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Treblinka
Treblinka was an extermination camp approximately 62 miles (100 km) northeast of Warsaw, Poland. Originally a small railway station between Siedlce and Malkinia, the Germans laid down train tracks to allow the 15 – 20 cars carrying prisoners to travel directly to the camp that was constructed 2.5 miles (4 km) from the station. Nestled in a pine forests, Treblinka was hidden from view. The largest of the six death camps, it was the final destination for approximately 870,000 Jews from General Government ghettos, Central and Western Europe countries (Germany, Austria, Bohemia-Moravia, Slovakia, Holland, Belgium, and Luxembourg) and Balkan countries (Greece, Yugoslavia, and Bulgaria), and at least 2,000 Gypsies.
Treblinka was two camps. Treblinka I (December 1941 – July 24, 1944) was openly and officially a forced-labor camp for Jews and for Poles who committed economic or political offences. The Poles were detained for the duration of their punishments with only part of them being sent to concentration camps or killed. As for the Jews, few left alive. They were overworked, brutally beaten, and when no longer of use, were sent to their deaths. Approximately 10,000 people passed through Treblinka I, 70% being shot or murdered, and of that 70% killed, 90% were Jews. Nearly 40 mass graves were discovered near the camp containing the remains of nearly 6,500 bodies. The commander of Treblinka I was SS Hauptsturmfuehrer von Eupen.
Treblinka II was the largest of the death camps. Measuring 1,312 feet by 1,968 feet, it too sat nestled in the trees of the surrounding forest. Construction was complete July 22, 1942 and it went into operation the next day. It functioned as a pure execution center. It originally contained 3 gas chambers (25 square meters), but 10 more larger chambers (twice the size) were added by October 1942 making the total 13. The camp was divided into three sections: the reception area, the killing area, and the living area. The living area was for the guards (SS men and Ukrainians) at the camp and for the Jewish prisoners (between 1,000 – 1,500) who collected the victims’ possessions, sorted and classified the items, and sent these items out in vans for use by Germans. Upon arrival at the camp, the doors would open and the victims were rushed out of the trains and vans, being verbally and physically abused by the guards. Men were sent to an open square, women to a ‘changing room’ where they disrobed and their clothes placed in piles to be sorted later. They were given string to tie their shoes together. Their heads shaved. Now naked, the victims would have to run 150 yards through the “tube” where they were accosted verbally, whipped and pricked by bayonets. They were even chased by a vicious dog named Bari. Once inside the hermetically sealed gas chamber, they were suffocated, a process that took between 15 – 20 minutes, or longer if in the larger chambers or if the engines pumping carbon monoxide into chambers were out of order. Once is was determined there was no more movement in the chamber, the bodies were removed, mouths were inspected for gold teeth and dentures that were removed by ‘dentists’ and body cavities were searched for hidden valuables. The bodies were then moved a short distance to mass graves where they were to be buried head to toe to conserve space. Striving for greater efficiency and to eliminate evidence, the Nazis later had the prisoners uncover the mass graves and burn the corpses over iron grates. Fearing for their lives, prisoners began to organize a revolt.
On August 2, 1943, prisoners, who had been hiding weapons and ammunition, revolted in an effort to escape. The plan was interrupted less than an hour than it was scheduled to begin. The resulting chaos did not allow for many aspects to the plan to be executed, such as cutting telephone lines, and ‘relief’ troops were able to arrive swiftly from Treblinka I. Most of the rebels were killed while trying to escape through the barbed wire fence surrounding the camp. Of the approximate 300 – 500 who were able to escape, many were later caught in a massive man hunt. Only 50 – 70 prisoners were thought to have ever escaped Treblinka. Though the revolt of August 2, 1943 was crushing, activities in Treblinka II continued. They continued to burn corpses and process some transports. In October 1943, all the buildings of the camp were blown up, and the grounds were leveled and plowed to obliterate the crimes.
Today there are monuments to the camp located at the site. In later years, coins and identification cards from more than 30 countries were unearthed in the area surrounding Treblinka. Today, a model of the camp has been constructed and is on exhibition in Israel, at kibbutz Lohamei ha-Getta’ot. Three trials were conducted in Germany to try guards from Treblinka II. Sentences ranged from life imprisonment to several years, to acquittals.
References: Auerbach, Rachel and Michael Berenbaum. “Treblinka.” Encyclopaedia Judaica. Ed. Michael Berenbuam and Fred Skolnik. Vol. 20. 2nd ed. Detroit: Macmillan Reference USA, 2007. 125-129. Gale Virtual Reference Library. Dale. Holocaust Documentation & Educ Ctr. 14 May 2008 http://go.galegroup.com/ps/start.do?p=GVRL&u=holl3302. “Treblinka.” The Holocaust Encyclopedia. Ed. Walter Laquer. New Haven, CT: Yale University Press, 2001.
Treblinka was two camps. Treblinka I (December 1941 – July 24, 1944) was openly and officially a forced-labor camp for Jews and for Poles who committed economic or political offences. The Poles were detained for the duration of their punishments with only part of them being sent to concentration camps or killed. As for the Jews, few left alive. They were overworked, brutally beaten, and when no longer of use, were sent to their deaths. Approximately 10,000 people passed through Treblinka I, 70% being shot or murdered, and of that 70% killed, 90% were Jews. Nearly 40 mass graves were discovered near the camp containing the remains of nearly 6,500 bodies. The commander of Treblinka I was SS Hauptsturmfuehrer von Eupen.
Treblinka II was the largest of the death camps. Measuring 1,312 feet by 1,968 feet, it too sat nestled in the trees of the surrounding forest. Construction was complete July 22, 1942 and it went into operation the next day. It functioned as a pure execution center. It originally contained 3 gas chambers (25 square meters), but 10 more larger chambers (twice the size) were added by October 1942 making the total 13. The camp was divided into three sections: the reception area, the killing area, and the living area. The living area was for the guards (SS men and Ukrainians) at the camp and for the Jewish prisoners (between 1,000 – 1,500) who collected the victims’ possessions, sorted and classified the items, and sent these items out in vans for use by Germans. Upon arrival at the camp, the doors would open and the victims were rushed out of the trains and vans, being verbally and physically abused by the guards. Men were sent to an open square, women to a ‘changing room’ where they disrobed and their clothes placed in piles to be sorted later. They were given string to tie their shoes together. Their heads shaved. Now naked, the victims would have to run 150 yards through the “tube” where they were accosted verbally, whipped and pricked by bayonets. They were even chased by a vicious dog named Bari. Once inside the hermetically sealed gas chamber, they were suffocated, a process that took between 15 – 20 minutes, or longer if in the larger chambers or if the engines pumping carbon monoxide into chambers were out of order. Once is was determined there was no more movement in the chamber, the bodies were removed, mouths were inspected for gold teeth and dentures that were removed by ‘dentists’ and body cavities were searched for hidden valuables. The bodies were then moved a short distance to mass graves where they were to be buried head to toe to conserve space. Striving for greater efficiency and to eliminate evidence, the Nazis later had the prisoners uncover the mass graves and burn the corpses over iron grates. Fearing for their lives, prisoners began to organize a revolt.
On August 2, 1943, prisoners, who had been hiding weapons and ammunition, revolted in an effort to escape. The plan was interrupted less than an hour than it was scheduled to begin. The resulting chaos did not allow for many aspects to the plan to be executed, such as cutting telephone lines, and ‘relief’ troops were able to arrive swiftly from Treblinka I. Most of the rebels were killed while trying to escape through the barbed wire fence surrounding the camp. Of the approximate 300 – 500 who were able to escape, many were later caught in a massive man hunt. Only 50 – 70 prisoners were thought to have ever escaped Treblinka. Though the revolt of August 2, 1943 was crushing, activities in Treblinka II continued. They continued to burn corpses and process some transports. In October 1943, all the buildings of the camp were blown up, and the grounds were leveled and plowed to obliterate the crimes.
Today there are monuments to the camp located at the site. In later years, coins and identification cards from more than 30 countries were unearthed in the area surrounding Treblinka. Today, a model of the camp has been constructed and is on exhibition in Israel, at kibbutz Lohamei ha-Getta’ot. Three trials were conducted in Germany to try guards from Treblinka II. Sentences ranged from life imprisonment to several years, to acquittals.
References: Auerbach, Rachel and Michael Berenbaum. “Treblinka.” Encyclopaedia Judaica. Ed. Michael Berenbuam and Fred Skolnik. Vol. 20. 2nd ed. Detroit: Macmillan Reference USA, 2007. 125-129. Gale Virtual Reference Library. Dale. Holocaust Documentation & Educ Ctr. 14 May 2008 http://go.galegroup.com/ps/start.do?p=GVRL&u=holl3302. “Treblinka.” The Holocaust Encyclopedia. Ed. Walter Laquer. New Haven, CT: Yale University Press, 2001.
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