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Depressing Topic - Visit to Mauthausen Concentration Camp
Posted on 8/14/22 at 9:58 am
Posted on 8/14/22 at 9:58 am
I visited this concentration camp in Austria a few days ago. It was purportedly the largest camp and was the last one liberated. Patton raced the Soviets in late May of 1945 to get there ahead of the Red Army. A short time later, however, Patton was ordered to withdraw and allow the Soviets to take over.
It was not supposed to be a "death camp" per se, but the SS worked the inmates to death - as many as 95,000 inmates of the 195,000 perished because of starvation, thirst, accidents and actual murders.
The inmates quarried stone and carried the blocks on their backs up 250 flights of stairs:
The SS guards, mostly 19, 20 & 21 year old had the inmates build a soccer field and they hosted matches with regional teams. The several hundred spectators at these matchs seemed to have no curiousity about the mega-structure near the soccer field.
Our guide, who has studied this camp in detail, said some of the SS guards would occasionally show humanity to the inmates, but these guards were booted from the SS and sent to the eastern front.
It was not supposed to be a "death camp" per se, but the SS worked the inmates to death - as many as 95,000 inmates of the 195,000 perished because of starvation, thirst, accidents and actual murders.
The inmates quarried stone and carried the blocks on their backs up 250 flights of stairs:
The SS guards, mostly 19, 20 & 21 year old had the inmates build a soccer field and they hosted matches with regional teams. The several hundred spectators at these matchs seemed to have no curiousity about the mega-structure near the soccer field.
Our guide, who has studied this camp in detail, said some of the SS guards would occasionally show humanity to the inmates, but these guards were booted from the SS and sent to the eastern front.
This post was edited on 8/15/22 at 5:25 am
13
Posted on 8/14/22 at 9:59 am to blueridgeTiger
Interesting. I’ve visited Dachau not sure I’ve heard of this one.
This post was edited on 8/14/22 at 10:00 am
Posted on 8/14/22 at 10:00 am to blueridgeTiger
I imagine you felt a dark, oppressive sad energy hanging over that place.
Posted on 8/14/22 at 10:12 am to blueridgeTiger
Went to one yrs ago. The guide told us the guards would made the prisoners strip naked and lay face down, side to side, throught the prison yard while it was snowing. The guards would walk on the prisonersbacks so they would get their shoes dirty.
Posted on 8/14/22 at 10:21 am to blueridgeTiger
Posted on 8/14/22 at 10:23 am to CrownTownHalo
quote:
Interesting. I’ve visited Dachau
I visited Dachau in 1996 - another depressing day, but a lesson we must all keep.
Posted on 8/14/22 at 10:41 am to CrownTownHalo
quote:
Dachau
Visited this summer. The thing that was the most impactful for me was the Carmelite convent/monastery established after liberation and dedicated solely to pray for the victims/families and their persecutors until they can no longer staff it with vowed religious. Those people have given up their own lives to offer up some sacrifices for people they probably didn’t know. I know in today’s world lots of people will dismiss it as looney and think it’s a waste but I think it is amazing. How many times in the Gospels does it say “because Jesus saw their faith” his sins are forgiven? It’s more than once…
Posted on 8/14/22 at 10:51 am to blueridgeTiger
quote:
The several hundred spectators at these matchs seemed to have no curiousity about the mega-structure near the soccer field.
What?
I find death tourism like this somewhat odd.
Posted on 8/14/22 at 11:26 am to blueridgeTiger
I visited Mauthausen a few years ago.
EVERYONE should be required to at least do a virtual tour of one of these camps, especially in these troubling times. It is a reminder of the depraved evil that mankind is capable of that cannot fully be understood, but being there in person is a start.
The entry courtyard where they inmates were unloaded was their first Realization of the dire situation they were in. They had been loaded onto rail cars to travel to the camps, but when they arrived, often in sub zero temperatures, they were hosed down and left to suffer while being sorted for work or death.
The sadistic dinner parties held by the warden where even the wives would peek through the window while inmates were gassed is beyond comprehension.
EVERYONE should be required to at least do a virtual tour of one of these camps, especially in these troubling times. It is a reminder of the depraved evil that mankind is capable of that cannot fully be understood, but being there in person is a start.
The entry courtyard where they inmates were unloaded was their first Realization of the dire situation they were in. They had been loaded onto rail cars to travel to the camps, but when they arrived, often in sub zero temperatures, they were hosed down and left to suffer while being sorted for work or death.
The sadistic dinner parties held by the warden where even the wives would peek through the window while inmates were gassed is beyond comprehension.
This post was edited on 8/14/22 at 12:25 pm
Posted on 8/14/22 at 11:28 am to blueridgeTiger
Lets talk about to Holomodor were 10 million Ukrainians were murdered
Posted on 8/14/22 at 11:33 am to Mo Jeaux
He means while it was operating
Posted on 8/14/22 at 11:38 am to Strannix
Those quarry steps are what Mauthausen is the moist "famous" for. Climbing those 250 steps under normal circumstances would have been difficult enuff; add to that the extremely poor physical condition of the prisoners; add to that the extreme cold & heat under which they had to climb nonstop, hour after hour day after day; then place a concrete block on their shoulders. Many lasted only a few days & many committed suicide by jumping to the rocks below. And then many were murdered by the guards shoving them off the steps. The daily survival rate was the lowest amongst all the camps throughout Europe.
Posted on 8/14/22 at 11:39 am to Stexas
I also visited Dacchau. As terrible as that one was, it is hard to believe that that slave labor camp was considered mild in comparison to the death camps such as Auschwitz.
Posted on 8/14/22 at 1:38 pm to blueridgeTiger
I went to Mauthausen 4 years ago. I was there on the anniversary of the liberation so they were set up for a ceremony.
Definitely a sobering place. It was called a "work" camp, but looking at the quarry and the incline that they were forced to carry stone up, it was clear they were worked to death.
I later learned that it was the camp a 19 year old Florence Klein was in when it was liberated. She would become the mother of Gene Klein, now known as Gene Simmons.
Definitely a sobering place. It was called a "work" camp, but looking at the quarry and the incline that they were forced to carry stone up, it was clear they were worked to death.
I later learned that it was the camp a 19 year old Florence Klein was in when it was liberated. She would become the mother of Gene Klein, now known as Gene Simmons.
Posted on 8/14/22 at 1:40 pm to blueridgeTiger
Absolutely terrible that humans could do this to each other.
Also you do know that there are a lot of quacks on here that deny this even happened?
Also you do know that there are a lot of quacks on here that deny this even happened?
Posted on 8/14/22 at 2:20 pm to blueridgeTiger
Wife’s (no pics) grandmother (no pics) and great-aunt (no pics) “visited” Ravensbruck and several other sub-camps. Did not recommend any.
Posted on 8/14/22 at 2:56 pm to blueridgeTiger
I know awful stuff happened at those places but i just don’t have any interest to visit a place like that.
Posted on 8/14/22 at 3:04 pm to Fat and Happy
Not familiar with this particular camp. Anyone have a book on it that they'd recommend?
Posted on 8/14/22 at 3:08 pm to blueridgeTiger
How long are we going to have to hear about this shite?
Posted on 8/14/22 at 3:12 pm to SW2SCLA
There are many videos on YouTube about the death camps.
Also, read up on the Einsatzgruppen. They followed the German Army into Russia killing as many as they could find in order to create Lebensraum or living room. The idea was to kill the undesirables so that Germans could then colonize and populate these largely agricultural areas in order to have a food supply for the Germans.
Also, read up on the Einsatzgruppen. They followed the German Army into Russia killing as many as they could find in order to create Lebensraum or living room. The idea was to kill the undesirables so that Germans could then colonize and populate these largely agricultural areas in order to have a food supply for the Germans.
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