81 years ago, the Germans began deporting Warsaw residents to Auschwitz

Nearly 13,000 Warsaw residents, including children, pregnant women, and the elderly, were deported to Auschwitz by the Germans following the outbreak of the uprising in the capital. On August 12 and 13, 1944, the two largest transports arrived at the camp, carrying a total of 6,000 people.

Following the outbreak and suppression of the Warsaw Uprising, the Germans deported 550,000 of the city's inhabitants and 100,000 people from the surrounding area. They were sent to a specially established transit camp in Pruszków. From there, 55,000 were transported to concentration camps, 13,000 of whom were sent to Auschwitz .

The Germans placed Warsaw residents in the Auschwitz II-Birkenau camp. Among them were government officials, scientists, artists, doctors, merchants, and workers. They included the wounded, the sick, the disabled, and pregnant women. Deportees ranged from infants a few weeks old to those in their 90s. The vast majority of those deported were Poles. However, there were cases where people of other nationalities were sent to Auschwitz, including Jews hiding under so-called Aryan papers.

In the largest transports, on August 12 and 13, the Germans brought 4,000 women and 2,000 men. Among them were 1,000 children. On September 4, another transport of 3,087 children, women, and men arrived from Pruszków. On September 13 and 17, another 4,000 people were deported.

The transport took place in terrible conditions. "Everyone traveled standing, there were no toilets, it was cramped, you couldn't sit down, if you crouched, others would fall on top of you. (...) We entered the camp. I immediately felt the trembling of those wires. It was night, they buzzed with this electrification. It was something that immediately captivated you, I felt it that way. I was ready to go straight to those wires; they were terrifying, but also alluring," recalled 12-year-old Eulalia Matusiak.

Upon arrival, the Germans herded the girl into a barracks. "It was completely dark there, I didn't know how to move, and behind us there were shouts to get in quickly. There was no room, and finally, somewhere upstairs, someone asked who I was? They called me Lilka. Someone offered me a hand, and I climbed onto the top bunk. There were some women there, and they said to each other, 'Look! It's a kid! Where are you from?' I said, 'From Warsaw.' And they said, 'What about Warsaw?' I said, 'The Warsaw Uprising!' And I had to tell stories about the Uprising. They were thrilled. Finally, I fell asleep. I think they gave me a piece of bread. When I woke up in the morning, there was a piece of bread next to me, and they were gone," Matusiak recalled.

Most of the prisoners from the Warsaw transports were transferred after a few or more weeks to other camps deep within the Third Reich and employed in the armaments industry. The Germans were already beginning the evacuation of Auschwitz. In January 1945, at least 602 women and children, including those born in the camp, were deported to camps in Berlin. Some prisoners perished during the evacuation "death marches," while others survived to liberation in camps within the Reich. At the time of the Red Army's entry, Auschwitz contained at least 298 Warsaw residents.

Among those driven west by the Germans was Leokadia Rowińska. When she arrived at Birkenau in August, she was pregnant. In January 1945, fearing death, she decided to join the evacuation march. The column of prisoners was led out on January 18th. Leokadia walked 30 kilometers. During a night stop in the village of Poręba, she broke away from the column and, along with two Jewish women, took refuge in the village. On January 21st, she gave birth to a son, Ireneusz. The child was having trouble breathing. He died on January 30th.

The Germans established the Auschwitz camp in 1940 to imprison Poles. Auschwitz II-Birkenau was established two years later. It became the site of the extermination of Jews. The camp complex also included a network of sub-camps. At Auschwitz, the Germans exterminated at least 1.1 million people, mostly Jews, but also Poles, Roma, Soviet prisoners of war, and people of other nationalities. (PAP)

szf/ dki/

The PAP Foundation permits free reprinting of articles from the Nauka w Polsce website, provided that you notify us by email once a month of your use of the website and cite the source of the article. On portals and websites, please include the linked address: Source: naukawpolsce.pl, and in journals, please include the annotation: Source: Nauka w Polsce website - naukawpolsce.pl. This permission does not apply to information in the "World" category or any photographs or video materials.