worldwartwo

Europe in World War Two


 * The German Government**

During World War Two, the government in Germany decided that they no longer wanted any Jewish people in Germany. Preferably, they thought, there would be no Jewish people anywhere in the world. They couldn't do much about it until a man named Adolf Hitler became the leader of Germany. His title was the Fuhrer (like a Prime Minister) and his group was called the Nazi party. He created a special police force called the Gestapo and an army called the SS. The Gestapo would round up Jewish people (as well as some other groups of people the Nazis didn't like, such as Polish people, disabled people or people who challenged the government.

The people were put into cattle trains and forced to stand for the train journey to a concentration camp. There were no seats on the train. Usually, there was not even enough room to sit on the floor. People had to stand, with no food, water or rest stops, until the train arrived at the camp. Sometimes, this trip took several days. Some people died on the train from suffocation or dehydration.
 * Transportation to the Camps**


 * Arriving at the Camp**

When people arrived at a concentration camp, they would be sorted. An SS officer would stand at the end of the train platform and direct people. If a person was a young adult and physically fit, they would be sent to work. If they were very young, sick or elderly, they may have been killed straight away. Most of the people who were killed in the camps died in the gas chambers. The SS officers would tell the people that they were going to take a shower. The door to the shower block would be locked. However, no water came out of the showers, only gas. Life in the concentration camps was very difficult. The people did not have enough food, clean water or warm clothing. In winter, it was so cold that it snowed, but there were not enough blankets. The clothing that the people had was often filled with insects like lice. Early in the morning, the people had to stand outside in lines for roll call. After roll call, they would be sent to work for about twelve hours. If they did not work fast enough, they might be shot.
 * Life in the Camps**

The people were packed into crowded barracks. Families were often separated as men and women were not allowed in the same section of the camp. As a result, children were usually separated from at least one of their parents, sometimes both. In some camps, there were separate barracks for children.

The camps had very high fences that were topped with barbed wire. Larger camps also had SS officers patrolling the fences or watching from towers around the perimeter of the camp. One of the biggest concentration camps was called Auschwitz. This camp was in Poland, a country next to Germany. Over one million Jewish people were killed in Auschwitz. Some of the people who worked there, like Josef Mengele, are famous now. Mengele was a doctor who stood at the end of the platform and sorted people when they got off the train at Auschwitz. He is famous for comforting children, telling them that and their parents that everything would be ok and then conducting medical experiments on people, especially twins.
 * Auschwitz**