Surely you have already heard of such a thing as sub-camps. What were they actually? The main area of Auschwitz hides a horrifying history. Unfortunately, it also took place outside this camp area. The sites were interconnected, but what took place in the sub-camps is only now coming to light.
Sub-camps – what were they?
Sub-camps were branches of the main camp. In the early days it was Auschwitz I, Auschwitz II Birkenau and later Auschwitz III Monowitz. The sub-camps were extensions of these.
Within Auschwitz-Birkenau, there were dozens of sub-camps (it is estimated that there were 45).
The sub-camps were an integral part of Auschwitz – Birkenau, but never became part of the State Museum.
They were created for different needs, hence prisoners performed different jobs.
There were women’s sub-camps and those intended for men
They were based on the slave labor of prisoners for the benefit of German chemical and pharmaceutical concerns, energy, metallurgy, rubber and textile industries.
In the area of Auschwitz-Birkenau
At the Auschwitz – Birkenau site there were:
Agricultural and livestock sub-camps (raising cattle, chickens, fish in ponds, dredging work year-round, even in sub-zero temperatures, logging, logging and woodworking, growing crops (rutabagas, potatoes and other root vegetables).
Sub-camps for penal companies.
Sub-camps for chemical, pharmaceutical and rubber industry production.
Mining sub-camp – yes, there was a coal mine on the grounds of Auschwitz – Birkenau operated by forced labor of prisoners.
Conditions in the sub-camps
Living and working conditions and the attitude of the supervising SS men toward the prisoners were similar. They were treated brutally, beaten, intimidated and often tortured. They were denied basic rights: to pay for work, rest, access to food, drinking water and for hygiene purposes, to take care of physiological needs, to health care, and finally to a dignified death and burial.
Prisoners lived in buildings and barracks insufficient for the needs of such a large group of people.