Death Camp of Auschwitz - Poland

Whilst in Poland we visited the death camps at Auschwitz and Birkenhau, "lest we forget" - the horrors inflicted by man upon man - during the war and under the cover of war. The German army under a deluded Adolph Hitler systematically set about to annihilate the Jewish nation. They constructed their death camps and transported millions of Jews by the railway system where these people were murdered in cold blood . As numbers increased the Germans used various methods to kill, never humanely and reached the stage where they were killing hundreds at a time by using Cyclone B cyanide gas. In this camp, the "prisoners" were marched through the main gates, welcomed by a band playing - however the logic was that if the prisoners marched through the gates in rank, in time to the music the rows were easier to count !! Once into the camp, there was no escape, exit was in the form of ash, which was then used as fertiliser

The daily role calls took place for as long as was necessary with prisoners having to stand out in all weathers for hours until the numbers were checked. In the event of attempted escapes ten men from that block were executed as a deterrent to others. However, many just flung themselves on the electrified fences to commit suicide.

In this camp there is only one incinerator, the prisoners were stripped outside and up to 800 at a time herded into the "shower block" where they were murdered by gassing. As the incinerator was only capable of burning 400 bodies a day, many bodies were taken outside and burnt on the open ground. In the other camp things were horrendously different - but that will come later.

In Auschwitz, as stated no one left alive, there were cell blocks were women and children were subjected to inhumane experiments, with the infamous Dr Mengalli experimenting on twins.

In Block 11, which still stands as it was , there are a number of cells in the basement were people were killed by starvation, suffocation, drowning and others went through sham military courts which all ultimately ended up with execution by firing squad in the courtyard, hanging and floggings.

The entire site is a museum to the horrors which occurred, rooms filled with tons of human hair, suitcases, spectacles, artificial limbs, clothing - all destined for Germany.

If the Germans had had their way and time, these camps would have been razed to the ground and all trace obliterated - we already have evidence that in Germany attempts are being made to deny that these events ever took place

May we never see the likes of this again, let us never forget.