During the Holocaust, over 6 million Jews were killed in concentration camps. One of these labor death camps was Treblinka.
Treblinka was a village located about 50 miles northeast of Warsaw, Poland. Approximately 2.5 miles southeast of the villiage was Treblinka II, the death camp. Another mile south was Treblinka I, the labor camp. Treblinka was originally built by Christian Wirth. (Historical Atlas, 90; Toland, 879)
The number of Jews sent to Treblinka between July and September 1942 was approximately more than 250,000 from the Warsaw, Poland. Dr. Heelmut Kraunsnick, director of the Institute for Contemporary History (Institute fur Zeitgeschinchte) in Munich, Germany submitted his studies to the Court of Assizes.(Historical Atlas, 92; shamash.org, answer-to-revisionists.txt)
Among the documents he examined were the folowing:
(1) The so-called Stroop report, a report by the SS Brigadefuhrer Jurgen Stroop, dealing with the destruction of the Warsaw ghetto. This report consists of three parts: namely, an introduction, a compilation of daily reports and a collection of photgraphs.
(2) The record of the trial of the major war criminals before the International Military Tribunal in Nuremberg.
(3) The official transportation documents (train schedules, telegrams, and train inventories) relevent to the transportation to Treblinka.
(4) The latter documents, which only part were recovered after the war, were ... made available to Dr. Krausnick by the Court of Assizes.
In Dr. Krausnick’s studies from these documents, he reported to the court that at least 700,000 people, mainly Jews, were murdered at Trblinka. According to Krausnick, these Jews and Gypsies came by freight train from Poland and other European contries. Jews and Gypsies also came into Treblinka on horse wagons and passenger trains, which the number of people brought this way can only be estimated. (shamash.org, answer-to-revisionists.txt)
Upon entering Trblinka, deportees were separted by age and sex and then stripped of their clothes, handing over their vaulables. Some were sent directly to death. Others were sent to “work themselves to death.” All of which, however, recieved heavy beatings, torments, and humiliation from the SS. Those sent to death were gassed using carbon monoxide diesel engines and may have also used Zyklon-B. Others were hung or shot. (Historical Atlas, 91; Hohne, 430; shamash.org, answer-to-revisionists.txt)
On August 2, 1943, several Jewish prisoners revolted against the camp hoping to escape. After stealing ammunitions from the armory, the Jews were caught and hundreds of prisoners went running for the gate. Only about 300 managed to escape, but most were later killed or recaptured. Then in 1943, Wirth received orders to dismantle the camp. In the fall of 1943, Treblinka was dismantled, and the prisoners remaining were killed. (Historical Atlas, 91; shamash.org, answer-to-revisionists.txt; Toland, 879)
German court rulings put commander Treblinka Franz Stangl and his deputy Kurt Franz into prison for life. Other verdicts of SS officers involved were: Josef Hirtfeiter found guilty and sentenced to life inprisonment for killing young children (aged 1-2 years old) by grabbing their feet and smashing their heads against the boxcars of the trains.; Otto Horn, worked at the incinerator, was found innocent and released; Hermann Lambert sentenced to four years in prison for the construction of the gas chambers; Arthur Matthes,sentenced to life; was the chief officer of Treblinka II and gas chambers while his assistant, Gustav Munzberger sentenced to 12 years imprisonment; and Franz Suchomel, sentenced to seven years imprisonment for the collecting and processing valuables of the Treblinka prisoners. (shamash.org, treblinka.txt)
Apparently, the German forces were extremely cruel to Jews and various other “criminals.” Although it is almost impossible to understand how a human being can treat another like that, it teaches us a good lesson in life. Hopefully, not only can the Germans look back on this and try to keep from repeating the same mistakes, but we can try and keep ourselves from turning into such savages.