(It was a time I wanted to go down to Munich, there were some things he wanted to see in the university, but also wanted to visit the Dachau concentration camp, a short train ride from there. Here I post my impressions that continue to question me about the human condition or more specifically, on human inhumanity ..) Introduction:
The Dachau Concentration Camp was the first concentration camp set up by Hitler. It was the March 22, 1933, shortly after Adolf Hitler came to power as Reichskanzeler, and meant to internalize it political prisoners. Its original capacity was to house 5000 people, although in its last stage was crowded contain more than 30000.
A barracks designed for 200 people came to shelter at 1600.
Among the main field and the annexes (Aussenlanger), between 1933 and 1945 were detained over 200000 people across Europe and found almost a quarter of death upon him. Dachau
incident also served as a model for the fields that would be installed later in Germany and neighboring countries in school murderers of the SS.
I was hard to find, including references and official instructions given by the villagers. The difficulty would luego.
Al acercarme a él uno va teniendo la sensación de ir descendiendo a lo más abyecto de la barbarie humana. Más aún, cuando sabes que ese mismo camino era el que los prisioneros recorrían luego de descender de los trenes que los habían traído hasta allí.
Unas oficinas a la entrada del campo ofrecen información y distintos materiales explicativos referentes a las actividades allí desarrolladas, luego hemos de atravesar las rejas que hacen de entrada y que aún conservan la tristemente conocida inscripción en hierro forjado: “ARBEIT MACHT FREI ” (el trabajo os hace libres).
El campo.
Dachau fue una clara muestra que una the first will of Hitler, was thought to silence any opposition or dissent. There are many men of the SS, the Nazi leaders, etc. learned the skills, organization, management and methods of extermination.
Its first occupants were communists, social democrats, monarchists, then joined him for a while common convicts with a sentence of imprisonment and are considered accomplished but also, (as well as political opponents of the regime) a danger to society. The latter are not infrequently become informers and spies of his colleagues in the service of the SS.
then be sent there to Jews (After Kristallnacht admitted more than 10000), gypsies, religious and Lutheran pastor Niemöller and others (I visited the small cell where he was imprisoned for seven years) and all who constitute, in the eyes of the regime a threat to security. After the beginning of world war, also would add prisoners of all countries at war with Germany, members of resistance movements, etc. Paradoxically
the beginning of the war brought hope to the prisoners. From there existed the possibility that the defeat of the Third Reich, also mean freedom, if they could survive. That is why the statistics field notice a significant drop in suicide rates from the beginning of the conflagration, which previously was particularly high.
prisoner's life.
As soon reached the prisoner to comprehend their new situation.
was homeless and without rights, physical beatings, insults and humiliation would be commonplace. A number and a triangle of fabric color (different in each case, it was a political prisoner or elsewhere) clearly identified him and left him at the mercy of their captors.
What awaited him was nothing more than farm work, hunger to malnutrition, fatigue to fall, brutality and sadism of the guards.
The long hours of daily work exceeding 12 hours, the long marches round the country to their places of work, training to control, etc. leaving almost no time for physical rest. If we add more to poor nutrition, we found a high number of deaths from what is known as "extermination through work." Since
wartime labor representing became very important for production. Those who had no work in the field itself (workshops, forges, etc.) Was sent to work outside the field in quarries, construction or repair of roads, etc. Even today it is possible to see work done by prisoners, particularly caught my attention a wooden desk that some prisoners used to write letters to their families. When you touch me seemed to feel the pain of those days.
Private companies could also obtain prisoners to work as slave labor. When one was sick or unable to work because of the weakness was sent to the field again (what amounted to a death sentence) and replaced with one that would work in the same inhumane conditions until exhaustion.
Hunger was a problem particularly acute, watery soup, a piece of bread and little else were insufficient for the kind of lives they led and shortened their survival hopes. Among the prisoners the theft of bread was particularly regarded as a violation of the principle of solidarity, given that steal food from a partner could mean death by malnutrition of this. The
unable to work only received half the ration of a common prisoner. Poor nutrition
in turn makes them susceptible to all sorts of diseases and epidemics that never failed to decimate their ranks. Every day more than a hundred died in prison and up to two hundred times as when a typhus epidemic devastated the country in December 1944. These conditions worsened over the course of the war. In the last four months of war killed more than 13000 people.
physical punishment of the guards were brutal.
A maxim which came into operation in Dachau and extended as first councilor to the other areas until the end of the war said: "Being tolerant means being weak .." so each call judged on its own alleged lack of prisoners and penaba. These faults could be as small as one-button jacket lost, a wrong answer or dirt on the block and its worth 25 lashes without any faint (but it started again), hanging for hours, sit for several days continued to weather chaining, etc. to the maximum penalty. Sometimes
SS guards offered a rope to hang the prisoner also, if he chose. Quite a few opted for this rapid death.
The horror in the form of medical expirementación.
The Dachau concentration camp were also conducted medical experiments on prisoners, using them as guinea pigs.
The purpose of the experiments were to improve the chances of survival or cure of the German soldiers, could suffer frostbite, crippling injuries, illnesses, infections.
atrociously These experiments ended the lives of many prisoners.
Some experiments were conducted, among others, the Dr.Claus Schilling, a renowned specialist in tropical medicine. 1100 prisoners infected with malaria in the search for a treatment for this disease, trying different methods.
Another experiment was conducted by a doctor of military aircraft and was Dr.Siegmund Rascher decompression chamber tests to see how he could react the body of a pilot under a sudden decompression. Nearly 200 prisoners were used in this experiment, which killed about 80.
field in the exhibition could be seen written reports, these monsters with title doctor performed, there could be read :"... the formation of emboli to various subjects immersed in water, to cause death, unable to recover the knowledge that ... "
how much experimentation was also cool human body could withstand before collapsing, Professor Dr.Finke Holzlöhner and collaborate on them.
was artificially caused tuberculosis, sepsis and infections to test several different biochemical antiseptics.
And this is proposed, directed and performed educated, recognized in their professions, whose vocation called them to be sensitive to human pain.
The different forms of execution or annihilation.
Another way of extermination, was the systematic implementation of what the Nazis considered worthless, as the sick and disabled to work. Their backgrounds were in the euthanasia decree that the practice had become a mass murder of the mentally ill.
In 1941 he began to exit in the direction of Dachau Hartheim near Linz where they were executed by poison gas. They found death more than 3000 people.
The Gestapo had a special section of the field which lead to their arrest and interrogation of prisoners to keep some information it was of interest. They could also further order executions if they felt it.
After the occupation of France, came many French resistance, or suspected sympathizers, in what was called Operation Night and Fog. This was operating secret nocturnal and move to Germany and were known as the NN.
The Russians also received special treatment. Hitler had given orders that were treated outside the Geneva Laws which protect prisoners of war.
Those who were identified as political leaders should be shot immediately.
The dead Russian prisoners in Germany and countries occupied during the war amounted to more than 3,000,000
In one corner of the field is the range indicated that the SS used for the mass executions of Russian prisoners.
was also built a gas chamber, similar to those in Auschwitz, but was never used. Yes crematoria, which were increased to four, as the former was soon enough.
A chilling vision occurred to me to be standing in a hut next to the crematorium and see a picture of the last days of the camp, taken from my own position and perspective, which were visible a mountain of corpses waiting to be cremated. Conclusion
reflection mode.
acknowledge that I am still digesting and processing all that experience.
visit the facilities, barracks, offices of interrogation, the field, everything is silent witness to what man can do to man was a powerful experience for me.
Returning to my home in Hamel, in northern Germany, reflected on the human capacity of evil. His spawn and development, if possible to see the Nazis only as a historical aberration or whether truth is something much more dangerous. If something happened or that since he is a phenomenon that happened to man is likely to return occur. If so, what forms will then? Do remember a way to prevent?
In any case, I admired it with me made the visit to the field, with an administrative guide, a large group of officers of the military schools in Germany today. Dachau had the impression that I was talking specifically to them.
