Death Marches Research
By Asahel Tinoco
The beginning
Death Marches, it was a name inmates gave it when they had to march on foot from one camp to another. It all began in 1944, the Nazis forced the inmates to move from one camp to another. The reason why they were moved was because the Soviet Army was advancing into German territory and they began liberating the camps.The Nazis didn't want for any of the prisoners to tell of what they've been put through and they thought they could use the prisoners are bargaining chips to get what they needed to continue their regime.They either had to walk there on foot or they would be put in freight carts where they would be crammed together, those who were to week to continue on were shot and killed on the spot. The marches would begin towards the end of winter when it was the coldest and provisions were low. Many inmates would die from the cold, exhaustion, or from hunger. There were around 59 Death Marches before Germany fell.
The Path Taken
They would march them from Auschwitz to Wodzislaw. A total of 35 miles. When they finished walking they were put on freight trains.
Transportation in Marches
There were different ways to travel to the camps. They either had to walk, be put in carts or travel by boat. Neither
The Unnamed Grave
The Nazis had orders to shoot anyone who looked to weak to continue on the march. They would just be left on the side. In some occasions, some who feel to exhaustion and were not shot by the Nazis were trampled to death by the other prisoners
The End of the Road
The March
One of the first marches began in January of 1995. It involved 66,000 prisoners. Out of the 66 thousand, 7,000 were Jews, 6,000 were women, and 1,000 were men.They Marched from Auschwitz to Around 1 out of 4 died on the route.Took around 10 days. In the end of that massacre only 13 were know to have survived.