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The Beginning of the End
The Schutzstaffel (German Protection Squadron) decides and constructs plans to build a concentration camp in Oswiecim, Poland, which later becomes Auschwitz-Birkenau Concentration Camp. -
The First Prisoners
30 recidivist criminals from Sachsenhausen arrive at Aushcwitz, becoming the concentration camp's first prisoners. -
Inspections and Expansion
SS Chief Heinrich Himmler inspects Auschwitz after discovering that nearby camps use prisoners for forced labor, which causes Himmler to become concerned with the the prisoner capacity of Auschwitz. During his inspection, Himmler orders that Auschwitz I shall hold 30,000 prisoners and to begin building Auschwitz II (Birkenau). -
A First Time For Zyklon B in Auschwitz
The first ever gassing of prisoners during the Holocaust occurs in Auschwitz I. The Schutzstaffel tests the ever-so-deadly Zyklon B on 600 Soviet prisoners of war and 250 ill or weak prisoners. Because of this experiment, Zyklon B becomes one of the main killing agent of Jews and other prisoners in the Holocaust. -
More Labor, Less Hope
SS Chief Heinrich Himmler informs Richard Gluecks , a concentration camp inspector, that 100,000 Jewish men and 50,000 Jewish women would be deported from Germany to Auschwitz as forced laborers -
From Bytom to the Gas Chambers
February 15, 1942 marks the day that the first transport of Jews from Bytom took place. These Jews arrived in Auschwitz I and were immediately taken to the gas chambers. -
A Rising Kapo
The specific date is unknown, but in March of 1942, one the most brutal and somewhat famous Kapos arrived in Auschwitz. His name was Rudolf Vrba and many prisoners had said that the fear induced by Vrba made them follow every little thing he said, even if they didn't agree. -
Deported
While record keeping, German SS officers find that 175,000 Jews had been deported to Auschwitz in 1942. -
The Gypsies are Coming!
After the Reich Central Office orders Gypsies from Germany, Austria, and other areas to be deported to Auschwitz, February 26, 1943, marks the dates where the first transport of Gypsies from Germany arrive at the Birkenau section of Auschwitz -
Deportation......Again!
Approximately 160,000 Jews are deported to Auschwitz between April 1, 1943 and March 1944. -
Hungarian Jews, too?
May 2, 1944 marks the date where the first two transports of Hungarian Jews arrive in Auschwitz. -
HALT!!
The deportation of Hungarian Jews is halted by Regent Miklos Horthy -
An Unexpected, but Taken Care of Uprising
Members of the Jewish prisoner Sonderkommando (Kapos) stage an uprising, successfully blowing up Crematorium IV and killing several guards with the help of women Jewish prisoners smuggling gunpowder. The SS suppresses the revolt and kills all Sonderkommando members. -
Destruction
As Soviet Troops continue to threaten this operation, Heinrich Himmler orders the destruction of all gas chambers and crematorias to destroy evidence of this mass killing. -
Evacuation
With the continuing threats of Soviet troops, the SS evacuates the west of prisoners in the camp complex. These prisoners were forced to march Wodzislaw and Gliwice while the guards shot anyone who tried to rest -
The End has Come
Soviet troops enter Auschwitz-Birkenau and liberate approximately 7,000 prisoners. During the camp's operation, nearly 1 million Jews had been killed. 74,000 Poles, and 21,000 Gypsies were also killed.
