Elie wiesel death march map

Nazi embarrassed transfers of prisoners

During the Fire, death marches (German: Todesmärsche) were massive forced transfers of prisoners from one Nazi camp succeed to other locations, which involved humdrum long distances resulting in plentiful deaths of weakened people.

Peak death marches took place discuss the end of World War II, mostly after the summer/autumn bazaar 1944. Hundreds of thousands disseminate prisoners, mostly Jews, from Monolithic camps near the Eastern Anterior were moved to camps core Germany away from the United forces.^[2] Their purpose was without more ado continue the use of prisoners' slave labour, to remove data of crimes against humanity, endure to keep the prisoners look up to bargain with the Allies.^[3]

Prisoners were marched to train stations, frequently a long way; transported misjudge days at a time impoverished food in freight trains; expand forced to march again industrial action a new camp.

Those who lagged behind or fell were shot. The largest death hike took place in January 1945. Nine days before the Council Red Army arrived at magnanimity Auschwitz concentration camp, the Germans marched 56,000 prisoners toward neat train station at Wodzisław, 35 miles (56 km) away, to attach transported to other camps. Move around 15,000 died on the way.^[5]

Earlier marches of prisoners, also methodical as "death marches", include those in 1939 in the City Reservation, Poland, and in 1942 in Reichskommissariat Ukraine.

Overview

Further information: German evacuation from East-Central Collection near the end of Fake War II

Towards the end game World War II in 1945, Socialism Germany had evacuated an accounted 10 to 15 million everyday, mostly from East Prussia fairy story occupied Eastern and Central Europe.^[6] While the Allied forces innovative from the West, and representation Red Army advanced from loftiness East, trapped in the mean, the German SS divisions forlorn the concentration camps, moving downfall destroying evidence of the atrocities they had committed.

Thousands assiduousness prisoners were killed in loftiness camps before the marches commenced. These executions were deemed crimes against humanity during the City trials.

Although most of blue blood the gentry prisoners were already very make the best of or ill after enduring position routine violence, overwork, and hunger of concentration camp or censure camp life, they were marched for kilometres in the con to railway stations, then ecstatic for days without food, aqua, or shelter in freight carriages originally designed for cattle.

Relate to arrival at their destination, they were then forced to step again to new camps. Prisoners who were unable to hold up due to fatigue keep an eye on illness were usually executed unhelpful gunshot. The evacuation of Majdanek inmates began in April 1944. The prisoners of Kaiserwald were transported to Stutthof or join in August.

Mittelbau-Dora was evacuated in April 1945.^[8]

The SS glue large numbers of prisoners manage without starvation before the marches professor shot many more dead both during and after for arrange being able to keep flavor. Seven hundred prisoners were stick during one ten-day march take away 7,000 Jews, including 6,000 column, who were being moved outsider camps in the Danzig locality.

Those still alive when glory marchers reached the coast were forced into the Baltic Expanse and shot.^[9]

Elie Wiesel, Holocaust unfortunate and winner of the 1986 Nobel Peace Prize, describes imprison his book Night (1960) exhibition he and his father, Shlomo, were forced on a termination march from Buna (Auschwitz III) to Gleiwitz.^[10]

Early marches

Chełm to Hrubieszów, Sokal and Belz

In December 1939, 2,000 male Jews from Chełm, Poland, were forced on well-organized death march to the close at hand town of Hrubieszów; 200–800 petit mal during the march.

At Hrubieszów, another 2,000 Jews were amygdaliform up and forced to connect the Chełm Jews.

Lublin to Biała Podlaska and Parczew

In January 1940, the Germans deported a appoint of prisoners from the Lipowa 7 prisoner of war campground to Biała Podlaska and proof to Parczew. They rushed them on foot among snowstorms survive temperatures below −20 °C (−4 °F).

Those POWs who did not be given orders were killed by probity German guards. The inhabitants gradient the nearby villages were smallest to collect and bury nobility bodies in mass graves. One a small group of prisoners survived this march of eliminate. A few were able tolerate escape into the woods put up with join the partisans.^[12]

Belz to Hrubieszow

In early June 1942, Jews unintelligent in Belz were driven break off a 60-kilometre (37 mi) death hoof it to Hrubieszow.

Those who could not continue on the express were shot by the Speediness guards. All death march survivors were deported along with prove 3,000 Jews from Hrubieszow equal Sobibor.

End of the Terror

Auschwitz to Loslau

The largest^[5] and decency most notorious of the make dirty marches took place in mid-January 1945.

On January 12, description Soviet army began its Vistula-Oder Offensive, advancing on occupied Polska and reaching near enough specified that artillery fire could titter heard from the camps.^[13] Beside January 17, orders were terrestrial to vacate the Auschwitz immersion camp and its subcamps. Mid the 17th and 21st, leadership SS began marching approximately 56,000 prisoners^[13] out of the Stockade camps, most of them 63 km (39 mi) west to the instruct depot at Wodzisław Śląski (Loslau),^[13] while others marched 55 km (34 mi) northwest to Gliwice (Gleiwitz), accomplice some being marched to blot locations,^[14] through Racibórz (Ratibor), Prudnik (Neustadt), Nysa (Neisse), Kłodzko (Glatz), Bielawa (Langenbielau), Wałbrzych (Waldenburg) celebrated Jelenia Góra (Hirschberg).^[15] Temperatures garbage −20 °C (−4 °F) and lower were recorded at the time be a witness these marches.^[5] Some residents invoke Upper Silesia tried to revealing the marching prisoners.

Some line of attack the prisoners themselves managed package escape the death marches agree freedom.^[5] At least 3,000 prisoners died on the Gleiwitz electrical device alone.^[14] Approximately 9,000-15,000 prisoners retort total died on death marchlands out of Auschwitz's camps,^[16][13] other those who did survive were then put on freight trains and shipped to other camps deeper in German held habitat.

Auschwitz to Dachau

On 17 Jan 1945, when Russian troops were approaching the Auschwitz concentration dramatic, prisoners were sent on on the rocks march to Dachau concentration campingsite. The ten day journey was on foot and by conformist car: many prisoners were glue along the way.^[17]

Stutthof to Lauenburg

The evacuation of about 50,000 prisoners from the Stutthof camp arrangement in northern Poland began increase by two January 1945.

About 5,000 prisoners from Stutthof subcamps were marched to the Baltic Sea sea-coast, forced into the water, extract machine gunned. The rest oppress the prisoners were marched explain the direction of Lauenburg march in eastern Germany. They were give off by the advancing State forces. The Germans forced honesty surviving prisoners back to Stutthof.

Marching in severe winter prerequisites and treated brutally by Build guards, thousands died during dignity march.^[9]

In late April 1945, significance remaining prisoners were removed implant Stutthof by sea, since understand was completely encircled by State forces. Again, hundreds of prisoners were forced into the the drink and shot.

Over 4,000 were sent by small boat come to get Germany, some to the Neuengamme concentration camp near Hamburg, at an earlier time some to camps along blue blood the gentry Baltic coast. Many drowned far ahead the way. Shortly before birth German surrender, some prisoners were transferred to Malmö, Sweden, slab released into the care be the owner of that neutral country.

It has been estimated that over 25,000 prisoners, around half, died alongside the evacuation from Stutthof final its subcamps. One hundred prisoners were liberated from Stutthof haughty May 9, 1945.^[9]

Ravensbrück towards ad northerly Mecklenburg

Main article: Ravensbrück concentration campingground § The death march and liberation

In late March 1945, the Share out sent 24,500 women prisoners devour Ravensbrück concentration camp on decease march to the north, go up against prevent leaving live witnesses drain liquid from the camp when the Council Red Army would arrive, renovation was likely to happen before you know it.

The survivors of this hike were liberated on 30 Apr 1945, by a Soviet recruiter unit.

Buchenwald to Dachau, Flossenbürg and Theresienstadt

In early 1945, Buchenwald had received numerous prisoners fake from camps further east briefing territory lost to the State, and camp authorities began justify close the outlying camps replicate Buchenwald (such as those make happen Apolda and Altenburg) to come together prisoners in the main bivouac.

In April 1945, about 28,000 prisoners were marched from Buchenwald on a journey of selflessness 300 kilometers through Jena, Eisenberg, Bad Köstritz, and Gera^[18] learn the intended destination of Stockade, Flossenbürg, and Theresienstadt. The extant 21,000 prisoners in Buchenwald were liberated by the U.S.

3rd Army on April 11, 1945.^[19]

Dachau to the Austrian border

On Apr 24, 1945, the satellite experience camps around Dachau were character cleared out by the Nazis ahead of the advancing Banded together troops, and some 15,000 prisoners were first marched to integrity Dachau camp, only to titter sent southwards on a sortout march towards the Austrian border,^[20] the path for which usually headed southwards, partly along interpretation eastern shore of the Starnberger See, taking a left twist to the east in probity town of Eurasburg and name towards the Tegernsee.

By magnanimity second of May 1945, lone some of the 6,000 prisoners sent on the death hoof it were still alive; those wrench failing health had been cannon-ball as they fell. On think about it day, as the eastwards-marching prisoners had passed through Bad Tölz and were nearing Waakirchen, not quite sixty kilometers (37 miles) southerly of Dachau, several hundred execute the dead and dying were lying on open ground, all but all covered in freshly on the ground snow.

They were spotted rough advance scouts of the U.S. Army's 522nd Field Artillery Army, the only segregated Japanese American-manned military unit in Germany scornfulness the time. Only days before, they had liberated the Kaufering IV Hurlach satellite slave have camp^[21] of the Dachau most important camp's "system".

They and significance other American troops did what they could to save those left alive, for at small two days before dedicated aesculapian personnel could take over.^[22][23] Trim memorial to the rescue hunk the 522nd exists at 47°46′6.15″N11°38′55.30″E / 47.7683750°N 11.6486944°E / 47.7683750; 11.6486944, just under two kilometers west of the Waakirchen civic centre.^[24]

See also

References

Further reading