the holocaust
The Holocaust is by far the most
infamous part of WWII. The Holocaust was a mass genocide of anyone that Adolf
Hitler thought “inferior”. This included Jews, homosexuals, gypsies, the
handicapped, Jehovah’s witnesses, and Slavic people.
Over 11 million people were killed during Hitler’s Holocaust. Out of the 11 million,
six million were citizens of Poland, three million were Polish, Jews and three
million were Polish Christians. The majority of the remaining victims were from
Czechoslovakia, Hungary, Russia, Ukraine Holland, France, and surprisingly,
Germany. These victims were sent to concentration and death camps. At these
camps, they experienced inhumane treatment and murder. At the beginning of Hitler’s reign of terror, Jews were forced to live in ghettos. They lived under
strict rules, and had to give up most of their valuables when they were rushed
out of their homes and commanded to live with strangers. The ghettos were
emptied when the Jews were shipped off to concentration and death camps on
rugged trains. The most famouscause of death was the gas chambers. Some were
disguised as showers. Theprisoners were herded into these chambers expecting a shower,
but were insteadgreeted with poisonous gas leaking from the shower heads. After their death,
most were burned. However, some remaining prisoners were often forced to dig
mass graves for the victims. In some cases, they were unknowingly digging their
own graves; after they finished digging, they were shot on the spot and fell
into the freshly dug grave. The most infamous concentration camp was called
Auschwitz. Auschwitz was known as the “death factory” because an estimated 1.1
million people were killed at this camp alone. The living conditions were
unimaginable, and people that didn’t die in the gas chambers died of
starvation, severe beatings, disease, and other brutal causes.
Another infamous camp of the war was Buchenwald.
Buchenwald was one of the largest camps with many satellite camps. The camp was established
in 1937 in Germany’s old borders. The German SS authorities opened
Buchenwald for male prisoners in July of 1937, and there were no women
prisoners laboring in the camp. Women finally started surviving past the
arrival to the camp in 1943.
Chelmno was known as the “killing center”. It was the first death camp of the
Holocaust. On the grounds of the camp was a house, which included rooms for
undressing and for giving up valuables. The SS and police killed occupants of Chelmno
under the authority of the Higher SS and Police Leaders.
At these camps, horrible experiments were tested on live human guinea
pigs. Hardly any of the victims of these experiments walked out alive.
A number of German physicians conducted painful and often lethal experiments on
thousands of prisoners without their permission. Unethical medical
experimentation carried out during the Third Reich are often divided into three categories.
The first category consists of experiments with the purpose of facilitating the
survival of Axis soldiers. In Dachau, physicians
from Germany’s Air Force and from the German Experimental Institution for
Aviation conducted high-altitude experiments, using a low-pressure chamber, to
determine the maximum altitude from which crews of damaged aircraft could
parachute to safety. Scientists there conducted freezing experiments using
prisoners to find an effective treatment for hypothermia. It was a brutal time
for everyone involved.
http://www.jewishgen.org/forgottencamps/camps/buchenwaldeng.html
http://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/jsource/Holocaust/NonJewishVictims.html
http://www.kawvalley.k12.ks.us/schools/rjh/marneyg/04_holocaust-projects/04_amack_victims.htm
http://www.ushmm.org/wlc/en/article.php?ModuleId=10005168
infamous part of WWII. The Holocaust was a mass genocide of anyone that Adolf
Hitler thought “inferior”. This included Jews, homosexuals, gypsies, the
handicapped, Jehovah’s witnesses, and Slavic people.
Over 11 million people were killed during Hitler’s Holocaust. Out of the 11 million,
six million were citizens of Poland, three million were Polish, Jews and three
million were Polish Christians. The majority of the remaining victims were from
Czechoslovakia, Hungary, Russia, Ukraine Holland, France, and surprisingly,
Germany. These victims were sent to concentration and death camps. At these
camps, they experienced inhumane treatment and murder. At the beginning of Hitler’s reign of terror, Jews were forced to live in ghettos. They lived under
strict rules, and had to give up most of their valuables when they were rushed
out of their homes and commanded to live with strangers. The ghettos were
emptied when the Jews were shipped off to concentration and death camps on
rugged trains. The most famouscause of death was the gas chambers. Some were
disguised as showers. Theprisoners were herded into these chambers expecting a shower,
but were insteadgreeted with poisonous gas leaking from the shower heads. After their death,
most were burned. However, some remaining prisoners were often forced to dig
mass graves for the victims. In some cases, they were unknowingly digging their
own graves; after they finished digging, they were shot on the spot and fell
into the freshly dug grave. The most infamous concentration camp was called
Auschwitz. Auschwitz was known as the “death factory” because an estimated 1.1
million people were killed at this camp alone. The living conditions were
unimaginable, and people that didn’t die in the gas chambers died of
starvation, severe beatings, disease, and other brutal causes.
Another infamous camp of the war was Buchenwald.
Buchenwald was one of the largest camps with many satellite camps. The camp was established
in 1937 in Germany’s old borders. The German SS authorities opened
Buchenwald for male prisoners in July of 1937, and there were no women
prisoners laboring in the camp. Women finally started surviving past the
arrival to the camp in 1943.
Chelmno was known as the “killing center”. It was the first death camp of the
Holocaust. On the grounds of the camp was a house, which included rooms for
undressing and for giving up valuables. The SS and police killed occupants of Chelmno
under the authority of the Higher SS and Police Leaders.
At these camps, horrible experiments were tested on live human guinea
pigs. Hardly any of the victims of these experiments walked out alive.
A number of German physicians conducted painful and often lethal experiments on
thousands of prisoners without their permission. Unethical medical
experimentation carried out during the Third Reich are often divided into three categories.
The first category consists of experiments with the purpose of facilitating the
survival of Axis soldiers. In Dachau, physicians
from Germany’s Air Force and from the German Experimental Institution for
Aviation conducted high-altitude experiments, using a low-pressure chamber, to
determine the maximum altitude from which crews of damaged aircraft could
parachute to safety. Scientists there conducted freezing experiments using
prisoners to find an effective treatment for hypothermia. It was a brutal time
for everyone involved.
http://www.jewishgen.org/forgottencamps/camps/buchenwaldeng.html
http://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/jsource/Holocaust/NonJewishVictims.html
http://www.kawvalley.k12.ks.us/schools/rjh/marneyg/04_holocaust-projects/04_amack_victims.htm
http://www.ushmm.org/wlc/en/article.php?ModuleId=10005168