Like many times of atrocity in history, it is difficult to conceive of what happened at the concentration camps during World War II. In fact, there are those who have such a difficulty associating these events with their internal feelings of right and wrong that they simply deny that they every occurred in the first place.
One of those concentration camps was Auschwitz, and in these images, known as the Auschwitz Album, there is the only surviving visual evidence of what happened behind those walls.
These images were taken in May or June, 1944 by either Bernhard Walter or Ernst Hoffmann, 2 SS men who were assigned to take ID photos and fingerprints of the inmates.
What you are going to see below is disturbing:
There were no steps on the railroad car so older Jews had to be assisted in disembarking. The words on the side of the train are translated at “German State Railway.”
In this picture, the arriving Jews were taking care of their belongings, as they felt they would be needing it. They had no idea that many of them would be murdered
Sril and Zelig, two of Lili Jacob’s siblings. They would be gassed shortly after arriving.
The line of Jewish men advances toward a SS man. The selection of Jewish women is taking place in the background. It looks like the 2 women in the front have been selected for slave labor.
These Jewish men are entering Birkenau as prisoners
These jewish woman are crossing Birkenau on their way to the shower. The men behind the barbed wire are already prisoners in Birkenau
These men have been selected for slave labor and are prisoners at Auschwitz. Their head was shaved, belongings were confiscated and they were given uniforms. Their registration number was tattooed on their left arm
These Jewish women were being watched by a SS man as they walk inside the prison camp
These are some of the bags and suitcases that were collected and sorted in “Kanada.”
Clothing was confiscated from those who arrived
There was not enough room in the undressing rooms for the gas chambers. Many had to wait outside until they could be taken inside. They were exhausted by this point due to the journey and selection process.
Jewish women and children walk toward the gas chambers. You can see railroad cars still waiting in the background. There is no memory of those who were deemed “valueless” when they came into the camp. This album is the only witness to their fate.
Via: History Buff
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