Dachau was the first concentration camp created by the Nazis.  It was created two months after Hitler, leader of the Nazis, rose to power.  Opened in March, 1933, it held gypsies, homosexuals, a-socials, and repeat criminal offenders, as well as Jewish prisoners.  This concentration camp was officially liberated on April 29, 1945 by United States troops.  In Dachau during World War II, there were many deaths, various types of punishments, different kinds of working and living conditions, and a very memorable liberation.

                                                                                                This is a picture of the sign on the front gate of Dachau

Punishments

      In 1942, the medical experiments started ("Dachau").  These included decompression chambers, malaria, tuberculosis, hypothermia and new medication experiments ("Dachau").  The courtyard was used for execution ("Dachau").  Another punishment included the gas chambers .  One prisoner explains that “…hundreds died or were permanently disabled,” from the medical experiments ("Dachau." United States Holocaust Memorial Museum).  Finally, if prisoners prayed, they were severely beaten (B, R).

                                                                                                This is a picture of the bunks for the prisoners in Dachau

Working/Living Conditions

      Prisoners were very lucky to go to slave camps.  Here the labor was harsh and living conditions were poor.  They were forced to construct large buildings made of concrete blocks that were often used as factories ("Dachau").  The prisoners were given such extremely small rations, some starved to death (B, R,Whiteway).  "Buildings contained the kitchen, laundry, showers, and workshops, as well as a prison block,” ("Dachau." United States Holocaust Memorial Museum).  Because of the poor conditions, many prisoners wondered why they were not put to death (B, R).

                                                                                                         This is a picture of the Crematorium in Dacahu

Deaths

      In Dachau, death was the ultimate and most commonly used punishment.  Of all the recorded prisoners, 30,000 perished ("Dachau").  Prisoners died of, “…starvation, disease, beatings, and execution,” explains one historian ("Dachau").  Out of 6,000 soviet prisoners, nearly all were executed ("Dachau." Grolier Multimedia Encyclopedia).  Killing sites included a firing range, a crematorium, and the gallows ("Dachau").  The total number of prisoners killed in Dachau was about 28,000 ("Dachau").

                                                                                                        This is a picture of the fence in Dachau

Liberation

     The Liberation of Dachau occurred on April 29, 1945 ("Dachau").  United States troops took all prisoners and moved them to a new location ("Dachua").  They were given little food and water, and were weak and exhausted.  During the transfer of the prisoners, there was a typhus epidemic, which was caused by overcrowding, poor sanitary conditions, and the weakened state of the prisoners ("Dachua").  “When the Americans arrived, there were 67,665 registered prisoners,” explains one historian ("Dachau." United States Holocaust Memorial Museum).  Many of these prisoners did not make through the march to their new location.  Americans found horrifying things during the Liberation, including 30 railroad cars filled with bodies ("Dahcau"). 

References

B, R. Dachau. Discovery Education streaming. N.p., n.d. Web. 5 May 2010. <http://player.discoveryeducation.com/‌index.cfm?guidAssetId=03EA6C4C-7C63-4609-8BA6-91B8976CFEF7&blnFromSearch=1&productcode=US>. 5

Brewbooks. Dachau crematorium. N.d. Flickr. N.p., 26 June 2006. Web. 11 May 2010. <http://www.flickr.com/‌photos/‌brewbooks/‌176053183/>.

Brewbrooks. Dachau. N.d. Flickr. N.p., 26 June 2006. Web. 6 May 2010. <http://www.flickr.com/‌photos/‌brewbooks/‌176050545/>.

Browder, Dewey A. “Concentration Camps, German.” The Encyclopeia of World War II. 2005. Print. 4

“Dachau.” Grolier Multimedia Encyclopedia. N.p., n.d. Web. 3 May 2010. <http://go.grolier.com/>. 3

“Dachau.” United States Holocaust Memorial Museum. N.p., n.d. Web. 2 May 2010. <http://www.ushmm.org/‌wlc/‌en/‌article.php?ModuleId=10005214>. 1

Galvin, Jay. Dachau. N.d. Flickr. N.p., n.d. Web. 6 May 2010. <http://www.flickr.com/‌photos/‌jaygalvin/‌61305279/>.

Prisoners in their bunks in Dachau. N.d. Discovery Education Streaming. N.p., n.d. Web. 6 May 2010. <http://player.discoveryeducation.com/‌index.cfm?guidAssetId=08CB7D0C-16BC-467F-9C50-19FE6C3BF452&blnFromSearch=1&productcode=US>.

Whiteway, Curits. “Follow The Screams.” Ebscohost. N.p., n.d. Web. 2 May 2010. 2

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