Sonderkommando Rotation

[Durand]

Hallo,

As I understand it the Sonderkommando at the death camps were rotated out, meaning executed, every few months. What was the purpose in this --did the men simply become too sick, too weak, or too crazy or was there another reason?

Regards,

Durand

[bh8006]

No witnesses. Dead men tell no tales.

[Durand]

Hallo,

Thank you for the response. Is this your opinion or was it the German policy/thinking? It makes sense that the Sonderkommando would ultimately be executed when the course of the final solution was nearing an end. However, until that time, I do not follow the logic of "no witnesses". Why rotate out one group of "witnesses" only to usher in a new group?

Regards,

Durand

[Hans]

Hallo,

As I understand it the Sonderkommando at the death camps were rotated out, meaning executed, every few months. What was the purpose in this --did the men simply become too sick, too weak, or too crazy or was there another reason?

Regards,

Durand

Hello Durand,

In Auschwitz-Birkenau there were usually no liquidations of the Sonderkommando every few months. Only the Sonderkommando that worked at the Bunker in 1942 and emptied the mass graves was entirely liquidated in late 1942, after they completed the work. However, there was no liquidation of the following Sonderkommando of the crematoria. In summer 1944, this Sonderkommando was in contrary massively increased for the "Hungarian Operation" from 200 to 900. These 200 were Polish Jews selected for the Sonderkommando already in December 1942 and some other Nationalities like Slovakians selected in mid 1942 for crematorium 1 in the main camp. The additional 700 were Greek and Hungarian Jews selected just before and at the beginning of the Hungarian Operation in summer 1944. When the Hungarian Operation was finished, about 200 men of the Sonderkommando were selected and killed. However, the SS prefered to choose prisoners with a high registration number, in other words those from Greece and Hungary who came to the Sonderkommando just few months before and who knew the less about the camp and the machinery of the mass murder. The next reduction of the Sonderkommando was planned for 7th October 1944 (300), but lead to Sonderkommando revolt with 450 deaths. Later this year another and the last succesful selection reduced the number of Sonderkommandos to 99. There were many veterans who served in the Sonderkommando for two - two and half years among those who survived this selection. Finally, after the evacuation of Auschwitz the SS attempted to liquidate also the core of the former Birkenau Sonderkommando in the concentration camp Mauthausen (I think) but was unable to find and identify them.

That's how several Jews working for more than two years in the Jewish Sonderkommando of Auschwitz survived it and the war - despite rumors that the Sonderkommando was entirely liquidated every three months.

[Durand]

Hallo Hans,

Thank you for the thorough and informative post. By chance, can you tell me something about the camp orchestras per my post at:

http://www.thirdreichforum.com/viewtopic.php?t=24221

Regards,

Durand

[Kaiser]

If I remember correctly, (a big IF), wasn't this group a voluntary one in order to get more food rations, ala the Kapo? I thought they did this to lend some sort of sick 'legitimacy' to all of this...

K