reflections The Leading Holocaust Magazine from the Auschwitz Study Group January 2018

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1 reflections The Leading Holocaust Magazine from the Auschwitz Study Group January 2018 Uncovering the Layers of a Changing Landscape: The Architectural Removal of IG Farben in Auschwitz The Forgotten Sub-Camp of Auschwitz: Locating the Former Camp in Chełmek / Lederfabrik: The Auschwitz Tannery / Salvation in Sankt Anna Am Aigen Labour Camp: An Interview with Survivor Sandor Vandor / The SS Küche in Auschwitz / Women of the Rajsko sub-camp and much more...

2 Concept and Design by Michael Challoner Additional images courtesy of Mirosław Ganobis, Marek Rawecki, Polish National Archives, Yad Vashem collections, Auschwitz Birkenau Archives, Sandor Vandor, Archives, St. Anna (Instagram & Waterstones under fair representative use) and ASG collections Front cover image: The former area of IG Farben Lager V: Tannenwald. Photo Michael Challoner 2015 CONTENTS reflections magazine January Editorial Note 04 Inside the IG Farben Werk Kamps 07 Uncovering the Layers of a Changing Landscape 09 Angestellten Wohnlager Camp Profile 10 Feeding the IG Farben Workforce 13 Booking a Tour with the ASG 14 Interview with Sandor Vandor 18 Chelmek: The Forgotten Sub-Camp 23 Luftschutz-Splitterschutzzelle bunkers Exhibit 23 Chelmek Camp Profile 24 The Dark History of the Auschwitz Tannery 34 Portraits of Raisko 39 Dr Ludwik Fleck: Portraits 40 absurdity of Indulgence: The Auschwitz Küche 44 The Changing Face of Social Media 46 Auschwitz Study Group News 47 Social Media 48 Volunteers 02 January 2018

3 EDITORIAL NOTE reflections magazine January 2018 Michael Challoner This latest edition of the Auschwitz Study Group publication reflections, continues to explore material traces of KL Auschwitz-Birkenau deep within the far reaching spatial grounds that fell within its administration. Aside from a few short publications, Auschwitz-Birkenau is rarely understood beyond its recognisable position, one that is widely accepted today. Yet to further understand how the material infrastructure of a gigantic city was necessary to achieve the ultimate goal of mass murder, one must first come to terms with the normality of the substratum or how one can mundanely play out civilian life in the centre of this hell. Indeed, infrastructure was central to Auschwitz-Birkenau. The surrounding city continued with relative routine, ante bellum with its appointed civil servants, emergency services and an adapting economy that relied on its own survival to succeed. Civilian workers were key to the largest economy that grew out of Auschwitz. The IG Farben plant 5km to the east of Auschwitz required a mass influx of civilian workers to inhabit a new housing settlement. Those who weren t so fortunate, were held in one of IG Farben s several werk-kamps that conveniently littered the perimeter of the factories. In the immediate aftermath of the war, the preservation outside of the museum was not regulated. Workshops, barracks and buildings that supported the running of KL Auschwitz were demolished and by the 1970 s, the area around Auschwitz bore little similarity to how it once was. In this way, the whereabouts of several locations have been lost in time, something the Auschwitz Study Group has seen first-hand when inspecting the sub-camp system in its cotemporary environments. The physical location of these places remain paramount to our understanding of how KL Auschwitz operated. Continual research and maintaining of documents will eventually become an integral part of the learning of Auschwitz outside of the main camp, something that is greatly lacking at present. This edition of reflections begins to tackle some of these issues from a point of view where the reader may not be aware of the complexities. The journey of these subjects will continue to manifest themselves in our future works. January

4 the IG Farben Michael Challoner The steady establishment between 1941 and 1944 of industrial subcamps, mainly in the coal mining and oil industry made up around 28 of the 45 or so external sites of Auschwitz. This was to increase as IG Farben decided to build a large chemical industrial plant around 5km east of the main camp of Auschwitz. IG Farben were certainly one of the largest companies in the world between the 1920 s and 1930 s and without their expertise and cooperation, it is doubtful Hitler would have gone to war in Hitler s early meeting with the IG Farben representatives shortly after taking office in 1933 can historically be seen as just how important Hitler saw this as a pivotal moment for the future of the Reich. Historians have noted that this was possibly only one of the few meetings Hitler was on time for. During the meeting, Carl Bosch of IG Farben made a case to Hitler that the removal of Jews could be detrimental to the industry and German economy overall, but despite Hitler s reliance on the future collaboration with the company, he became enraged and informed Bosch that he should leave his opinions outside of the meeting room. The company s Directors were far from enthusiastic about early Nazi policies and had no immediate fiscal desire to sign up for long term contracts at this early stage. Whilst the levels of cooperation gradually changed throughout the 1930 s, IG Farben still managed to donate the very minimum amount of party contributions percentage wise to the National Socialist party by the end of the war. It is worth pointing out that despite IG Farben s political disagreements with the Nazi party, no significant actions were taken that would result in a loss of profits or contracts, and disagreements could simply be recorded as verbal disgruntlements. Over the years that followed on from 1933, IG Farben signed several large military contracts ensuring they owned the monopoly of the industry over their competitors. Business strategies changed over time and the shareholders agreed to only concentrate on highest profit margin. The outbreak of war limited IG Farben s exporting whilst the German army were making it clear they could broker favourable deals with their competitors should agreements not be met. When war broke out with Russia, the companies exporting deals were completely severed so once again immediate plans were dictated by Germany s military situation. Civilian workers in Lager III: Teichgrund. Photo courtesy of Mirosław Ganobis IG Farben were looking at either expansion at one of their existing plants or building a new factory within the new Nazi occupied territories. It is possible that they expected the 04 January 2018

5 Inside Werk Kamps The growth of Auschwitz from its beginnings as a backwater concentration camp into the largest mass murder killing site the world has ever seen was mostly the by-product of a series of extraordinarily turns of fate. Economic decisions ordered by SS-Reichsführer Heinrich Himmler, particularly the early establishment of large agricultural farms and nurseries in the towns and villages around Oswiecim set the precedent for the growth that would follow. January

6 One of the largest bomb shelters around IG Farben on the east perimeter of the Leonard Haag werk kamp - demolished in Photo by ASG 2014 British to surrender or at least be defeated by the Luftwaffe which would have had a great significance on their territorial investments. The failure to defeat the British led the IG Farben board to look once again at moving their expansion plans in the east as ownership of Britain s colonial resources would clearly not happen in the near future. IG Farbens reluctance to make a decision on factory sites previously earmarked in Poland had led to rival companies signing contracts with local coal mines, thus meaning they missed out on these possibilities. IG Farben soon began looking at the possibility of building a new plant on farm land just 5km east of Auschwitz I. The area was perfect in so much that it had a large water supply nearby and the land could be extended almost indefinitely in all directions. Local coal mines to provide energy to the plant and the housing estates required to house its workers were available to purchase (most notably the Furstengrube mine that became a sub-camp of Auschwitz). The labour needed to build such a large scale project within very limited time scales became such a large operation that Auschwitz 3 became an established administration which IG Farben became directly subordinate to. Thousands of their workers required housing by the plant, and one of the options was to use properties in Oswiecim that were vacated by the deported Jewish population. However, converting these properties into suitable accommodation for the IG Farben work force became expensive but more importantly time consuming. The solution was the construction of a new district, but in the meantime small barracks where workers could live would have to be built. To construct these large industrial and residential plans, several thousand labourers were required, many of which were sent from the main camp of Auschwitz to Auschwitz III Monowitz. 11,000 would eventually be housed there working directly for IG Farben. In addition to Monowitz, several other camps (werk kamps) were established housing civilian workers from Germany, Poland, Ukraine, Russia as well as POW s from Russia, Great Britain and Italy. In total, 10 werk kamps were constructed holding several thousand workers. In reality, the workers were prisoners. The camps were housed inside fences and barbed wire, and the work lasted 7 days a week with an exception on every second Sunday. The food was awful and insufficient and beatings were commonplace. Certain perks were on occasion available such as visits to or from families, and in the case of the British POW s, Red Cross parcels. Some workers were also given permission to visit the brothel in camp I, and despite the poor food issued, canteens that sold cigarettes and beer could sometimes be accessed. The Auschwitz Study Group have spent a considerable amount of time researching the testimonies of former prisoners in these werk kamps at the Auschwitz archives. We have also researched and conducted field research in the areas they occupied. We also use the work carried out by authors who have studied the area of Monowitz and IG Farben, particularly Piotr Setkiewicz and the history of IG Farben werk kamps. Archival research has been carried out by Iga Bunalska of the Auschwitz Study Group, and field research by Michael Challoner and Natalia Nowak, also of the ASG January 2018

7 Uncovering the Layers of a Changing Landscape: The Architectural Removal of IG Farben in Auschwitz The IG Farben plant in Auschwitz came to represent the largest of the continual spatial areas within the concentration camp system. Of the 10 IG Farben Werk Kamps that were spread around the town of Oświęcim and the village of Monowitz, 6 camps existed in a zone that were not divided by residential buildings. The whole of this area measured around 8.31km² (or 4.45km in a straight line). The purpose of the werk kamps was to imprison workers of various nationalities for labour in the IG Farben plant. The workers in these camps were generally treated better than those in the Auschwitz mother camp, yet the idea of civilian workers, a term often used to describe them is more than a little ambiguous. The workers were not free to leave, nor could they quit their jobs. Many were badly treated by the guards and in several cases fed a less than substantial diet that had to be subsidised by family members on the outside. The bleak landscape however, mirrored the grey imposing architecture at Birkenau. Large fences, watchtowers and wooden barracks (in total, around 400 wooden barracks were built in and around the IG Farben complex). Yet in contrast, the werk kamps were not as heavily guarded. It was not uncommon for some to only be manned at the main gate, and by Ukrainian guards. The fences were not electrified and the workers had more space per square foot than at Auschwitz. The newly finished ice rink with former barracks of Angestellten Wohnlager in the background (highlighted) Photo courtesy of Mirosław Ganobis There were exceptions to this standard within the camp system of IG Farben. Lager IV: Dorfrand became the Auschwitz III Monowitz camp and therefore was equal to the conditions at Birkenau and other sub-camps. Lager VI became the British POW camp and more heavily guarded. If we consider the 10 werk kamps, over 45 sub camps and the 3 Auschwitz main administrative centers, there were around 58 individual camps of Auschwitz that housed prisoners. Following the establishment of the Auschwitz Museum in 1947 and the subsequent ordering of the protected zones, many buildings connected to Auschwitz that fell outside of these borders have gradually disappeared over the years. In the 1960s, several wooden barracks of the British POW camp, Pulverturm were still present at its north perimeter. Occasionally, tourists who managed to enter Poland from America, Canada and the UK could be seen taking photos. Yet today, the only remaining wooden barracks of IG Farben can be located in the Monowitz area, however non resemble their original design after decades of change, contrary to popular belief. Post war photos documenting the useage and eventual destruction of these workspaces are extremely rare. In some cases, we simply haven t been able to find any. So when an album documenting a large scale building phase on the exact site of a former camp comes to light, we consider this an incredible find of extreme historical importance. This was recently the case with the IG Farben Werk Kamp Lager VII: Angestellten Wohnlager. If we consider the 10 werk kamps, over 45 sub camps and the 3 Auschwitz main administrative centers, there were around 58 individual camps of Auschwitz that housed prisoners January

8 IG Farben branded pottery found by the ASG at the site of Lager VII: Angestellten Wohnlager 08 January 2018

9 The site today is better known as the Oświęcim ice rink. Built in the early 1960s over a large area of land, the project led to the destruction of several barracks on the site (many barracks were actually destroyed in a USAAF bombing raid and were never rebuilt). Those that remained were converted for other purposes, either as housing, storage or work spaces. The construction album seemingly documents the earliest stages of development in the early 1960s through to the final completion in In several photos, former barracks can be seen in the background giving us an insight into their post war uses as well as architectural changes. We are also given an insight into how the infrastructure was changing the landscape less than two decades following the conclusion of WW2. A new road was built that split the camp boundaries in two, thus temporarily preserving 5 barracks on the west perimeter. The area became woodland and through the following decades, only their foundations remain today. This historically important album was donated to Mirosław Ganobis, a resident and somewhat local celebrity in Oświęcim. Ganobis has become an incredibly important cog in the wheel of preserving artifacts, photos and other obscure items from the occupation of Oświęcim and the decades that followed. Every item and photo that has been collected is made freely available for people to see, and it could be argued that this unique approach of sharing has led to many people donating such collections instead of hoarding them or even looking to sell to private collectors. 21st century photos continue to be equally important. Over the last 10 years, the Auschwitz Study Group have been fortunate enough to document several important buildings attached to the werk kamps, not least several large brick watchtowers and the only latrine outside of Birkenau to still exist (this was at the site of Pulverturm). Unfortunately, in 2014 an area rejuvenation project, the largest industrial development since 1942 led to the destruction of these relics. As the landscape continues to change, it becomes increasingly more urgent to save what we can from this period. We support the work and passion of people like Mirosław and continue to urge people to donate anything they may not have previously considered essential historical documentation. Drainage ducts from the barracks uncovered in the marsh areas around Lager VII Wohnlager Camp Profile Location: Monowice, Poland Camp commandant: Ernst Deltow Camp Population: 1800 Camp for: German civilian workers Angestellten Wohnlager, lager VII, was established in early 1943 for German civilian workers. The camp that consisted of around 39 barracks and a reception area, all of which can be made out from reconnaissance footage was based just south of Lager I Leonhard Haag, and between the streets of E and H of IG Farben (please note the street letters ranged from north to south A, B, C, D, E, F, G, H, J, and adjacent to the main west entrance to the chemical plant). Around 1,800 workers lived in Angestellten Wohnlager under the command of Lagerführer Ernst Deltow. Much of the camp was destroyed in late 1944 following a bombing raid on the IG Farben plant. Lager VII was one of only 3 camps to be severely damaged by the bombing raids alongside Lager VI Pulverturm, and Lager IX (unnamed), infact, Lager IX never fully recovered from the damage to the camp or surrounding area. As of 2016, the camp has not been commemorated. Early 1960 s. Oświęcim ice rink construction on the former site of the Wohnlager. Former barracks can be seen in the background Photo courtesy of Mirosław Ganobis January

10 feeding a workforce: Farms & NURSERIES The Michael Challoner Iga Bunalska gardens of the Werksgärtnerei in IG Farben, courtesy of the Bundesarchiv showing civilian workers in the area of food production. The photo is facing towards the east January 2018

11 In the late 1930 s, IG Farben were struggling with two important factors regarding their workforce. Firstly, the housing issue of a changing social structure, one that required various levels of accommodation that would no longer lead to individuals seeking their own temporary private housing had to be addressed. Secondly, food production for its vast workforce had to be sustainable and self-sufficient. The housing issue identified by IG Farben several years before still haunted them as IG Farben was under construction in the Monowitz area of Auschwitz during the early 1940 s. Delays in payments and an inevitable suspension in construction created a catastrophic interruption in creating a balanced workforce. In the case of Monowitz, several compromises were made, particularly in the early days to ensure the workforce were housed adequately for them to continue being a productive employee. This did not always transpose into a happy workforce of course and created several logistical problems for the IG Farben administration. IG Farben by now had realised that consistent healthy food production under their jurisdiction was important for the workforce and had therefore established a large nursery to the south west of the main plant in Monowitz. The location was ideal for a number of reasons. The nearby fish ponds were an essential source for the upkeep of production, but equally relevant was its positioning away from the factories chimneys and pollution. Poland s natural prevailing wind in this area is north westerly. This ensured the lowest emission pollution from the plant that was only 1.5km to the north. Infact, the land chosen for the IG Farben nursery was quickly purchased by the company with a view to sell farming space to employees in a potentially lucrative move to solve the problem of providing a continuous food source and create a revenue stream in the process. The Auschwitz Study Group have discovered several plans within the archives that suggest this area was originally planned to be more than a nursery. Recreational gardens, and a social community just to the south of the worker s district appear on early maps. Key to these provisional plans is the apparent locality of the sports ground that was eventually built further north and on the current Karola Olszewskiego road but more importantly, directly to the January

12 The reconstructed chimney as seen in the original photo stands in the same place representing one of the original relics of the Werksgärtnerei. Photo Iga Bunalska west of the Lehrlingsheim, or Jugendwohnheim-West a settlement for around 500 German & Volksdeutsch boys. The changes may have been as a direct result of IG Farben who decided that a nursery under their governing was the most suitable arrangement. The potentially rich yet wet farming area could easily be drained in the Staw Wójtowiec lake just a few yards to the south and within the localities of the IG Farben werk kamps 3, 7, 8 and 9. Vegetable and meat produce was of great importance to IG Farben and its workforce. A pre-war establishment towards the north east of the IG Farben plant had already been commissioned by the plant via the SS who confiscated a large brick premises from the Polish owner who apparently left the area prior to the occupation. The building was to become known as the Gutshof building. The Gutshof was situated on the far reaching s of the IG Farben plant on its north easterly perimeter. It was eventually surrounded by large fencing and probably barbed wire due to the proximity of prisoners working there. The former Gutshof building can still be seen today and maintains many of its original features. Only in 2012 was the main perimeter fence demolished by its adjacent landowner who explained to us his need to expand his premises. The nursery at IG Farben would become known as the Werksgärtnerei, or works gardens (nursery attached to the factory). Reconnaissance photos show that it existed very early on in the development of Land in Monowitz which therefore suggests that it was infact a planned decision by the IG Farben plant to sustain its workforce. In Germany, the establishment of nurseries had often been a reaction to the economic climate. For this reason, the early creation in Monowitz is significant enough. We can assume that a labour force from Auschwitz I were selected to construct the gardens in either 1940 or In which case, prisoners would have lived in the mother camp and boarded the daily train opposite the main gate each morning to the Monowitz Dwory (A station by the IG Farben plant) however, we are yet to find details of prisoner assignments to this area upon completion. The work force for the completed nursery was made up from German workers living in the estate to the north. The nursery had two key functions during the occupation. Firstly, the growing of produce to feed the IG Farben work force was its primary concern which took up most of the farming land. Secondly, an area was constructed under special conditions that required trained horticultural professionals to work in. The Raisko sub-camp, an agricultural initiative that was the brainchild of Heinrich Himmler was established about 8km away to the south west. Many of the prisoners of Raisko were chosen for 12 January 2018

13 their horticultural expertise to study and practice the growing of plants and food, particularly that of kok saghyz, the Russian dandelion that was essential to creating high quality rubber reproduction thought to be essential to the war effort. The nursery was not a place for kok saghyz experimentation but an understanding of why plants die or how to treat plants that are not growing as they should The nursery had two key functions during the occupation. Firstly, the growing of produce to feed the IG Farben work force was its primary concern which took up most of the farming land. Secondly, an area was constructed under special conditions that required trained horticultural professionals despite favourable conditions, was a concern. Therefore, the ASG conclude the only prisoners of Auschwitz to work in the Werksgärtnerei were the highly skilled women prisoners of Raisko. The women of Raisko were treated marginally better than prisoners at Monowitz or Auschwitz I & II and would have been a more trusted prisoner to work with food produce that would feed a German work force. As the war ended, the large nursery space fell under the administration of the Polish Government. A delegation team in Krakow responsible for areas that were growing plants and vegetables were responsible for its post war ownership and eventual sale. A Russian officer took control from and eventually sold on to a Polish buyer who was keen to hide away from its history as a camp of Auschwitz, feeling it was bad for business. Also, at this time there was no law for companies to keep archival records, so many of the post war details have been lost. However due to the work of Auschwitz Study Groups researchers and archivists, we have begun to piece together the history of the IG Farben Werksgärtnerei. In 2017, the ASG surveyed the nursery area in preparation of a meeting with the owners. We proposed a series of existing features and relics that should be considered before future redevelopment. These included the road entrance from the East to West on Droga Krajowa 44, the road entrance from the South to North on Jezioro, pipeline Viaduct from East to West (Droga Krajowa entrance), pipeline Viaduct from South to North (Jezioro entrance) and the large brick chimney that features in the only known photo of the nursery during the Nazi occupation. As of January 2018, we continue to work alongside the proprietors and local residents as well as the IG Farben archives in Germany. We are close to presenting another chapter of IG Farben s occupation in Auschwitz. We thank those people responsible for providing us details and historical knowledge as well as use of photos and archival assistance. educational Tours Book with Us The Auschwitz Study Group have spent several years researching the geographical areas connected to Auschwitz, and also studying original documents, testimonies, maps and technical drawings in archives. For several years now, we have also been providing tours for small groups who want to know more about Auschwitz outside of the museum areas. Our tariff is will be made clear before booking. This allows us to cover printed and research expenses. You will also receive a printed booklet of the tour you selected for each member of your group in English or Polish depending on your preference. To learn more about possible expenses, please visit our website: Once you have registered your interest, we will then discuss the tour logistics in greater detail either on , skype or telephone. The tours are in English or Polish depending on your preference, and will be conducted by Michael Challoner, Auschwitz Study Group Founder. Please note: We do not offer tours of the museum zones of Auschwitz I and Auschwitz-Birkenau. January

14 Hannah Wilson Sandor Vandor Interview Survivor Sandor Vandor (right) with Mayor Josef Weinhandl As part of the exclusive ASG Werk Kamps Project, I had the privilege of interviewing Sandor Vandor, a Hungarian native who was interned at one of the lesser known labour camps in Austria during the Holocaust. As often neglected in circles of Holocaust memory, Sandor s extraordinary testimony raises awareness of the individual experiences of those placed in forced labour camps across Europe. Yet, his placement in Sankt Anna directly contributed to his survival, and his will to live grew stronger due to the humanity, courage and kindness of the local residents. Now, Sandor works to educate others, and regularly visits the town in which he was imprisoned to teach future generations about their history. Sandor, I understand that you were 19 years of age at the time that the Nazis invaded Hungary. Can you tell us about the first stages of that, and what happened to you and your family at the beginning? On 19th of March, 1944 Germany occupied Hungary. Check points were set up immediately at public transportation stops in order to leave or enter Budapest officially. Jews were arrested and interned. Before the end of the month, those Jews were sent to Auschwitz. My wife, Anna was among them. An ordinance proclaimed that the Jews were to affix a Yellow Star of David on their outer garments and wear it all the time. Many other restrictions of Jewish life were enacted also. Jewish males, ages were called up by the military for forced labour. My father and I were ordered to appear at the requested recruiting centre by May 20. My company was assigned to work in a bombed oil refinery at the village of Szöny. The company commander, a Captain of the army, was a decent man, so the guards behaved accordingly. Food was the regular army issue, supplied in the same quality and quantity as the rest of the Hungarian army. Adequate personal hygiene was provided. Work was heavy manual labour with only primitive implements provided. It lasted until a day after Christmas, when we were evacuated from Szöny. Our commander and guards were changed, and we began a death march from Szöny, west toward Germany. The last Hungarian stop was the brick factory in Sopron: a way station. People were reshuffled, and new groups were created. My childhood friend, Gyuri (a nick name for George) and I were kept together in the same group. Our group was ordered to go St Anna/Aigen, Austria. Immediately upon entering Austria, we passed through a delousing station. From there via train and foot, we reached the village of St Anna. When you began working in the German labour camps in Sankt Anna am Aigen, what were the living conditions like, and what kind of labour jobs were you forced to do? Sandor: In St Anna, we were accommodated in a warehouse, which had been converted into a barrack. The warehouse compound was surrounded with 2-meter-high chain link fences, with a double swing gate opening into the street. Inside the warehouse, there were wall-to-wall wooden bunk beds in two levels. Shoulder-to-shoulder personal space was allocated. Gyuri and I, we slept next to each other; we were together in St Anna. The work was heavy, and we began building a trench for a tank-trap. Every day a group of ten labourers had to create a 5m 14 January 2018

15 wide, 5m deep, 1m length of trench space, and the hauled out dirt was then landscaped. It was winter time, February and March. The earth was wet, snowy and frozen. Our simple implements were spades, and shovels. We were forced to create a 2.5m3 of trench space daily, per person. Our incentive was, when the group of ten had finished the quota of 1m length of trench space, we were allowed to go back to the barrack unescorted. My group of ten regularly finished the quota early and went often back to the barrack. Was there adequate food and water? No, not at all. The people were worked to death. The total amount required to live for a healthy man at that age is 3000 or more calories per day. We had a very, very low calorie intake. There was a daily food ration, given in two servings: 1 litre of liquid, and about 100 grams of bread. We had a total calories per day. In 2 ½ month time, I lost 1/3 of my body weight. No water zero not 1 drop was available. Any form of personal hygiene was denied! No chances to wash up, no change of clothing. This very frequently resulted in lice infections, and I caught Fleck Typhus, a deadly disease. Did you have any communication with your friends and family whilst being there? None at all; we had no communication with the outside world. We were totally isolated. In St Anna, on Main street How did the German officers treat you and your fellow inmates? Our contact with German officers was very limited. At the barrack compound, I actually didn t see any officers. In the mornings, going to the workplace, we were escorted by SS troops with basically no interactions. The local people they knew that we were hungry they were depositing daily small food packages along the roadside we were escorted for the workplace. If the SS guard saw that some of us picked up a package, then with the aid of the riffle-butt, they convinced the person to drop the package uneaten. Also uniformed Germans were at the work site. They were members of the military construction group, supervising the trench digging progress. In a room of the same warehouse where we the Jews were living, a small group of Ukrainian quasi-prisoners of war were housed also. They had more freedom of movement, and a less restricted life than the Jews had. They brought our meals from the kitchen and ladled it out. I bartered apples with the Ukrainians for vegetable soup and tobacco. We ate the soup and kept the tobacco for bartering other days for soup. Besides the apples, the tobacco also became my currency to keep bartering between begging excursion days. What particular events or memories from this experience stick out in your memory from this time? Well, both Gyuri and I were very hungry; we had numerous conversations about hunger. Contemplating our future, I said: we are going to die of starvation. Which would be a very painful process. I argued that the hidden messages that were sometimes with the food packages from the villagers were invitations. Before the crowd came back from the workplace, we had free time in the afternoons to leave the compound, beg for food and come back. But we were risking our life if we got caught outside the camp. I further argued: in that case we will be shot dead on the spot, and I would choose a bullet to cause my death versus starvation. Sixty years later. Sandor Vandor reunited. Photo courtesy of Archives, St. Anna there were three separate compounds all within 100 metres of each other, and filled with Hungarian Jewish force labourers. This included the warehouse, across the street a parish house served as a barrack, and a few houses down the street there was the local school building, which had also been converted. Each group existed without knowing the existence of the others. We came to an agreement: We climbed over the fence, and visited the neighbouring villages. We knocked on doors and begged for food. In the time frame of the beginning of February to mid-march, we did the begging excursions a few times. The total food supplement each we obtained with begging was equivalent to 600 calories per day. It was remarkable. The best part of it is that the food was given us in broad daylight: it was risky, and openly visible to anybody. Everybody silently approved it, and nobody got hurt. Of course, at that time by the law, feeding a Jew was a capital crime, punishable by death or concentration camp. So was talking to a Jew, or inviting a January

16 The chain link fence Towards the east side of the Lippe property Sandor Vandor Interview Jew inside the home. The most remarkable excursion took place in mid-march. We visited the village of Aigen. We knocked on a door. A young woman appeared, and she pulled me inside the house by my arm and did the same with Gyuri, and closed the door behind us. And said: wait right here. She left, and a short time later, she returned with 2 egg sandwiches, one for Gyuri and one for me. Also, 2 tall glasses of apple juice, one each. We had to consume the food inside, and after we ate, she let us go. During the whole process, she committed three capital offences. But, her magical food saved my life. Your testimony certainly emphasises the geographical and historical stretch of the Holocaust, and truly how many people it affected. There were so many small towns across Europe that have their own, traumatic Holocaust narratives, beyond the better known concentration camp sites. When you were liberated, and what did it feel like to know you had made it through? The date was: April 15, I didn t feel euphoria. I didn t feel. I wasn t aware of the magnitude of the event, at that time. I was totally dehumanised. Of course, I made it through. But that didn t sink in yet. 7 decades have passed and I can t tell you that it has sunk in completely. Would it ever sink in? I lived 57 very happy years with my wife, Anna. We raised 2 children and we both enjoyed their successes, also enjoyed their five children, our grandchildren. But I am on continuous re-humanising therapy. As we are talking now, that therapy is still ongoing. And Hannah, I thank you for it! 16 January 2018

17 The date was: April 15, I didn t feel euphoria. I didn t feel. I wasn t aware of the magnitude of the event, at that time. I was totally dehumanised. Of course, I made it through. But that didn t sink in yet From then on, how did life go on for you? What happened in the immediate period after your liberation, and did you return to Hungary? I spent 9 sick days in that infirmary barrack, without food and with no liquid intake. That defied all medical estimates of a man s survival without fluid intake. I got off my bed every day and went outside. I did the same routine on the morning of 5th of April. Being outside, I observed that Russian soldiers were walking on the site, and I realised that we were liberated. I went back to the barrack and told the inmates that we are liberated, and I am going back home to Hungary. I suggested that we should not waste time and start going immediately, and 5 of us started walking towards Hungary. I did reconnect some of the surviving members of my family. I met my sister in Budapest. She came home from Auschwitz. She brought the news that our mother was killed in Auschwitz. After that, we reconnected with our father and some cousins in the city of Oradea in Romania. I recuperated in Oradea. And about 2 months later, I did travel back to Budapest to start my new life, after liberation. Mrs. Maria Lackner. Our reunion changed both of our lives. She unloaded a heavy burden off her shoulders. Her helping effort in 1945 bore fruit, and I appeared all those years later with my thank you. I revisited her regularly for 5 consecutive years, before she passed away. Her life was fulfilled. I am still revisiting St Anna periodically. The Weinhandl s adopted me to be an extended member of their family, and I adopted them to be my extended family. Now, I find different venues to tell my story. Mostly, I meet school children in their classes. Many of my listeners found something in my story, which points to a new sight in their life. They can learn from it. This is very important because the Nazis perpetrated the greatest genocide in the human history. They killed 6 million Jewish people. And this has to be told, so it can be learned from. You can watch the full interview on the Auschwitz Study Group Youtube channel. Thank you to Sandor Vandor for the interview and allowing us to use these photos. For more information, visit Sandor s website: Do you believe that you had a better chance of living because of your labour position in Anna am Aigen? Yes, because of the inhabitants of St Anna/Aigen, who enhanced my survival. I read holocaust stories. Many tens of thousands of individuals helped, and saved Jews. Individuals, small groups, but not in a concentrated form, like the people of St Anna. Did many of your inmates survive with you? Since I became infected with Fleck Typhus, I was isolated in a barrack with other sick inmates. From that group of the sick, only 5 of us walked away alive. The healthy comrades were taken in a death march to Mauthausen Concentration Camp, where most including my friend Gyuri were liberated. Lastly, tell me about the connection you have with the lady who saved you, Mrs. Lackner, and the town of Anna am Aigen. It is an inspiring outcome of an unimaginable situation. 60 years after being in a slave labour camp in St. Anna, I realised that my life was saved in St Anna and I didn t say thank you for that effort. In 2005, I made contact with Mayor Josef Weinhandl of St Anna and travelled to St Anna to say thank you for saving my life. On that occasion, I found that one inhabitant had been saying for 60 years that she suffered from having a bad conscience: she helped Jews in , but non came back. To her, it meant that her help wasn t sufficient and that she should have had helped more. The Mayor s wife, Mrs. Elisabeth Weihhandl, brought me to the house of that individual. We were rehashing our history and we realised with forensic evidence that she was the young woman who gave me the egg-sandwich, and I was the recipient. Her name was January

18 Michael Challoner Chelmek: the Forgotten Auschwitz Camp Only 8km from Oświęcim sits an unassuming town in Poland, one equally as rich in community and tradition as you d come to expect of any here. It is conveniently equidistant from several larger industrial towns making it an attractive proposition for those who desire a more rural landscape to retreat to. The town is Chełmek and was first mentioned in the 15th century; with today s population hovering around the 13,000 mark. Benefiting economically from passing trade as a mid-town in its own right, or from the coal mines of localities such as Libiaz, Brzeszcze, or even the refineries in Monowice or Trzebinia They all have something in common. They all became sub-camps of the infamous mother camp in Oświęcim, Auschwitz. Several sub-camps were established around German owned industries in the Upper Silesia areas, the main productions being Chemical, Mechanical, Mining, Power and Steel. Until 1943, the Auschwitz network of sub-camps fell under the administration of Camp I but in late 1943 all industrial armaments and extractive industries were subordinate to Auschwitz III. This was confirmed on the 11th November 1943 when Obersturmbannführer Arthur Liebehenschel took over as the overall Commandant. Auschwitz was divided into 3 main administrations: Auschwitz I, Auschwitz II Birkenau (that controlled the agricultural sub-camps) and Auschwitz III Monowitz that looked after Jawischowitz, Neu-Dachs, Fürstengrube, Janinagrube, Golleschau, Eintrachthütte, Sosnowitz and Lagischa as well as the Brünn Sub-camp in Czechoslovakia. However, in 1942, a small town north of Monowice called Chełmek that housed the pre-war BATA shoe factory required an expansion. The obvious, or even most convenient source of slave labour was made available from Auschwitz. In the photo, Bunkers removed and left in the forest near the former BATA factory, now form a new outdoor exhibit. Photo by Michael Challoner January 2018

19 January

20 In 1931, businessman Tomas Bata bought land in Chełmek in order to build a shoe factory, this was despite the village suffering from a dwindling population. The following 5 years from 1931 saw the population of the village double and a new church, kindergarten and schools were planned, all thanks to the work and revenue the factory gave back to the town. The area around the factory was quickly developed and new houses built with the convenient rail network from Chełmek station allowing both business and settlers to prosper The train station sat alongside the new factory, with several new spurs built around the area, one of which heading south east to a Locomotive warehouse just off site. In 1939, the Nazis took full control of the BATA factory and began to maximise the possibilities of local resources and slave labour from the Auschwitz complex. Chelmek SS- Oberscharführer Josef Schillinger was installed as the Kommandant until October 23rd, 1942 when he was shot by a Jewish woman whilst Sub-camp undressing in the Birkenau crematoriums 2. (Schillinger s gun was snatched from his holster and received a fatal gunshot. He died on the way to a Kattowitz hospital). The sub-camp itself was only officially active for 3 months between October and December However, many testimonies and locals still to this day recall prisoners in striped uniforms working the area between the BATA factory and the Jazdówka quarry in the east (some 6 km²) in distance until the end of the war [the labour may have been independent from the Auschwitz Administration as we have found no archival documents to support this (ASG)]. The Jazdówka quarry in Chełmek was perfect for extracting the large stones needed to reinforce the areas of the dikes whilst lining the base of the ponds. This was essential for the BATA factory to maintain a full connection of water to the plant. During the occupation, the town itself was subject to change. Several bomb shelters, which can still be seen today exist in and around the train station. The former BATA canteen that served the sub-camp is now the Miejski Ośrodek Sportu, Kultury i Rekreacji (MOKSiR) (The Town Centre of Sport, Culture and Recreation). Many antiaircraft guns were erected, although the majority on the east part of the town were simply red herrings in order to fool the Allies. The short length of Chełmek s existence as a sub-camp has added to its later insignificance as part of the histories of Auschwitz, however, the registration of approximately 47 bodies sent from Chełmek to be disposed of by the Birkenau crematoriums in over 10 separate journeys suggest this was a camp of brutality. There is also a mention of 26 prisoners returning to Auschwitz who could no longer work. On December 9th 1942, the remaining prisoners were sent back to Auschwitz by truck. The work was never completed on the ponds, and the sub-camp was never re-established in the future. No reason can be found for this decision. Beyond 1942, the Nazi occupation of Chełmek continued to leave its mark on the landscape. A section of the town was designated for soldiers of the Nazi SS to reside in, a number that increased with the expansion of the antiaircraft divisions at nearby Monowitz and Bierun. The views from the Skała hill, one of the highest points within kilometres had changed beyond recognition. Gone were the vast forests in the Monowice Village, only to be replaced by IG Farben s largest industrial plant. To the east, the large power plant in Jaworzno dominated the skyline and the coal mine expansions in Libiaz and Brzeszcze completed the new panorama. In Chełmek itself, the largest of the developments was the expansion of the BATA factory. Following the war s conclusion and the defeat of Nazi Germany, the economies that had been established around Auschwitz to support the war effort continued to operate, but this time its purpose was to provide labour for a workforce that needed to rebuild their livelihoods and country. An attitude proceeded that became common across Europe at that time. A desire to move on beyond the war years and look to a more prosperous future. Most of Europe had suffered 2 world wars, barely a generation apart. Testimonies of the time were reluctantly recorded in the history books, but beyond the court rooms, no-one read them. Historical sites were replaced by optimism for the future. In effect, important details were in the process of being erased January 2018

21 Metal rods found in the locality of the Chelmek sub-camp Photo by Michael Challoner We fast forward 70 years and the task to piece together important facts and details that were once left to fade away with the passage of time has never been more challenging. Out of the 45 sub-camps of Auschwitz, many of the locations were simply lost in time. The Auschwitz Study Group have been instrumental in combing the archives of Poland and Germany to retrace them. Some however, remain partly unsolved. The location of the Chełmek sub-camp for example remains open to discussion. The the registration of approximately 47 bodies sent from Chełmek to be disposed of by the Birkenau crematoriums in over 10 separate journeys suggest this was a camp of brutality. pre-war locomotive warehouse that became the site of prisoners living quarters sat conveniently on the rail spur that spread east from the BATA factory and in the direction of the Jazdówka quarry. Easy to retrace you may think, yet the tracks were removed several decades ago and the archival maps suggest discrepancies in both ratio, distance and location. A memorial was erected several decades ago based on testimonies suggesting the area of the camp, yet it is not consistent with the details we now hold. In 2017, The ASG met the with the acquaintance of Mr Waldemar Rudyk (the head of MOKSIR in Chełmek). We had already met with Mr Rudyk as partners at the open air exhibition regarding the Luftschutz-Splitterschutzzelle bunkers in the area of Chełmek, however this time we were specifically looking at the BATA factory under occupation and the location of the sub-camp. The MOKSIR is home to an incredible collection of technical and schematic drawings concerning the area around BATA from the beginnings of the Nazi occupation to the post war changes. What make these plans more unique is there exclusivity to the original copies no reproductions have yet been made. Rudyk is an affable man with a passion for detail and also an incredible duty and passion to his town. This attitude became clear on our field trip to the old rail spur from the BATA factory to the Jazdówka quarry. January

22 The ponds where prisoners worked. The pumping station can be seen in the background. The chimney is part of the original section once belonging to BATA Photo by Michael Challoner The plans will prove instrumental to us locating the actual area where the sub-camp existed and also, the train line east to the quarry. Unfortunately, the old line has not been mothballed. We therefore contemplated an overgrown land of vegetation that left very little for us to decipher. Old paths have merged into new break offs often leading oneself into incorrect conclusions of the location. Nonetheless, we ventured to the borders of Libiaz towards the east where it is known the train line emerged into the open. A cursory investigation in to the mouth of the former rail line leads us to several relics of the time. We uncover remnants of the telephone lines that ran parallel to the track, and even deeper in the forest we find a glass telephone conductor in the sub-soil. At this moment in time, we assume it is a fine clue to the tracks ending. Of course, the access to original drawings has proceeded to be invaluable for us to provide a more accurate identification of these key sites. But we also feel that the original documents should be kept where they are today. It is after all an incredibly important part of the towns histories and a donation or sale to the Auschwitz Museum archives may not necessarily be the best course of action. The addition of a recent find supports this suggestion - 2 metal frames from the sub-camps fence have recently been discovered and passed on to the MOKSIR. At the moment, they sit idle in the back rooms. From our experience with Auschwitz architecture, we can say within a large degree of accuracy these are infact the metal cases that surrounded the front gate posts of the camp, therefore the pair are unique in their very existence. In recent years, the appetite to learn more from this period in time has greatly increased. Chełmek is in a unique position being so close to Auschwitz but despite being rich in history remains largely unknown. The continual research and maintaining of documents will eventually become an integral part of the learning of Auschwitz outside of the main camp, something that is greatly lacking at present. We support the work and passion of Mr Waldemar Rudyk and relish the opportunity to work alongside his team in the near future for our common goal of education January 2018

23 We are happy and proud to announce we worked and are partners at the open air exhibition regarding the Luftschutz- Splitterschutzzelle bunkers in the area of Chełmek. Bunker Exhibit Together with Waldemar Rudyk (the head of MOKSIR in Chełmek) we will be commemorating the Auschwitz subcamp in that town. Our work will include researching, securing the perimeter of the camp, working in the Archives, and giving a series of lectures. The Luftschutz-Splitterschutzzelle bunkers open air exhibit is now available to visit. The site sees former bunkers used to protect the SS from bombing raids around the Auschwitz sub-camp. The bunkers were removed from the camp after the war and left in the forest nearby. If anyone would like to see these bunkers, you will need your own transport. It is approx minutes from the Auschwitz museum. The Auschwitz Study Group provided text and translations for the exhibit. Visit our website for information and directions. Schrony las Kamionka Chełmek Chelmek Camp Profile Location: Chełmek, Poland Camp commandants: Josef Schillinger, Wilhelm Emmerich Camp Population: Around 150 Employer in charge: Ota Schlesische Schuhwerke AG, previously BATA Testimony of Anna Wanat During the Nazi occupation, I was living in the very same onto black ambulance that was going to Oświęcim. In this house. It was located around 400 meters away from the ambulance the SS were loading all the sick prisoners too. place where the sub-camp was established. It was either The dead prisoners were replaced with new transports. in 1942 or They were walked every day to the five ponds that were located around two kilometers away from the sub-camp. The prisoners (who were brought in a group of 50 people They were making one of the ponds deeper. They were in the first transport) lived in the barn which was used as also building and strengthening the dykes going from the a round-house. The barn was built a couple of months ponds to the shoe factory. The water from the ponds was before the prisoners arrived. It was used as a room for supposed to be used for industry in Bata. the small-gauge train that was transporting the stone and sand from the Jazdówka quarry to the railway siding by the The sub-camp was located in an open terrain, and it was Bata shoe factory. guarded by the SS all the time, so nobody could reach the camp. The road to the camp was going through the forest In the fence there was just one gate and if you left the gate, so no help was possible at all. you would walk on the tracks of the small-gauge train. As the time went by, two other buildings were attached to that The prisoners were guarded by the SS (there were 10 barn. The first prisoners were brought to the camp in the of them, they had 2 dogs). I don t know much about the group of 50 people. They came on trucks from Oświęcim. number of prisoners in the camp, but it could be between They all looked so healthy back then. After a couple of one hundred and 150 people. They were in the camp from weeks of their work I could see how exhausted they were, spring to the beginning of winter. I remember it was cold how weak they became and I have seen multiple times when they evacuated the camp. how the prisoners were carrying the bodies of their fellow prisoners who were killed. Sometimes they were put on I don t remember how the terrain of the camp was used the carriage of the small-gauge train. They were put in the during the rest of the occupation. After the liberation, the morgue then and after some time they would be loaded Red Army kept cows there. January

24 Iga Bunalska a Dark History: Auschwitz TANNERY Few people realise that before the outbreak of the Second World War, many Jews lived in the town of Oświęcim. Polish authorities conducted a census in 1921, which showed that 40% of the population were Jewish (4950 out of people). The number continued to grow, and reached 8200 in 1939 (almost 60% of the general population of the town then). You could see the Jewish presence in the town. It was very visible in the industry too. Many of the factories located in Oświęcim belonged to Jews. They owned all of the factories connected with the tanning, chemical, processing, building, concrete and alcoholic industry. The most obvious evidence of how affluent the Jews of Oświęcim were is the fact that some of their factories were known not only across Poland, but also worldwide i.e. the Haberfeld s factory that was producing liquor and alcohol or Agrochemia that belonged to Józef Schönkera. The tannery was owned by the Enoch family it was a famous Jewish family from Oświęcim. Hersch Enoch, who opened the tannery, was a member of the Town Council. He also owned three blocks and a bakery, and a small company producing beer. For a very long time, he was the only supplier of oil used in the lanterns and flats around Oświęcim. In 1897 he bought some land from the town authorities where decided to build a house for his children (Jakub, Józef and Ekiwa). After one year the ground floor of this house was developed into the tannery. They named it Hersch Enoch and Sons and at first it was just a small workshop, where all the works were done manually. The leather was tanned in huge tubs standing in the yard of the tannery. The first registered worker of the tannery was Usher Radomiński. Other employees came from Kęty, 24 January 2018

25 The citizens of Oświęcim passed by this building every day, not knowing how important it was in the history of their town. It is not a surprise though; the tannery was there forever, it melted within the surrounding area and was not being used for years. Just another empty building in Oświęcim. It was only in the year 2000, when the world reminded itself of the tannery. It was noticed again. This was one of the most important parts of Auschwitz, where prisoners worked and died. However, it was not included in the UNESCO buffer and protection zone, and that is why nobody paid any attention until the owner of the land decided to open a discothèque there. During the war, the Nazis refered to the tannery as the Lederfabrik. In this essay, I will describe the history of the tannery in Oświęcim to highlight another example of incredibly important areas of Auschwitz have been forgotten and ignored. A contemporary view of the Tannery, 2006 Photo courtesy of Marek Rawecki January

26 Chrzanów, Łodygowice and Myślenice. The company was growing and by 1907 it was one of the biggest in Oświęcim. Every summer the Enochs would employ from ten to twenty additional workers, just to be able to keep up with the orders. When the First World War ended, the Enoch family started to face some financial difficulties. They sold the tannery in 1919 to the Tannery Company in Cracow. There were three supervisors then: Simon Shtamberg, Józef Leinkramer and Wolf Stampe. In that period of time, the building went through several modifications. It became much more modern. New techniques had been introduced. A lot of new workers were employed (85 people worked there in 1921). However, the Tannery Company went bankrupt in The new owner, Artur Müller, decided to change the name of to Soła-Fabryka Skór ( Soła- the Leather Tannery Manufacture ). He rented the tannery to Wilhelm Goldstein and Kurt Jacobi in from 1930 to In 1932, it was sold to the Upper Silesian Leather Central a Dark History in Katowice, which owned the building until the outbreak of the Second World War. The economic situation of Poland in 1930s was difficult for many reasons. In that time Polish agriculture went through a crisis, which influenced other sectors of economy, including the industry. Loses were bigger than earnings. More than industry companies went bankrupt and closed throughout Poland. The situation in Oświęcim was also difficult, a lot of people were unemployed, and the wages dropped significantly. It was then when the workers political movements became more popular, as they were representing the unhappy people and promising them a better future. Franciszek Zemła was born on 13th June 1902 in Oświęcim. He worked in the tannery and was one of the very first members of the workers movement there. He says: From 1924 to 1926 I worked in the tannery in Oświęcim, which was owned by a private owner then. In 1926 I lost my job and was unemployed, because it was very difficult to find a new job then. In 1927 the tannery was sold to a new owner, and I came back there. I met Marian Czerwiński there, and we established the Chemists Trade Union. We had to work ten or twelve hours every day. We wouldn t get any money for overtime, and the wages were so low. Therefore we decided to go on a strike. We won the strike, but a lot of people got fired, including Marian Czerwiński, who was the leader of our Trade Union. During the war, Franciszek was a civilian worker by the construction of the camp (in the Kluge Company). With other workers, he did his best to help the prisoners, even though it was dangerous the SS would guard them to make sure they don t speak to each other. When the war ended, Franciszek worked for three years in Zakłady Chemiczne (The Chemical Plant in Oświęcim), and then returned to working in the tannery. The Nazi authorities started their anti-jewish politics in Oświęcim as soon as they entered the town. The Jews were excluded from the Town Council (which was liquidated shortly afterwards), and all the Jews older than ten years old had to wear a white badge on their arms with the Star of David on it. They were not allowed to go to public places, parks and to use the public transport. They were banned from schools, all of their books were taken away by the Nazis, and they had to close down all of their shops and businesses. Their fortunes were taken over by the Germans. All of the Jewish companies (including the industries) were given to the Main Trustee Office for the East (Haupttreuhandstelle Ost). It was the only organisation entitled to nominate and to withdraw the people in charge of the companies. The Main Trustee Office for the East was usually giving them to Germans who came to live in the town or to people, who signed the Volksliste. Unfortunately, there are no surviving documents that would tell us, how and when the SS took over the tannery and started to use it as an industry connected with the Auschwitz concentration camp. We do know however that it had to be fairly early in the Nazi occupation, as many former prisoners say that even the prisoners from the very first transport from Tarnów (14th June 1940) were assigned to work there. There are also those who say that the tannery became the part of Auschwitz in The main task of the building remained the same January 2018

27 Standing guard: An SS Soldier outside the Tannery Photo courtesy of Mirosław Ganobis The tannery was located outside Auschwitz I, by the Soła River, on the road leading from Rajsko to Oświęcim. The perimeter of the building was square. Just after entering the perimeter and going through the barrier, on the left you could see a guard house, where one of the SS-men was checking everybody who wanted to enter the factory. Right next to the guard house there were the clothing workshops and the offices of the administration. The next building was called Kanada and it was used as a One of my colleagues showed me a beautiful wallet made from human skin that was taken from male crotch and a cigarette holder taken from a skin of a Jewish prisoner. drying place for the tanned leather. The biggest building was the main production hall of the tannery, where there were huge tubs filled with the chemicals required to tan the leather. The latrine was located between the main production hall and the iron works workshops. On the right site of the perimeter, there were stables for the horses of the commandant Höss, and the kennels with dogs. In the very middle, there was a chimney that was working day and night the prisoners had to burn everything that was brought to the camp with the incoming transports, which was not of any value to the Nazis anymore and could not be used again in the future, including things like personal belongings of the people, pictures, diaries, notebooks and clothes that could not be repaired. Paweł Żur, prisoner number 1188, was one of the first people who were assigned to work in the tannery. He gave his testimony in This is how he describes the building of the tannery: The factory was surrounded with a fence made out of boards, put one right next to each other. At the top of the fence there was barbed wire. In the corners of the land, there were four guard towers. Just after the main gate, there was a barrier. Our kommando (working unit) was called Bekleidungswerksätten then. January

28 Tailors, shoemakers, tanners, rope makers, and locksmiths worked there. The best and most gifted tailors and shoe makers the ones who were really excellent and well-known before the war worked for the SS members and their families. In the clothing workshops we also repaired the uniforms of the prisoners. All the repaired uniforms were put on the cart that brought our midday soup and were taken back in the camp. We do not know the exact number of prisoners working in the tannery; we estimate there might have been 1000 to 1200 prisoners working there. They were taken to Bekleidungswerkstatte Lederfabrik every morning. The SS guarded them all the way. In Auschwitz I, this kommando lived in the Block 14. The Blockfuhrerschreiber there was Teofil Dziama (prisoner number 13578), who was a Polish officer before the war and who was one of the main members of the resistance in the tannery. The prisoners ate breakfast and supper in the main camp, and a cart would bring them their soup in the midday. This kommando was considered to be kind; the prisoners worked inside a building and had a chance to talk to the civilians, which made it easier for them to survive. However, only qualified and well-educated prisoners could work there. Everybody who lied about their experience or qualifications would soon be punished by beating and send back to the camp. and as locksmiths. There were stables right next to the factory, with freight and regular horses. There were 15 horses that were used to pull the carriages, and the total number of horses was 150. The stables somehow surrounded the perimeter of the factory, and I could see all of the yard of the factory from the stables. In the yard there were prisoners working at the segregation of the things that were brought by people to Auschwitz, including clothing and the personal belongings (the bags, suitcases, purses, shoes). The prisoners had also to take care of the leather brought to the tannery from different sub-camps connected to Auschwitz, mostly from Harmęże and Rajsko. Ryszard Wiśniewski, prisoner number 2678, who came to Auschwitz on 15th August 1940, said: They would bring to us animals taken away from the local people. We had to skin them, and cook the meat for the hens in Harmęże. Then we had to put salt on the skins, roll them up, put numbers on them, then write down the numbers. Finally, we had to take them to the basements. When the number of skins was high enough, they would be sent. When it comes to the meat, we just cooked it, we would send the smaller pieces and bones back to Harmęże, and leave the bigger pieces for ourselves. We then gave them to other prisoners. The other kinds of work the prisoners had to do included cleaning and repairing the SS uniforms and the clothes belonging to their families, repairing the prisoners uniforms and their wooden clogs, and storing the clothes that belonged to the people killed in the gas chambers, alongside with their private belongings and shoes. The prisoners working in the tannery had to take care of the animals kept there (horses and dogs, and for a very short period of time minks, but they all died due to stress and the noise). Inside the dilapidated Tannery Photo courtesy of Marek Rawecki, 2006 Leon Murzyn (prisoner number 62850) worked in Lederfabrik since January 1942 until 22nd October He says: There were 1200 prisoners working in the tannery in the tanning production hall, and in the woodworks, as the shoe makers, as saddlers Commandant Rudolf Höss visited the tannery on a regular basis he often checked on the welfare of his horses in the stable. There was a Ukrainian SS-man who took care of them; he spoke Polish fluently and prisoners testified that this was the language he was using when speaking to horses. Rudolf Höss also ordered in the tannery uniforms for himself and clothes for his family. Erich Grönke, who used to be the kapo of the shoemakers in Lederfabrik, had a very good relationship with the commandant. Grönke used to be a prisoner, but was released from the camp, and later employed in the tannery as a civilian worker. Adam Dembowski, prisoner numer 677, who came to 28 January 2018

29 Inside the first production hall, Auschwitz Lederfabrik Photo taken in the immediate post war Courtesy of Mirosław Ganobis January

30 Auschwitz Lederfabrik Photo taken in the immediate post war Courtesy of Mirosław Ganobis a Dark History Tannery Auschwitz with the very first transport on 14th June 1940, says: Erich Grönke was friends with Höss and he really wanted to serve him well. In the tannery the tailors were making uniforms for the SS officers, but most of them would belong to Höss and his family. Grönke himself supervised the cleaning and the ironing of the uniforms for Höss. I worked in the office. The people would bring shoes for repairing to me (but only those belonging to SS officers), they would also bring clothes and uniforms to be cleaned and ironed. I had to write down on a piece of paper what had to be done. I had special documents to fill in. Then I had to take every item to the workshops. If the case was urgent, I had to wait in the workshops until the work was finished or come back later. ( ) I often accompanied Grönke, when he took the repaired shoes or the cleaned uniforms to Höss. We had those trips really often, as the commandant owned a lot of uniforms and shoes One of the darkest parts in the history of Lederfabrik is the fact that this place was used to dry the hair of women killed in the gas chambers of Auschwitz. The hair was later used to produce the felt for the German industry. The Nazis used the hair yarn to make socks for the sailors working on the submarines and for people working on the railway. Oswald Pohl issued a special order addressed to commandants of all concentration camps on 6th August 1942; the order stated that they should store the hair of the people who came to the camp (including the ones killed in 30 January 2018

31 Auschwitz. The Stanisław Głowa, prisoner number 20017, who came to Auschwitz on 12th August 1941 and was immediately assigned to work in the tannery, mentions that also human skin was tanned there. He says: workers also tried to help the prisoners even though they have been warned that any contacts with them would be punished by being arrested. Even the SS allowed contact on occcasion. the gas chambers). Karol Bienias, prisoner number 1254, who was brought to Auschwitz on 26th June 1940, says: Later on I was moved to work in the Soła tannery. Various objects like shoes, coats, underwear, dentures and female hair were being brought there every day from Rajsko to be sorted and stored. We would clean the hair by taking out all the pins and accessories from it, we would then brush it with our hands and then put it in bags that would later on be sent to Germany. I remember we loaded once around 1,500 kg of female hair in the train on the railway station in Oświęcim. I do not remember where it was sent to. If we made a mistake when sorting the hair, we would be flogged. This is why we worked even more slowly preparing next transports. The tannery that was nearby would tan the human skin to make bags from it. I remember one of my colleagues, a doctor, who showed me once what he received from another prisoner working in the tannery. It was a beautiful wallet made from human skin that was taken from male crotch and a cigarette holder taken from a skin of a Jewish prisoner. The human skin is so much prettier than animal leather. One of the prisoners working in the tannery, who worked as an upholsterer for Gestapo, used human skin to cover the armchairs. The rumor has it that he also made toys for German children using human skin. Many of the prisoners assigned to work in Lederfabrik were famous artists before the war. Most of them were very gifted and well-known painters and sculptors. People like Xawery Dunikowski, Mieczysław Kościelniak, Jan Baraś-Komski, Jan Machnowski, Bronisław Czech and Wincenty Gawron worked in the tannery, continuing to produce their art in secret. However, the Nazis soon found out that they were artists, and came to them with orders for paintings and sculptures. They paid the prisoners with cigarettes and food. The artists were located in a room on the first floor of the tannery, and they worked there on designing the official German signs and boards used later in the camp. Xawery Dunikowski, a famous Polish sculptor and graphic, would not be able to survive the camp if it wasn t for the easy job and good conditions there. He was sixty five years old when he was arrested. His colleagues and the prisoner resistance inside the camp saved him. The prisoners working in the tannery came from different social groups and were a mix of professions before the war. Polish political prisoners formed the largest group. Some of them were members of the resistance, and were arrested and executed on 11th October The group included Teofil Dziama (prisoner number 13578) and Juliusz Gilewicz (prisoner number 31033). Tomasz Serafiński (Witold Pilecki, prisoner number 4859, who volunteered to be arrested and put in Auschwitz). He talks about his time in the tannery and the process of establishing the resistance in his Report. Due to the fact that the tannery was located outside so-called Interessengebiet (the interest zone of the camp) it was easier to maintain and keep the contact with the civilians and the resistance outside the camp. The residents of Oświęcim helped the prisoners in the tannery by delivering letters to them, or by leaving the medicine and food in hiding places. The civilian Sometimes the SS would be more lenient and they would lead their kommandos to Lederfabrik, knowing the prisoners would get some help there from the civilians. Wanda Ojrzańska, prisoner number 45754, who came to Auschwitz on 2nd June 1943, remembers this: It was a very important place for me as we used to eat dinner there. If our Aufseherin (the female SS guard I.B.), that was easy to bribe, she allowed us to enter the factory. And boys there were cooking those delicious soups all the time and treated us. They were the best soups in the world. Not all of the Germans working in the Lederfabrik had a good reputation. One of the most evil people was kapo Erich Grönke (prisoner number 11), who soon became known amongst the prisoners for his cruelty and atrociousness. He was released from the camp in 1941 due to his good behavior, and was re-employed in the tannery. He worked there as a civilian supervisor. Grönke lived in the factory with his wife and mother, sometimes his father visited them. The prisoners say his mother was a very good and sympathetic person, who often helped and protected them from her son. Leon Murzyn says: Grönke beat the prisoners with a leather whip, and he also had a rubber bat which was centimeters long. He used it to beat the prisoners too. If he didn t have his whip or rubber bat with him, he would use literally anything to beat. Sometimes he used shovels or a stick he found somewhere. He beat the whole body, including the head, until you dropped on the floor. I have seen a couple of dozens of times that he kicked the prisoners who fell down, forcing them to get up. I have also seen a lot of prisoners who weren t able to get up anymore, no matter how hard he kicked them or how much water we used to wake them up. They couldn t get up, they didn t get up. A prisoner in that condition was dragged under the wall of the factory until the roll-call that ended the work, then he would be dragged back to be put in a row with other prisoners. Other prisoners carried him in their arms back to the camp ( ). I estimate that Grönke killed this way (just by beating them up) prisoners since January 1942 until October January

32 The Lederfabrik was closed down on 18th January 1945 when the Auschwitz concentration camp was being evacuated due to the Red Army approaching. The prisoners working in the tannery were made responsible for the transport of items stored there. Karol Bienias said On the 18th January 1945 kapo Grönke chose a couple of prisoners from our commando (including me) to drive carts with horses. The carts would form a transport. That transport included a couple of carts filled in with various objects taken from the tannery duvets, pillows, new shoes, underwear and things like that. We drove through towns like Wodzisław, Opawa, Jablovice, Karlowe Vary to Floss in Bayern. In Jablovice we stopped for around three weeks. I found some pages from the diary of our kapo Tannery Grönke. I kept them up to this day. You can find names of different prisoners from our kommando, you can see a Dark History there my name too. We left our carts in Floss, and then we were attached to the column of other prisoners. The death march started. When the war had ended, the tannery once again opened its doors for commercial use. It was filling orders mainly for the Chemical Plant in Oświęcim, but also for other companies, such as Bata Factory in Chełmek. In August 2000, the eyes of the world turned onto the tannery again. This was a direct result as a consequence of a decision by land owner, Rafał Waliczek, who opened up a discothèque there for the youth of Oświęcim. He was well aware of what the Lederfabrik was and what role it had in the history of KL Auschwitz. He justified his decision, saying that the tannery is not included in the UNESCO buffer zone (where any kind of changes are forbidden) and that it s two kilometers away from the main camp, so a discothèque there is not disrespectful towards the people who were killed in that place. He also stated that the building standing then on that land was not an original tannery building. It was supposed to be demolished and then rebuilt in 1952, so it was no longer connected with the history of the camp. However, the Auschwitz Study Group was able to check this information. There are documents proving that the building standing on that piece of land in 1962 was the original tannery building. The documents were signed by Polish judges, who had to confirm the testimonies of former prisoners so that they could be used in the upcoming lawsuits against the Nazi criminals. It is clearly visible that the owner of the land was lying, hoping that it would justify his extremely controversial decision. Many famous and influential people decided to give their opinion about the case. The names included Władysław Bartoszewski (former Auschwitz prisoner, then the head of the Council of Protection of Struggle and Martyrdom Sites) and Simon Wiesenthal (the famous Nazi hunter), who issued a special statement on 10th September He said: A disco in the immediate vicinity of the largest Jewish graveyard in the history, amounts to an affront, while local authorities have said they can do little because the dance club is on private property. The newspapers like New York Times, Newsweek and Central Europe Review, alongside with leading world news services (BBC and CNN) reported daily on that case. It did not come as a surprise that Rafał Waliczek, the owner of the land, changed his plans and decided not to open the discotheque in the tannery. A second plan that was suggested involved the building of a shopping center on the land. Zbigniew Sroczyński, the owner of the chain of the dancing clubs, who accompanied Waliczek in his fight with the public opinion, said: We will build a shopping center instead of a discoteque. We will put a special plaque commemorating the people who perished in Auschwitz-Birkenau. This plan was accepted by both Town Council and authorities, but also by all the groups visiting Auschwitz Memorial. In the very same statement, Sroczyński said that only the owner of the land should be able to decide what to build there or not, and that people in Oświęcim want to live normal lives. The tannery was demolished in 2005, when its condition 32 January 2018

33 Lederfabrik prior to demolition Photo courtesy of Marek Rawecki was classified as dangerous for people to enter. You can still see the rubble of the chimney and much of the original floor tiles. The waste land where the factory once stood is now occasionally used for public events, car park overspills and temporary storage facilities. One of the most recent temporary occupiers were the organisers of the Life Festival, which began in The main idea behind the Festival was to promote peace One of the darkest parts in the history of Lederfabrik is the fact that this place was used to dry the hair of women killed in the gas chambers of Auschwitz. The hair was later used to produce the felt for the German industry. The Nazis used the hair yarn to make socks for the sailors working on the submarines... and tolerance, but also to show the lesser known face of Oświęcim that is not connected with Auschwitz. The organizer of the Life Festival decided to place a long line of public toilets in the perimeter of the former tannery. The history of Lederfabrik was not mentioned during any edition of the festival. The problem that the town of Oświęcim has faced for more than seventy years, is the connection with the Auschwitz concentration camp which has developed into a very strange kind of relationship. The tannery was just one of many buildings attached to Auschwitz which was not included into the boundaries of Museum protection. As the factory was located outside the UNESCO buffer zone, the Museum did not feel responsible for it, and therefore as a direct consequence, there were no efforts to protect it or to commemorate it. The Tannery was an incredibly important part of the history of Auschwitz however, it sits alongside several dozen buildings just outside the museum zones that are not recognised as Auschwitz. For over 70 years, the abandonment of this unwanted part of the Auschwitz history, a history that has never even been commemorated with a plaque during its post war existence is a disgrace to the memory of the victims who perished here, and the grotesque events that took place. January

34 Portraits: Auschwitz RAISKO Iga Bunalska The Raisko agricultural sub-camp was officially established on June 12th, 1943, if we consider the date when the first prisoners moved there to be the inauguration. However, work of clearing the lands in Raisko and establishing the camp for its later purposes had begun in 1942 with prisoners marching to work in 2 separate convoy shifts from Auschwitz. The Raisko sub-camp was around 10 minutes walk south from the main camp, with prisoners split into Gartnerei (gardening detail) and the Pflazenzucht (plant growing, particularly the development of the Kazakh dandelion). This was of particular importance as the rubber producing substance would make up for a shortage of natural rubber. However, some historians have noted that at the beginning of the war, Germany was 10 years behind the Russians in the technical advancements of synthetic rubber production. SS-Obersturmbannführer Joachim Caesar was the Kommandant of the sub-camp, and often remembered as a humane man by many prisoners. He was also the only SS-man to refuse to participate in selections at the ramp in Birkenau, believing it to be unethical. No action was taken against him for his refusal, proving that it was possible to turn down such orders without reprisal. Caesar had a Ph.D in agriculture and botany. His visions for expanding and improving large scale agricultural projects made him the ideal person to foresee Himmler s vision of turning Oświęcim and its outer villages into an experimental productive hub. He was also active in planning & establishments of sites for the agricultural camps, often disagreeing with architects in the early stages concerning many technical factors. Caesar was subsequently placed in charge of all of the agricultural sub-camps in Auschwitz January 2018

35 Portraits of Raisko The Auschwitz Study Group have been working in association with the Lake District Holocaust Project, UK to identify the details and fate of all the female prisoners working in the Rajsko sub-camp. The first entry in the hospital record of Raisko is dated 17th June 1943 and the last one - on 4th January 1945, therefore the hopital records allow us to have a great insight into the women working there throught all of the sub-camp s existence. In the photo, you can see Zawiła Stanisława, prisoner number January

36 The names in the descriptions below directly correlate to the photos in this article. To see the full list of names, please visit our website Apostoł, Jadwiga prisoner number 26273; she was deported to Auschwitz with 14 other women from Cracow on 1st December 1942 (they were given numbers ). She was born on 22nd December She was registered in the hospital due to ulcers on 18th July, and was released on 2nd August Before the war she was a teacher. She was deported to KL Ravensbrück where she was liberated. Augustyn, Zofia her prisoner number was 6883; she was deported to Auschwitz from the Montelupich prison in Cracow on 27th April 1942 with 127 women (numbers ). She was born on 12th October She was registered in the hospital on 25th June 1943 due to typhus. She was sent on 2nd July 1943 to Birkenau. She escaped from the death march. Borowska, Zofia prisoner number 27983; she was deported to Auschwitz on 6th January 1943 with 73 women from Cracow (they were given numbers ). She was born on 1st January She was registered in the hospital due to cold on 8th November and stayed there until 11th November Raisko Portraits Dąbrowska, Maria prisoner 41207; she was deported to Auschwitz on 15th April 1943 with 32 other women (they were given numbers ). She was born on 8th September She was registered in the hospital due to ulcers on 7th September and remained there until 16th September She escaped from the death march. Delack, Charlotte prisoner 31756; she was deported to Auschwitz on 27th January 1943 with 230 women from Romainville, Paris (they were given numbers ). She was born on 14th September She was registered in the hospital due to flu on 4th February and stayed there until 10th February Domańska, Felicja prisoner 24155; she was deported to Auschwitz on 11th November 1942 with 75 women from Radom (they were given numbers ). She was born on 30th May She was registered in the hospital due to flu on 21st August and remained there until 11th September She was moved to Ravensbrück where she was liberated. Dudae, Charlotte prisoner number 31661; she was deported to Auschwitz with a transport from Romainville, Paris on 27th January 943 (there were 230 women on that transport, and they were given number ). She was born on 10th August She was registered in the hospital (due to stomach flu) on 4th July 1943 and was released on 8th July. Lidenkummer, Anna prisoner number 869; she was deported to Auschwitz with the first female prisoners from Ravensbrück on 26th March January 2018

37 Olejnik, Józefa prisoner 32439; she was deported to Auschwitz with 515 women from Cracow on 29th January 1943 (they were given numbers ). She was born on 31st March She was registered in the hospital due to an ulcer on 17th August and remained there until 21st August Olejnik, Antonina prisoner 39522; she was deported to Auschwitz on 29th March 1943 with 11 other women (they were given numbers ). She was born on 1st January She was registered in the hospital due to ulcers on 1st December and stayed there until 2nd December Odymała, Agnieszka prisoner 32492; she was deported to Auschwitz on 29th January 1943 from Cracow-Tarnów with 515 other women (they were given numbers ). She was born on 19th January She was registered in the hospital due to flu on 21st December Majsenko, Nina prisoner 13241; she was deported to Auschwitz on 31st July 1942 with 53 other women (they were given numbers ). She was born on 26th July She was registered in the hospital due to malaria on 10th September and remained there until 20 September Makuch, Ludwina prisoner 6828; she was deported to Auschwitz on 27th April 1942 from the Montelupich prison in Cracow with 127 other women (they were given numbers ). She was born on 18th November 1911 in Szaflary. She was registered in the hospital on 19th January due to flu and stayed there until 22nd January She was liberated. Nazarenko, Aleksandra prisoner 45452; she was deported to Auschwitz on 21st May 1943 with 113 other women (they were given numbers ). She was born on 27th February She was registered in the hospital due to lung problems on 23th January and stayed there until 28th February Nejmark Maria prisoner 25999; She was deported to Auschwitz on 27th November 1942 with a transport of 53 other women from Warsaw (they were given numbers ). She was born on 17th January She was registered in the hospital due to flu on 26th November and stayed there until 28th November She was evacuated to Ravensbrück where she was liberated. Kaleśnik, Olga prisoner 45830; she was deported to Auschwitz on 3rd June 1943 with 25 other women (they were given numbers ). She was born on 9th April She was registered in the hospital due to flu on 30th October and was released on 5th November Klecha, Karolina prisoner 50830; she was deported to Auschwitz with 30 women from Cracow on 31st July 1943 (they were given numbers ). She was born on 1st November 1901 in Sanok. She was registered in the hospital due to ulcers on 3th June and stayed there until 8th June She was liberated. Kieryczenko, Nazdja prisoner 45288; she was deported to Auschwitz with 13 other women on 21st May 1943 (they were given numbers ). She was born on 21st September She was registered in the hospital due to flu on 8th September and remained there until 25th September Fuhrermann, Emma prisoner 57019; she was deported to Auschwitz on 29th August She was born on 8th February She was registered in the hospital due to flu on 21st February and remained there until 3rd April January

38 Józefa Kiwałowa Testimony Raisko Camp Profile Location: Rajsko, Poland Camp commandant: Joachim Caesar Number of prisoners: 300 Female Dates of camp s existence: June 43 - Jan 45 Photo showing a prisoner working in the Raisko sub-camp Yad Vashem collections 2 working units, consisting of female prisoners, were going from Birkenau to Raisko every single day one of them was Gartnerei (the gardening working unit) and the other Pflazenzucht (the plant growing, focusing exclusively on Kazakh dandelion). On 13th June 1943 the prisoners that used to walk every day from the camp in Birkenau were put in the newly established sub-camp in Raisko. Kommando Pflanzenzucht was established when 5 Polish female prisoners were brought to Rajsko they had degrees in agronomy and they were brought here from Ravensbrück concentration camp. The camp consisted of 5 barracks, 2 of them were living barracks (with windows) one of them was occupied by the Gartnerei working unit and the other by Pflanzenzucht. The kitchen was located in one of the barracks; there was also a toilet and bathhouse (in the building of the former barn). There was also a workshop barrack, where there was a kitchen for boiling the Kazakh dandelion seeds, the machine used to separate the rubber, the rooms where we counted the seeds and where some scales were. The camp was surrounded with 1 row of barbed wire, and there was no electricity running in it. There were lamps on the poles of the fence. There were no guard towers by the fence. When we were working outside, usually in the fields, the guards would set up the big Postenkette on the hills and along the road going to Brzeszcze, so basically around all of the area we were working on. After the evening rollcall until the morning roll-call the guards were walking alongside the fence of the sub-camp. The day in the camp looked like this: we had to get up at 5 o clock in the morning, then we had to wash ourselves, make our beds and we had breakfast. At 6 o clock there was a roll-call on the yard inside our sub-camp, then we left for work. We worked until 12 o clock, and then we had an hour break for lunch. There was no roll-call then. We had to go back to the camp to have dinner (both in summers and winters). At 1 o clock we started working again and we worked until 6 o clock (until the evening roll-call). Then we had supper. We had to go to bed at 9 o clock in the evening. The growing of Kazahk dandelions and the kommando Pflanzenzucht was established and run by Caesar. He took good care of us, because the conditions of living and food was really good (in the camp system). We had our own beds, the sheets were changed often, we had thick blankets from Kanada, clean and fresh clothes and white aprons. Ceasar wanted us to do our work thoroughly. You didn t even have to have a degree to do it. He gave us lots of freedom January 2018

39 On 7th February 1943 a very special transport arrived to Auschwitz. It came from the Weigl Institute in Lviv. People of that transport were put in Block 20 (the Prisoners Hospital) in the main camp alongside their wives and children. They were assigned to work for the Hygiene Institute in Rajsko. Dr Ludwik Fleck Portraits The transport included the following doctors and their families: dr Ludwik Fleck, dr Jakób Seeman, dr Bernard Umschweif and dr Owsiej Abramowicz. They were treated better than other Jewish prisoners due to their achievements in the medicine. Auschwitz Study Group found out in the Archives at the beginning of February 2017 that both sons of dr Umschweif were treated in the hospital in Rajsko when they suffered from typhus. The hospital there was considered one of the best in the whole Auschwitz complex. In the picture you can see Doctor Ludwik Fleck (11th July th June 1961) who was a physician and biologist doing important work in epidemic typhus in Lviv with Rudolf Weigl and in the 1930 s developed the concepts of the Denkstil ( thought style ) and the Denkkollektiv ( thought collective ). His main task in Auschwitz was to diagnose syphilis, typhus and other illnesses using serological tests. January

40 absurdity of Indulgence: Auschwitz SS KÜCHE Foreword Michael Challoner Translation Iga Bunalska Planned drawing of the SS Küche and contemporary photo of the now empty building showing the east side. In 1971, Walter Błażej Latka a prisoner who worked at the canteen for nearly a year gave his testimony in We have partly translated his testimony for use in this article. Its incomprehensible to imagine that selection for a work unit in Auschwitz where one rises before the rest of the camp and often returns after most other work commandos in the evening, would be considered a lucrative placement. Yet this was how hardened prisoners of Auschwitz would compartmentalise their lot. This is not to say that the work commando was indeed an easy placement. On the contrary, such a placement never existed in the camps history. A highly sort after commando only met the essential requirements for life in such a hell. Access to organising food (camp jargon for opportunities to illegally increase a ration), shelter from the outdoor elements heat and mosquitos in the summer and the freezing cold and death in the winter. And finally, if you had even a vaguely sympathetic Kapo or SS Overseer you could hardly hope for more. due to being on rota, he may well meet his end. The depraved work conditions at the SS Küche must not be downplayed in anyway. 250 prisoners were assigned here eventually preparing meals for 3,200 SS-men every day. Under half of these prisoners were peeling potatoes for the whole day and then went on to other tasks. The prisoners were known to serve the SS-men during the Kameradenschaftsabend (Bonding meetings of the SS), even though they worked all day and then served the SS all evening. Despite the incredibly long shifts, the camps underground resistance managed to establish one of its bases here. It did afterall provide an essential lifeline to those camp inmates who were in no position to organise food beyond their starvation level diet. Drawing courtesy of the Auschwitz Museum archives department Photo by Michael Challoner The SS Küche, or SS canteen was one example of this. It provided all the basic ingredients for a chance of survival, yet it did not offer protection from the unpredictability of the guards. No commando could. The SS Küche was a place of lavishness, over indulgence and a place where the SS would mimic the prisoners need to survive by stealing food of their own, however in their case it was not for survival. Merely greed. It was a breeding ground for young soldiers to get drunk, eat, meet women (it was also a performance hall with a stage and cinema) and act how they like. If an unfortunate prisoner happened to be in the vicinity of a soldier of the SS who is missing out on such extravaganza In 1971, Walter Błażej Latka a prisoner who worked at the canteen for nearly a year gave his testimony in His Auschwitz number was I was lucky to be assigned in the middle of June 1944 to the SS kitchen (SS Küche). I was assigned to be the accountant there. The prisoners who worked in the SS-kitchen were the Kommandiertkommando - it means we were leaving for work before the general roll-call in the morning (our shift started at five 40 January 2018

41 o clock in the morning), and we Dresden. He was very nervous, throw me out of the kitchen. I was Despite the incredibly long shifts, the camps underground resistance managed to establish one of its bases here. It did afterall provide an essential lifeline to those would return to the camp at six o clock in the evening, sometimes even later than that. There were prisoners working there. The Kapo was Polish his name was August Fronczak he came from Łącko by Nowy Sącz. He was a very decent man and a good friend, he did many good things for us, his fellow SS-men called him Schuttelkopf. He had this tick: he was shaking his head when he was nervous. The tick was a result of him being buried under the rubble after one of the bombings. He was very cruel towards the prisoners. I remember I was walking one day by the place where the bread was able to do all of that thanks to my colleagues. He was replaced by another SSman named Hans Scheffer, he was SS-Oberscharführer. I remember Werner Paschke had a wife who lived in Katowice on Henryka Sienkiewicza Street, she would camp inmates who were and he was beaten for it too. There unloaded and then Paschke, for sometimes visit him in Oświęcim, in no position to organise food beyond their starvation level diet. were many difficult situations in the camp, and he preferred to get beaten than to let anybody beat us, even when we deserved to be no reason at all, kicked me very hard. It shocked me a lot but what could I do? When he was calling us, you just had to drop everything he was very jealous over her. There were seven SS-men in total in the kitchen, but I don t remember their names. One of them made beaten. and go. If he noticed something, he very good doughnuts but only the would beat you all over your body. high ranked SS officers would When I was assigned to work receive them on special occasions. there, the head of the SS Küche When I came to the kitchen on was SS-Unterscharführer Werner the very first day, he told me Du One of my tasks as a Schreiber Paschke: he was of middle height, stinkst wie die Pest! You stink like working in the SS Küche was a bit chubby, he was a slaughterer a plague! He told me that if I didn t to record the bills regarding the and his father was a slaughterer. change my stripped uniform and Sonderpflegung the special food He would brag he came from didn t shower properly, then he will rations. They would be given to January

42 SS Küche Profile Location: Oświęcim, Poland Kitchen Head: Werner Paschke, Hans Scheffler Number of prisoners: Dates of camp s existence: 1941/42 - Jan 45 Photo opposite shows Walter Latka, the author of the testimony. Courtesy of the National Archives the SS-men who would volunteer to take part in the roundabouts and the killings in the gas chambers, so basically in any kind of the special actions. They were given small square pieces of paper (4x4 centimetres). This paper would allow the SS to get 100 grams of sausage, 5 cigarettes, half of litter of vodka, 250 grams of bread and a small amount of butter. I was doing the monthly summary of those special additions. I was grouping them looking at the signature of the SS officer who signed it. I remember that between May and September 1944 a lot of those papers were issued. For example, in June ,000 of them were issued, whilst the average was 3,000-7,000 a month. We used that to establish the number of people killed in the gas chambers. We counted there were 5 million people killed that way in Auschwitz. The SS-men from the kitchen were sometimes assigned to the ramp in Birkenau. When it comes to Scheffer, he was treating the prisoners a little better. He wouldn t torment them that much. He wasn t really clever, he was a womaniser and sometimes he would read out loud the fragments of the letters he was getting from all the women. Sometimes he asked me to write the letters for him. Each of the SS-men used the food as much as possible. If one of them was going back home for some time off work, we had to fill their luggage with food. Hans Scheffler had a very beautiful dog, a German shepherd. He was training him on the prisoners. Usually he was using one of the prisoners working in the kitchen, Kazik Flak. Kazik would put a lot of rags on his body, enter the heating room in the kitchen barrack and this is where Scheffler would let his dog on the prisoner. Kazik was a young brave boy. He told me himself he felt sick when he couldn t organise anything on the given day. Even though all the meals were prepared accordingly to recipes, we were still able to organise some of the products. We were doing it for various reasons but mostly because the best food and products would be delivered to the SS kitchen from the prisoner warehouses and the prisoner kitchen. If the SSmen were stealing from us, we didn t feel bad about stealing from them. In the very same barrack, except for the SS kitchen and the canteen, there was also the Kartoffelschalereikommando the potato peeling. Very important people in the camp would visit the kitchen, of course I mean the SS. The doctors would come and the Rapportführers too. Kaduk for example. He ordered us to do some Sport. And we did nothing wrong. But he didn t like something obviously. He was always drunk. Some of the SS-men would go as far as to ask us for things if they needed them. If it was a decent man, we would help him. The SS female guards would come there often too. One of them, she was very tall, got really angry with me. She even pointed her gun in my direction, claiming I disrespected her. In other words: the kitchen was a magnet for all of the SS-men who wanted to organise something. They were not bad at it. Us the prisoners would do the same, we would organise whatever possible. One of our colleagues who was employed in Verwaltung smuggled a lot of food back in the camp. His name was Józef Dominik. He was delivering food to the SS-men who were arrested in Block 11. We were always giving him more food so he could feed the prisoners in that block too. I remember Konstanty Jagiełło. He was picking up food from us and smuggling it in the camp. Until autumn 1944 most of the prisoners working in the SS kitchen were Polish. We were very clever and sneaky. Our boss Scheffler summed it up one day by saying Yes, Poles are very good workers, but they steal too much. Except for us, Polish people, there were two Germans working with us they were marked with green triangles, one of them was Otto, and the other Richard. I can t remember their surnames. Richard came from Berlin and was tall and slim. He bragged lots about his criminal past. There was one prisoner from Ukraine, his name was Franek. I remember we had some kind of competition going on. It was about helping the female prisoners. It started in autumn 1944 when a big group of girls was assigned to work in the SS kitchen as help. Most of them were Polish and Ukrainian. He helped the Ukrainian and I helped the Polish. Prisoner Józef Zielińśki was the head of the diet section. Before the war he used to work 42 January 2018

43 for some kind of count. He was in his fifties and couldn t speak German at all so I had to translate for him. The women were assigned to work at the peeling of the potatoes. I remember one of them. Her name was Zosia and she came from Radom. She couldn t live with the fact that Scheffler told her to clean his boots. She was very down. I came from Slovakia. He was slim and short. He beat me up very badly and I didn t know why. I was so shocked. Maybe he beat me up as he was on duty when everybody else was drinking and having fun with the women upstairs? This very same man came back after an hour and asked me if I was angry with him. I think he felt guilty as he took me downstairs and gave me a glass of vodka. Hans Scheffler had a very beautiful dog, a German shepherd. He was training him on the prisoners. Usually he was using one of the prisoners working in the kitchen, Kazik Flak. was explaining her and tried to cheer her up but I didn t succeed. On 1st January 1945 I was still working in the kitchen. I was beaten up by the SS-man who January

44 Traditionally social media platforms such as Facebook or Instagram were seen as mere communication tools for sharing thoughts or personal moments with friends or a community. But it can be much more than that. Throughout the last few years we ve already seen these new communication tools being used as a vehicle to organise meetings during times of political unrest and terror, but social media is also opening up new opportunities in education. Normally, learning about history is something that is done in school, and for many these history lessons do not create interest in the subject nor an awareness of the importance of that subject. History is often seen by many students as something that doesn t affect their lives today often due to the way it is taught. Of course there are passionate teachers that manage to excite their pupils by teaching history properly, but mostly they are in the minority. Fortunately social media has created an opportunity to engage many of these students on very different level, not only to teach history but also to educate them and older people alike about politics and science. Social media has made education on specific topics much more accessible to a broader audience. Traditionally many people only used to get into contact with educational information when actively seeking it, but due to social media this has changed. News and information, even on topics that many people usually would not have actively tried to learn about can be brought to the screens of millions. Today, teaching history becomes much more engaging because social media allows people to educate others about very specific aspects, which can t be covered for example in school since they would overload the schedule. By becoming more detailed and more engaging, history also becomes something less abstract to many of those, that initially see history as something that doesn t affect them. Maximilian Kullmann 44 January 2018

45 teaching History: The Changing Face of Social Media Today many are able to share their own personal stories and their own history beyond every existing physical border, engaging an audience on a personal level. This new form of casual education can also be seen in the way groups like the ASG use a network of social media accounts engage and educate a growing audience. And this casual education works so well because it manages to blend in. Especially on Facebook and Instagram these posts about historic events can blend into the feed of a user, uniting educational material with normal posts in one single feed. These social media posts also help to adequately portray the complexity of subjects such as history. People can now be confronted with very specific historic events in all their complexity instead of mere summaries, even enabling users/members of a community to share their own personal history, causing a shift in how history in perceived. A collection of dates and statistics suddenly becomes a collection of a subculture developed, drifting away from this original purpose of just sharing personal moments with a few friends. Some of these subcultures, like the history community of Instagram are focused on that new way of educating people on various historic subjects, presenting the true complexity of history... individual stories of real people and their fate. The motivation of an individual takes the place of the abstract and generalized motivation of a people, erasing broad perceptions of stereotypes or collective guilt, which arise from the simplification of historic events. This new and casual form of education especially helps engaging a young audience, creating a broader interest in history. Yet this new form of education faces problems on each platform. The structural problems of these pages is a complex issue, and various websites aren t alike. Take instagram for example, a platform solely devoted to sharing pictures. Even on this platform a subculture developed, drifting away from this original purpose of just sharing personal moments with a few friends. Some of these subcultures, like the history community of Instagram are focused on that new way of educating people on various historic subjects, presenting the true complexity of each of our history. Instagram faces some serious problems as a platform though. It is quite common that some accounts get posts taken down or even their accounts suspended due to the nature of the pictures posted. To give an example I had a series called The Rise of the NSDAP which obviously had to feature pictures including swastika. The posts were supposed to educate people on the context in which these radical parties can rise, which is especially important considering today s politics, but these posts were taken down for featuring hateful symbols, despite being exactly against the symbols and people shown. But there is also the problem of revisionism and false information. Since everyone can create an account and devote it to whatever subject he/she wants, the amount of false information, especially on history related or political subjects is very significant. Revisionism, especially when it comes to the second world war is not that uncommon and social media bares the risk of spreading ideology-driven ideas instead of unbiased facts. There is little than can be done about this false information, but fortunately the information based posts of many work as a counterbalance in these was established in March 2014 and is now run by 4 administrators and writers from 4 different countries: Germany, Finland, Switzerland, and the United States of America. It was established as a social media account to educate a mainly young audience on various topics, and the true nature of the armed conflicts that have shaped our world. It was created to spread a broader understanding for each side s perspective in these conflicts from an unbiased point of view. In early 2016, Warhistory began working with the ASG s Instagram account, crossing over stories that were linked. The ASG felt that the mission of Warhistory followed our own philosophy of explaining history correctly, avoiding the more commercial aspects or interpretations that often saturate Holocaust education. In August 2016, the ASG s Head of Social Media, Iga Bunalska, became a guest writer for Warhistory and its founder, Maximilian Kullmann became a guest writer on the ASG s Instagram account. January

46 LATEST NEWS FEATURING AUSCHWITZ STUDY GROUP Read our website for our Latest News and Activities CHEŁMEK NEWS In late 2016, the Auschwitz Study group worked along side Waldemar Rudyk (the head of MOKSIR in Chełmek) researching the Auschwitz sub-camp in that town. As part of our core research programme, we endeavour to find the exact locations of the camps once belonging to Auschwitz. Following a donation from former Auschwitz Memorial employee, Emeryka iwaszko who had previously worked on the Chelmek and Neu-Dachs camps in nearby Libiaz, we decided to re-open our investigation. Our primary work was published on the Auschwitz Study Group website and immediately picked up by The Przełom, a local newspaper, focusing on the area surrounding Chrzanów, Oświęcim and the towns nearby. The exposure has allowed us to continue our research on finding the exact location of the camp, but also increased our profile working with other towns who are in desperate need of finding out about the histories of Auschwitz in their area. newsasg Follow Us Auschwitz Study Group DAILY MAIL ONLINES Auschwitz Study Group Archivist, Iga Bunalska has recently been working on a project with the Daily Mail unearthing testimonies on the lesser known Auschwitz brothel. Non-Jewish women were lured into volunteering with promises of better living conditions and better food rations. Mainly in their 20s, the women were made to have sex with an average of 6-8 men every night between 8 and 10pm. They also had to work on Sunday afternoons. As many as 21 women prisoners worked in the Auschwitz brothels which were known as Sonderbauten (special buildings). Iga Bunalska from the Auschwitz Study Group told MailOnline: SS men would come to the building as a new transport was being registered, tell them they are looking for women to do some light work. The women volunteered to do it. Some of them would change their minds when they learned what the work was about, but a lot of them stayed. If a woman was pretty and healthy - they were checked by the doctors before being accepted - they would start working in the brothel. Of course, the women could not be Jewish. We have recently been working with the Daily Mail Online for a number of potential articles based on our own research. The Auschwitz Study Group have teamed up with Waterstones bookstores to give away 3 high value book vouchers. The initiative was put together to thank our followers, now over on Instagram alone for their support and suggestions in This gesture is only the beginning, as Michael Challoner, ASG Founder recently remarked; The subject we tackle is highly sensitive and we are mindful to correctly proportion and tailor how we educate to an ever evolving social media world. We are proud to be the only account to correctly represent Auschwitz and showcase the incredible research of our collective January 2018

47 SOCIAL MEDIA Auschwitz Study Group Search: Auschwitz Study Group The Auschwitz Study Group is represented on many social media platforms, each offering our followers a different type of education and interaction. Our Facebook Group is the largest and most comprehensive Auschwitz discussion platforms in the world. Our Instagram account is managed by a team of vuolunteers who prepare weekly and monthly projects weeks in advance. The account is updated with daily histography of Auschwitz and its sub-camps narrating on the day in history. We also aim to build the largest contemporary Holocaust image library available in one place, and we represent this on our Flickr account. If you have pictures you would like to donate, please use the contact section to get in touch with us. You can also follow us on Pinterest and Twitter where we are active daily, and you can subscribe to our YouTube channel to see exclusive videos presenting our work. Follow Us January

48 volunteerasg Get Involved Auschwitz Study Group ACCOUNT MANAGERS Account Manager for Pinterest Managing the official Pinterest account and effectively representing the activities and the projects of the ASG. Growing the account s popularity. Working along side the Group founder and the Head of Social Media. If you have experience with Pinterest account management, please get in touch via the website. TRANSLATORS Translators for small and large projects. We will provide references on completion of projects. REFLECTIONS MAGAZINE CONTRIBUTORS If you have written essays on the Holocaust and would like to see them published, or you would like to tackle a subject close to your heart, get in touch and we will see how we can help. PHOTO DONATIONS If you are planning a trip to Auschwitz, we are currently working on projects behind the scenes that you may be interested in. Please get in touch through the contact section to find out more information.. SOCIAL MEDIA Do you have ideas that can help improve our Facebook, Instagram and Flickr Accounts? If so, get in touch, we are always happy to see how we can improve PROJECT PLANNING Be part of the team and help us plan our projects throughout the year. For more information, please use the contact section to find out more information PR MANAGEMENT If you have PR experience or wish to improve your CV, we have a lucrative volunteering position open now. We are looking for a confident, like minded person to liaise with global organisations raising the ASG profile and working as a liaison representing the Auschwitz Study Group If you think you can add value to our team, please get in touch contact@auschwitzstudygroup.com