I will never forget an interview I saw with a Hungarian camp survivor. A smiling man, he related a tale that still chills me to the bone...... In 1944, this man and his mother were transported to the gates of this extermination facility. Lining up with other unfortunates, his mother gossiped as to their fate with others standing in line. As always, the truth was mixed with rumour and speculation, and then, this man's mother heard something that outraged her....They were to be killed! And very soon, at that! With the strength of purpose that only a mother can have, this amazing woman sought out the nearest person of authority that she could find, an officer further up the que. With a look of annoyance in her eye, no doubt, she confronted this immaculately dressed officer...."I am told that we are all to be killed as soon as we enter those gates.IS THIS TRUE?" The nameless officer, looking at the soon to be perished fellow human, smiled at her, and in his best and most soothing voice, adopted a very correct and proper tone... "Madam," he said, "Do you think we are barbarians?"
Years ago when I took a university course on genicide, a Holocaust survivor spoke to our class. She was a Hungarian Jew and they were the last to be deported. She survived not only Auschwitz, but the long trek on foot to western Germany where she worked in a small factory. She was liberated by the US Army and married one of the American soldiers who liberated her. When asked if she hated Germans, she said no, but I hate Nazis. The town where the small camp and factory were located invited the survivors back i the 70s and she and her husband went and said it was quite interesting.
Hello all, maybe its just me, but I never understood why the prisoners never bum rushed the gates and over took their captors. You would think that pure numbers alone would win the day.........since there were 1000's more prisoners than guard's it seems they might have a had a good chance for freedom, instead of starving and freezing to death. Northern Reb
There were electric fences surrounding the camps. Atleast in some places. Then there is a point that most of the prisoners were already in weak condition when they arrived to camps. Transportation system was so bad that even horses and cows had better conditions. But prisoners had to be weeks in those trains. But why didn't anyone arise BEFORE they were send to camps? My opinion is at first, political situation. Hitler was so strong that there was no chance to survive if you go against power. Secondly, nazies were extremely brutal gang. Noone dares to go against them too. So I think people were so afraid that they didn't have anything to protect themselves.
