Death Camps

What were the death camps?

The death camps were purpose-built camps used to carry out the systematic mass murder of Jews as part of the 'Final Solution'.

When were the death camps built?

Death camps were built from March 1942 onwards.

Where were the death camps built?

Death camps were mainly located in Poland, including at Belzec, Auschwitz, Sobibor and Treblinka.

What happened to Jewish people in the death camps?

Prisoners arrived by train and were split into two groups; those who could work and those who were to be killed immediately.

What happened to those who could work in the death camps?

People who were fit to work were given jobs to do until they were too weak to perform them. Some of them were forced to be the subjects of medical experiments.

What happened to those not able to work in the death camps?

The majority of people were killed. Their belongings were taken from them and they were ordered to shower in what were disguised gas chambers. The 'shower blocks' could hold up to 2,000 people at a time.

What happened to children in the death camps?

Children, the sick and elderly were killed first.

What happened to the bodies of the Jews after they were killed in the gas chambers of the death camps?

Once the victims were dead, any useful 'by-products' such as spectacles or gold teeth were removed from their corpses. Their bodies were then cremated.