed the guards to shoot at such unfortunates at the slightest suspicion of disloyalty on their part.the sign "A" was used to mark persistent violators of labor discipline (Arbeit - "work"). All people with mental impairments were required to have the Blid badge on their clothes. If the administration suspected a prisoner of preparing to escape, a red and white target was applied to his clothes (on his chest and back), which allowed the guards to shoot at such unfortunates at the slightest suspicion of disloyalty on their part.the sign "A" was used to mark persistent violators of labor discipline (Arbeit - "work"). All people with mental impairments were required to have the Blid badge on their clothes. If the administration suspected a prisoner of preparing to escape, a red and white target was applied to his clothes (on his chest and back), which allowed the guards to shoot at such unfortunates at the slightest suspicion of disloyalty on their part.
How many people were in the camps? It is generally accepted that the Nazi death camps numbered no more than three to four dozen objects, but the reality is much worse. Historians have established that everything in the system of "correctional labor" institutions included more than 14 thousand (!) Various organizations, each of which played a role in the elimination of millions of people. More than 18 million Europeans alone passed through their walls, and at least 11 million people were killed. When Hitlerism was finally defeated in the war, it was the German death camps that became one of the most disgusting acts of the Germans. Their construction was condemned during the Nuremberg trials as "the gravest crime against humanity." At present, in Germany, no distinction is made between the people who were held in these camps and those whowho was imprisoned in "places equated to concentration, correctional labor institutions." But there were such places among these places that even now the thought of them makes the most experienced researchers and historians shiver. Take the Auschwitz death camp. According to the most conservative estimates, more than one and a half million people died within its walls. But they included most of all adults, while in some places the Hitlerite monsters did not disdain to kill thousands of completely defenseless children, the oldest of whom was only 12 years old. But they included most of all adults, while in some places the Hitlerite monsters did not disdain to kill thousands of completely defenseless children, the oldest of whom was only 12 years old. But they included most of all adults, while in some places the Hitlerite monsters did not disdain to kill thousands of completely defenseless children, the oldest of whom was only 12 years old.
"Kurtengoff" But one of the most terrifying places was the Salaspils death camp. It received its monstrous fame due to the fact that it contained many juvenile prisoners. He was in Latvia, which "the valiant soldiers of the Reich liberated from the yoke of the Soviet occupiers." They were "liberated" extremely successfully: in this camp alone, at least 100 thousand people died as martyrs. This estimate is clearly underestimated, but it will never be possible to establish the truth: in 1944, all camp archives were meticulously destroyed during the evacuation. What was going on here? The Salaspils death camp became "famous" for the incredible enormity of the crimes committed here. Thus, a particularly common method of killing children was to completely pump out their blood, which was then used in German hospitals and hospitals for the military. They also tested various methods of transplantation. After the war, not far from the territory on which this children's death camp was located, a strange piece of land was found, which was literally saturated with some kind of oily substance. The researchers who began to study it were terrified: in a huge pit, in which the earth was mixed with human ash, they found unburned remains of bones. Lots of. All of them belonged to children of five to nine years of age. As it turned out later, almost all of them were “blood donors”, whose bodies were literally pumped dry.were in terrible horror: in a huge pit, the earth in which was mixed with human ash, they found unburned remnants of bones. Lots of. All of them belonged to children of five to nine years of age. As it turned out later, almost all of them were “blood donors”, whose bodies were literally pumped dry.were in terrible horror: in a huge pit, the earth in which was mixed with human ash, they found unburned remnants of bones. Lots of. All of them belonged to children of five to nine years of age. As it turned out later, almost all of them were “blood donors”, whose bodies were literally pumped dry.
Other "experiments" Infectious diseases raged in the camp, the main one being measles. Indeed, inhuman experiments were carried out on children who fell ill with her: they were frozen, starved, and their limbs were amputated to "establish the limits of the human body." In addition, the "experimenters" washed the unfortunate people with ice water. At the same time, the infection quickly went deep into the body, the children died in terrible agony, and the agony sometimes lasted for several days. Like all death camps (photos of which are in the article), this one was extremely actively used by German "doctors" to test new vaccines and antimicrobial drugs. New antidotes were tested on children, for which they massively poisoned them with arsenic. We found out the resistance of causative agents of gastrointestinal diseases to the antimicrobial drugs that existed at that time,why juvenile prisoners were infected with typhoid fever, dysentery and other diseases. Conclusions Any war is inherently extremely cruel and meaningless. It does not solve contradictions, but only leads to the accumulation of completely new ones. But the Second Irava recalled that some war crimes have no statute of limitations or grounds for forgiveness. We must always remember about the death camps, in which millions of lives were taken. In no case should one forget about such monstrous crimes against human nature itself, as this would be a betrayal of the memory of their numerous, often nameless victims. But the Second Irava recalled that some war crimes have no statute of limitations or grounds for forgiveness. We must always remember about the death camps, in which millions of lives were taken. In no case should one forget about such monstrous crimes against human nature itself, as this would be a betrayal of the memory of their numerous, often nameless victims. But the Second Irava recalled that some war crimes have no statute of limitations or grounds for forgiveness. We must always remember about the death camps, in which millions of lives were taken. In no case should one forget about such monstrous crimes against human nature itself, as this would be a betrayal of the memory of their numerous, often nameless victims.