Dachau
by Adina Lakkala
About Dachau
Dachau was a concentration camp set up for political prisoners. Eventually it became a death camp where mainly Jews and other people who weren't part of the "master race" were sent to. Dachau started its service (March 22, 1933) shortly after Adolf Hitler became the chancellor of Germany. Dachau was the first Nazi concentration camp opened in Germany. The camp located in Dachau, about ten miles from Munich, in southern Germany. The camp's purpose was to serve as a model for the future concentration camps and as a "school of violence" for the SS men. SS men had the command of this camp. Dachau existed for twelve years. During these years over 200,000 persons from all over Europe were imprisoned here and in the numerous subsidary camps. Total of 41,500 were murdered in this camp. American troops liberated the survivors on April 29 1945.
(The picture on the right shows the aerial size of Dachau. Prisoners camp 5 acres, SS area about 20 acres. The facility of the camp had been designed to house some 6,000 prisoners, but more and more people were brought during the years of service, so in 1944 about 30,000 prisoners were packed into the camp)
(The picture on the right shows the aerial size of Dachau. Prisoners camp 5 acres, SS area about 20 acres. The facility of the camp had been designed to house some 6,000 prisoners, but more and more people were brought during the years of service, so in 1944 about 30,000 prisoners were packed into the camp)
Jewish Problem
Hitler thought that "Jewish problem" wouldn't be solved by restricting the daily activities of Jews in Germany and other European countries annexed by the Nazis. Hitler's solution to the problem was to eliminate every single European Jew. Dachau and all the other concentration camps were built to eliminate Jews and later all the other people who weren't part of German's master race. Dachau was part of the holocaust movement. US troops were able to liberate the survivors in Dachau and in other concentration camps, which meant the end of Holocaust and World War II.
Theodor Eicke
Became the second commandant of Dachau replacing Wäckerle. Eicke released a set of regulations for the camp's daily operation. These regulations served as a blueprint for the operation of all concentration camps in Nazi Germany.
Prisoners
All of the people who were brought to Dachau had to wear the costume with the stripes. This would keep the public in Germany thinking that all of the people in the camps were criminals and "bad people".
Dead bodies
There was so much dead bodies every where, and they piled them up. The smell especially on warm summer days was terrible.
Living conditions
People had to work every day for many hours and they barely got anything to eat. People were starving and many of them died to hunger, or they were sent to death because they weren't efficient enough to work any more.