The Collapse of the Nazi Camp System

The Tattooist of Auschwitz

This conflict thread follows the final months of Birkenau as the SS destroy records, evacuate prisoners, and lose control of the camp.

increasing

Bearing strength in each event

decreasing

American Reconnaissance Plane

American Reconnaissance Plane A small U.S. Air Force plane circles low over Birkenau. Prisoners scream for the pilot to bomb the crematoria, but the plane leaves without acting. The Tower Guards Open Fire After the plane disappears, the guards fire into the crowd. Romany children are killed, and Lale Sokolov helps gather their small bodies. A Date of Reckoning Lale realizes he has survived two years. The plane's presence shows the outside world is near, even if it cannot yet rescue them.

Slowing Transports Slowing Transports from "The Tattooist of Auschwitz". Slowing Transports The transports slow, and the crematoria fall quiet. The Sonderkommando, with less work, begin to fear execution.

Slowing Transports from "The Tattooist of Auschwitz". Slowing Transports The transports slow, and the crematoria fall quiet. The Sonderkommando, with less work, begin to fear execution.

Slowing Transports The transports slow, and the crematoria fall quiet. The Sonderkommando, with less work, begin to fear execution. More prisoners leave Birkenau than enter it. A Perverted Danger For those who work among the dead, idleness is dangerous. Lale Sokolov also sees the outside workers vanish and his food supply shrink. The End in Sight The slowing of the machinery is the clearest sign that the war is turning. It brings hope, but the SS still control every fence.

Records Destroyed Records Destroyed from "The Tattooist of Auschwitz". Records Destroyed Lale Sokolov enters the administration building and finds SS officers yelling, grabbing papers, and pulling books away from terrified…

Records Destroyed from "The Tattooist of Auschwitz". Records Destroyed Lale Sokolov enters the administration building and finds SS officers yelling, grabbing papers, and pulling books away from terrified…

Records Destroyed Lale Sokolov enters the administration building and finds SS officers yelling, grabbing papers, and pulling books away from terrified workers. The camp is being erased on paper. A Huge and Fair Work An SS worker spills her papers, and when they both bend down, she whispers, 'We're emptying the camp, starting tomorrow. The Russians are nearly here.' The Paper of Death The bureaucracy that processed millions is now trying to hide itself. The records that once assigned numbers are burning in the final days.

Red Slashes Red Slashes from "The Tattooist of Auschwitz". Red Slashes SS officers enter every block in the women's camp and paint a bright-red slash down the back of each girl's coat.

Red Slashes from "The Tattooist of Auschwitz". Red Slashes SS officers enter every block in the women's camp and paint a bright-red slash down the back of each girl's coat.

Red Slashes SS officers enter every block in the women's camp and paint a bright-red slash down the back of each girl's coat. The women are marked for whatever fate awaits them. Together They Will Live or Die Gita Furman, Dana, Cilka, and Ivana take comfort in being marked alike. The red slash is a badge of collective fate. A New Branding After the tattoos, the red slash is one more mark of possession. It binds the women together as they face the unknown.

Evacuation Chaos Evacuation Chaos from "The Tattooist of Auschwitz". Evacuation Chaos Thousands of women are corralled into rows while dogs snap and shots ring out.

Evacuation Chaos from "The Tattooist of Auschwitz". Evacuation Chaos Thousands of women are corralled into rows while dogs snap and shots ring out.

Evacuation Chaos Thousands of women are corralled into rows while dogs snap and shots ring out. Lale Sokolov watches a dog pull a woman to the ground and an SS officer shoot her. A Gunshot of Goodbye Lale sees Gita Furman in the crowd, shouts her name, and is knocked to his knees by a rifle. As the gates close, he hears her call out her surname. The System Unravels The evacuation is frantic and disorganized. The camp is collapsing, but not yet free.

Gates Open Gates Open from "The Tattooist of Auschwitz". Gates Open Cannon fire and explosions wake Lale Sokolov. The main gates stand wide open, and hundreds of prisoners walk through unchallenged.

Gates Open from "The Tattooist of Auschwitz". Gates Open Cannon fire and explosions wake Lale Sokolov. The main gates stand wide open, and hundreds of prisoners walk through unchallenged.

Gates Open Cannon fire and explosions wake Lale Sokolov. The main gates stand wide open, and hundreds of prisoners walk through unchallenged. A Train West The SS begin rounding up men and pushing them onto trains. Lale scrambles aboard and watches from the slats as the SS fire on those who remain. The Death of Birkenau Birkenau slides away behind the train, its chimneys silent. Lale is still a prisoner, but the prison he knew is ended.

April 4, 1944

winter 1944–45, as Birkenau empties

late January 1945, the morning of the final chaos

the night before the evacuation, in the women's camp

late January 1945, morning at Birkenau gates

the following morning, after cannon fire wakes Birkenau