Needstrat: Auschwitz liberated

On Saturday 27 January at nine o’clock the first Russian soldier appears in the at the hospital of Auschwitz III (Monowitz)¹⁾. Half an hour later the rest of his reconnaissance unit arrives, and they start to share bread with the inmates. Moving on to the Auschwitz I camp they fight German soldiers. At 15 o’clock they reach the main camp Auschwitz II (Birkenau). In all they find over 7.000 sick and exhausted prisoners. A total of 231 Russian soldiers fall during the liberation.

Nobody knows how many were killed in Auschwitz, the Memorial and Museum at the site writes that more than 1.1 million died. There are people denying that Holocaust occurred or that it has been exaggerated. I have met one myself who claimed the extent is exaggerated. When I explained that I went to Auschwitz in 1990, and saw camp I and II myself, in addition to overwhelming evidence of books, testimonies, photos and films - he fell a bit silent, but I am not quite sure he was confident.

To reject denial of Holocaust, the United Nations General Assembly adopted a resolution condemning "without reserve" all manifestations of religious intolerance, incitement, harassment or violence against persons or communities based on ethnic origin or religious belief, whenever they occur. And the UN designated 27 January as an annual International Day of Commemoration ²⁾ in memory of the victims of the Holocaust. They also urged member states to develop educational programmes to instil the memory of the tragedy in future generations to prevent genocide from occurring again. Auschwitz is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/5/51/Child_survivors_of_Auschwitz.jpeg

Children who survived to see liberation in January 1945.


Map with the location of the three main camps at Auschwitz (1944).

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Selection_Birkenau_ramp.jpg

Selection in Birkenau of Hungarian Jews in 1944.

Why didn’t the allies bomb Auschwitz?

Reports about the killings came out from survivors who had escaped. The Allies got the reports, and took aerial photos themselves see photo below of US and even newspapers printed testimonials. Two escapees Fred Wetzler and Rudolf Vrba warned about the planned reception of Hungarian Jew in the spring of 1944. Se film “Auschwitz Secrets of the Dead ” ³⁾. 438.000 Hungarian Jews were deported to Auschwitz in 1944.

While some urged for bombing of railway lines or crematoriums, all within range and scope of the Allied air-force, the Jewish leadership was divided. They did not want to press for a military action to specifically save Jews. David Ben-Gurion said “We do not know the truth concerning the entire situation in Poland…” They were concerned that Jews would be killed. Later on receiving the Vrba-Wetzler report, they change their mind, but the British didn’t react to their appeals. The Americans also denied requests, citing that military resources could not be diverted. And that it might be ineffective and make the Germans more vindictive. Hundreds of thousands more died until the camps were liberated on 27 January 1945.