Pierwsi więźniowie funkcyjni Konzentrationslager Auschwitz I - „współorganizatorzy” obozu koncentracyjnego
The First Functional Prisoners of Konzentrationslager Auschwitz I - “Co-creators” of the Concentration Camps

Summary/Abstract: In German concentration camps, alongside ordinary prisoners there were also prisoner functionaries, who, together with SS personnel , exerted the greatest influence on camp life and on the operation of this peculiar “death factory”. Without them, the camp could not function. Among them, thirty criminals, brought from Sachsenhausen Concentration Camp, deserve special mention, as they participated in the establishment of the camp at its inception. These prisoners acted on orders from the Auschwitz concentration camp authorities and staff. Their behavior was profoundly shaped by the virtual impunity they enjoyed in relation to the prisoners under their control. Most of them were sadists who abused prisoners, often committing murder. However, there were notable exceptions; functionaries who helped other prisoners and upheld human values.

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