How accurate is Grossman's description of Nazi concentration camps?
Upvote:10
Nazi's weren't particularly picky about who they locked up.
Before I go into more detail, I would like to make one important distinction. Nazis used both concentration camps and death camps. People died in both, but most of the deaths in the concentration camps were from disease, malnutrition, being over-worked, torture, etc... while people sent to the death camps were usually systematically murdered in gas chambers within a few days, at most.
Now, most everyone knows the Jews were sent to concentration camps, but they were far from the only group there. Political opponents (typically Communists and Socialists) were sent to concentration camps, as well as anyone Hitler deemed "undesirable." This large group consisted of anyone who did not fit into the "aryan master race" and included Homosexuals, criminals, Gypsies (Sinti and Roma peoples) and many people of Slavic descent.
Now, I haven't read Grossman's work, but I know a decent amount of history on the subject and have visited concentration camps in Germany. And even though the "concentration" camps weren't designed to kill you instantly, plenty of people died there.
In Sachsenhausen, a smaller, relatively older concentration camp north of Berlin, inmates were subjected to drug trials (mixes of nasty narcotics to see if physical abilities could be enhanced) and then had to run 40-60km in new boots and shoes (per DAY) to test their durability for the German shoe industry. Guards would force prisoners into situations where they would have to break the rules, and could basically kill anyone they wanted at will. And though not a death camp, Sachsenhausen did have a gas chamber and crematorium.
Moral of the story, I think it's relatively safe to believe a lot of the horror stories you hear about what went on in any concentration/death camp. It was awful, awful stuff. As with any historical source, it is important to think about the bias/perspective of the author, but in the realm of Nazi camps, I don't think even the most gruesome ones come close to giving an accurate portrayal of the unimaginable horrors of what those camps must have been like.
EDIT: because I was asked about sources, I visited Sachsenhausen literally a few days ago, and draw from the exhibitions on display, there. However, here are some sources about this concentration camp in specific.
From the US holocaust memorial museum: general information about Sachsenhausen
Daily conditions in Sachsenhausen
from the holocaust research project:
It is also worth noting that Sachsenhausen was a relatively small camp. Horrors at death camps such as the infamous Auschwitz (or others) could be expected to be much worse.
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