The Holocaust
The holocaust was the mass genocide of members of the Jewish race by the Nazi's under Hitler's control during WWII. Over 6 million Jewish people were killed in terrible prisons called concentration camps. Concentration camps used various methods to kill such as gas chambers, human furnaces, execution by gunfire, disease, or letting them starve.
Jewish ghettos
The first thing the Nazi's did when they had completely taken over a country would be to set up ghettos that all people of Jewish decent were forced to live in. These ghettos were very crowded and usually included 10 or more people crammed into a room no bigger than 16'x16'. Many people died from diseases or exposure from the cold weather during the winters. The ghettos were emptied slowly a handful at a time. They started by determining which people were essential meaning that they were either metal workers, engineers, or had any trade skills valuable to making things necessary for the war.
Concentration camps
Auschwitz
Auschwitz was opened in 1940 and was the largest concentration camp ever built by the Nazis. Over 1 million people lost their lives in the dreaded death camp. When Auschwitz was ordered abandoned 60,000 disease ridden and malnourished prisoners were forced to walk several miles to new locations. The Soviets eventually found the camp and discovered piles of corpses left behind.
Auschwitz was opened in 1940 and was the largest concentration camp ever built by the Nazis. Over 1 million people lost their lives in the dreaded death camp. When Auschwitz was ordered abandoned 60,000 disease ridden and malnourished prisoners were forced to walk several miles to new locations. The Soviets eventually found the camp and discovered piles of corpses left behind.
Buchenwald
Buchenwald was second only to Auschwitz in the horrors it imposed on its prisoners. Before Buchenwald was liberated the Germans tried to blow up the evidence of the crimes they had committed but the Allies had seized the camp before the explosives could be planted. The Allies used the horrors of Buchenwald as propaganda against Hitler and the Nazi's.
Buchenwald was second only to Auschwitz in the horrors it imposed on its prisoners. Before Buchenwald was liberated the Germans tried to blow up the evidence of the crimes they had committed but the Allies had seized the camp before the explosives could be planted. The Allies used the horrors of Buchenwald as propaganda against Hitler and the Nazi's.
Sobibor
Sobibor was one of the Nazi's biggest kept secrets. Sobibor unlike the other concentration camps was not meant for keeping an torturing prisoners but to kill as many Jews as quickly as possible. It was estimated that the gas chambers alone killed nearly 260,000 people.
Sobibor was one of the Nazi's biggest kept secrets. Sobibor unlike the other concentration camps was not meant for keeping an torturing prisoners but to kill as many Jews as quickly as possible. It was estimated that the gas chambers alone killed nearly 260,000 people.
Experiments
Perhaps one of the most disturbing parts of the holocaust was the inhumane experiments performed on Jews and other political prisoners at the concentration camps. Some of the experiments included using a low pressure chamber to determine the maximum height at which a pilot could parachute to safety, putting people in a freezer to find an effective cure for hypothermia, and administering diseases then trying different methods to cure the disease.