The putrid smell of burning flesh, the piercing screams arising from the gas chambers, and the emaciated skeletons wandering the hellish grounds was the reality for those who passed through the gates of Auschwitz. Oswiecim, a town in southwest Poland, also known as Auschwitz, was the home of the concentration camps famously known as Auschwitz I, Auschwitz II, and Auschwitz III. These camps became the site of the largest mass murder the world has ever seen (Auschwitz). Conditions in Auschwitz were atrocious, and the amount of deaths the camp yielded was incomprehensible. In 1940, the Auschwitz Concentration Camp rose to power under Hauptsturmfuhrer Rudolf Hoess. Commandant Hoess led the camp to be the largest and most infamous concentration
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While building the camp he even adopted the derisive motto from the Dachau concentration camp, “Arbeit Macht Frei,” which means, “work brings freedom.” In the early days of Auschwitz, Hoess had few supplies and even resorted to stealing supplies from the houses close to the camp, a surprising act for a Nazi commandant to partake in (“Auschwitz”). The construction of Auschwitz began in April of 1940 under the supervision of Commandant Hoess, but it did not begin its rise to power until nearly two years later. When constructing the Auschwitz camp, SS authorities continuously used prisoners for forced labor to construct and develop the camp. In the first year of Auschwitz’s existence, the SS and police cleared a zone of around forty square kilometers as a “development zone.” This area was limited only for the use of the concentration camp, and it consisted of the three Auschwitz camps known as Auschwitz I, Auschwitz II, and Auschwitz III (“Auschwitz”). In 1941, Heinrich Himmler, a leading member of the Nazi Party in Germany, had grand plans for Auschwitz. Despite this, Adolf Hitler, the leader of the Nazi party, had conflicting ideas. Throughout the time of 1940 to May of 1941, Auschwitz served as a concentration camp for Polish political prisoners. It was not until May of 1941 that SS Commander Himmler said to Hoess, that Hitler had given orders “for the final solution of the Jewish …show more content…
This had an enormous effect on the Jewish population. Hoess never worried about the conditions of his prisoners, but only the most efficient way to handle them. His goal was to terrorize and imprison the Jews in the camp. Most would say he was extremely successful at achieving his goal because he terrorized the prisoners in cruel and sadistic ways. Hoess began this process upon their arrival. When prisoners arrived in the camp, their rights were stripped from them. First, they were forced to remove all of their clothes, including underwear, as well as their proof of identity and all other personal possessions. After that, the prisoners were taken to the camp barber, where all body hair was removed. Following that, the prisoners were driven into showers, which was followed by the issuing of camp clothing. Finally, the prisoners received a camp serial number, which would serve as their new name (“Auschwitz Concentration
While building the camp he even adopted the derisive motto from the Dachau concentration camp, “Arbeit Macht Frei,” which means, “work brings freedom.” In the early days of Auschwitz, Hoess had few supplies and even resorted to stealing supplies from the houses close to the camp, a surprising act for a Nazi commandant to partake in (“Auschwitz”). The construction of Auschwitz began in April of 1940 under the supervision of Commandant Hoess, but it did not begin its rise to power until nearly two years later. When constructing the Auschwitz camp, SS authorities continuously used prisoners for forced labor to construct and develop the camp. In the first year of Auschwitz’s existence, the SS and police cleared a zone of around forty square kilometers as a “development zone.” This area was limited only for the use of the concentration camp, and it consisted of the three Auschwitz camps known as Auschwitz I, Auschwitz II, and Auschwitz III (“Auschwitz”). In 1941, Heinrich Himmler, a leading member of the Nazi Party in Germany, had grand plans for Auschwitz. Despite this, Adolf Hitler, the leader of the Nazi party, had conflicting ideas. Throughout the time of 1940 to May of 1941, Auschwitz served as a concentration camp for Polish political prisoners. It was not until May of 1941 that SS Commander Himmler said to Hoess, that Hitler had given orders “for the final solution of the Jewish …show more content…
This had an enormous effect on the Jewish population. Hoess never worried about the conditions of his prisoners, but only the most efficient way to handle them. His goal was to terrorize and imprison the Jews in the camp. Most would say he was extremely successful at achieving his goal because he terrorized the prisoners in cruel and sadistic ways. Hoess began this process upon their arrival. When prisoners arrived in the camp, their rights were stripped from them. First, they were forced to remove all of their clothes, including underwear, as well as their proof of identity and all other personal possessions. After that, the prisoners were taken to the camp barber, where all body hair was removed. Following that, the prisoners were driven into showers, which was followed by the issuing of camp clothing. Finally, the prisoners received a camp serial number, which would serve as their new name (“Auschwitz Concentration