Auschwitz (52 page)

7
BBC interview.

8
BBC interview.

9
BBC interview (from
Timewatch: Himmler, Hitler and the End of the Reich
, Jan. 19, 2000, Detlef Siebert, producer; Laurence Rees, executive producer).

10
Quoted in
Timewatch: Himmler, Hitler
.

11
BBC interview (from
Timewatch: Himmler, Hitler
).

12
BBC interview (from
Timewatch: Himmler, Hitler
).

13
BBC interview.

14
BBC interview.

15
BBC interview.

16
BBC interview.

17
Gunnar S. Paulsson,
Secret Garden: the Hidden Jews of Warsaw
(Yale University Press 2002). Approximately 28,000 Polish Jews escaped (or never entered) the Warsaw ghetto, with 11,000 surviving the war. This often was thanks to the help of the non-Jewish Polish population.

18
BBC interview.

19
BBC interview.

20
BBC interview.

21
BBC interview.

22
Tom Segev,
The Seventh Million
(Hill and Wang 1994), 147–49

23
Segev,
The Seventh Million
, 140–46.

24
This pioneering research was conducted by David List of the BBC History Unit.

25
Rupert Butler,
Legions of Death
(Hamlyn 1983); Captain Cross to Colonel Felix Robson (curator, Intelligence Corps Museum), Museum of Military Intelligence, Chicksands.

26
BBC interview.

27
Rudolf Höss,
Commandant of Auschwitz
(Phoenix Press 2000), 166.

28
BBC interview, quoted in Laurence Rees,
Horror in the East
(BBC Books 2001), 119.

29
Lasik, “The Apprehension and Punishment of the Auschwitz Concentration Camp Staff,” in
Auschwitz 1940–1945
(Auschwitz State Museum 2000), 5:99–119.

30
Lasik, “Apprehension and Punishment,” 116.

31
These figures were supplied by Professor Piper of the Auschwitz State Museum.

Heinrich Himmler with Rudolf Höss:
Yad Vashem

Adolph Hitler:
Walter Frentz Archive

Reinhard Heydrich:
Bildarchiv Preussischer Kulturbesitz

Hans Friedrich:
Hans Friedrich

An execution somewhere in the East:
Ullstein Bild

Street scene in the Łódźghetto in Poland:
Jewish Museum, Frankfurt

Mordechai Chaim Rumkowski:
Jewish Museum, Frankfurt

Rumkowski talking with Himmler:
Jewish Museum, Frankfurt

Jewish men and women weaving baskets:
Jewish Museum, Frankfurt

Children working in the Łódź ghetto:
Jewish Museum, Frankfurt

Himmler studying plans:
Yad Vashem

“
Himmler was well pleased with the progress”:
Yad Vashem

Auschwitz prisoners employed at workshop:
Auschwitz Museum

Auschwitz prisoners digging drainage ditches at Birkenau:
Auschwitz Museum

“
Canada”:
Yad Vashem

Oskar Groening:
Oskar Groening

Kazimierz Piechowski:
Kazimierz Piechowski

Therese Steiner:
Wendy Davenport

Helena Citrónová:
Helena Citrónová

A transport of Hungarian Jews arriving at Auschwitz-Birkenau:
Yad Vashem

Separation by sex of the Hungarian Jews:
Yad Vashem

Completed separation of the sexes:
Yad Vashem

A line of male Jews being assessed by a Nazi doctor:
Yad Vashem

A family of Hungarian Jews selected to die:
Yad Vashem

The ovens in the Auschwitz crematoria:
Auschwitz Museum

Crematorium 4:
Auschwitz Museum

Crematorium 3:
Auschwitz Museum

Rudolph Höss in captivity:
Yad Vashem

This is a book that developed from a television series I wrote and produced, and so there are many people whom I must thank.

The television series (and therefore this book) exists because of the initial enthusiasm and commitment of Mark Thompson, then Director of BBC Television. It says a lot about how long it takes to finance, develop, and make a project like this that, in between Mark's authorizing the series and its eventual broadcast, Mark left the BBC, took the job of running Channel 4, was appointed Director General of the BBC, and returned there.

Many others in BBC Television also supported the series, notably Jane Root (then controller of BBC2), Glenwyn Benson (Control of Factual Commissioning), and Emma Swain (Commissioner of Specialist Factual Programmes). In particular, my immediate boss, Keith Scholey (Controller of Specialist Factual), was extremely understanding and full of good advice.

Many distinguished academics contributed to the project. The series historical and script consultant, Professor Sir Ian Kershaw, brought an extraordinary level of insight to the series—it is no accident that he is a scholar laden with honors. I owe him a huge debt, both for his scholarship and for his friendship. Professor David Cesarani was also massively influential in shaping both my views and the television series, as was Professor Christopher Browning. It would be difficult to find two more eminent experts on the Nazis' “Final Solution.” Professor Robert Jan van Pelt was of enormous assistance in helping us understand the architecture of the camp.

The directors, scholars, and administrative staff at the Auschwitz–Birkenau State Museum in Poland were also hugely helpful. Those at the museum that I must thank in particular include Igor Bartosik, Edyta Chowaniec, Adam Cyra, Jadwiga Dąbrowska, Dorota Grela, Wanda Hutny, Helena Kubica, Mirosław Obstarczyk, Krystyna Oleksy, Jozef Orlicki, Dr. Franciszek Piper, Wojciech Płosa, Dr. Piotr Setkiewicz, Kazimierz Smoleń, Dr. Andrzej Strzelecki, Dr. Henryk Świebocki, Jerzy Wróblewski, and Roman Zbrzeski.

Also in connection with our Polish research, we received great assistance from Kazimierz Albin (head of the Society for the Protection of Auschwitz), Władysław Bartoszewski (former Polish foreign minister), Halina Elczewska, Abraham and Ester Frischer, Dr. Józef Geresz, Bernadetta Gronek, John Hartman, Alicja Kościan, Edward Kopówka, Dr. Aleksander Lasik, Anna Machcewicz, the Oświęcim Mayor's Office, Mariusz Jerzy Olbromski, Łucja Pawlicka-Nowak (director of the Chełmno Museum), Robert Rydzoń, Hubert Rogozinski, Jacek Szwic, Dr. Marian Turski (International Auschwitz Council), and Michalina Wysocka.

On the Channel Islands, Frederick Cohen gave us the benefit of his unique historical knowledge, and in France Serge Klarsfeld and Adeline Suard were of great assistance. Particular mention should be made of the help afforded to us at Israel's Yad Vashem by Dr. Gideon Greif, and elsewhere in Israel we benefited greatly from the work of Nava Mizrachi. In Slovakia, Ivan Kamenec and Dr. Eduard Niznansky helped us; and in Germany we were aided by Dr. Andrej Angrick, Martin Cueppers, Wolf Gebhardt, Niels Gutschow, Peter Klein, Michaela Lichtenstein, Dr. Bogdan Musial, Dr. Dieter Pohl, Dr. Volker Reiss, Robert Sommer, Dr. Frank Stucke, and Peter Witte. In Russia, Dr. Sergey Sluch was a good friend to the project. In Hungary very useful help was provided by Dr. Krisztina Fenyo; and in the Ukraine by Taras Shumeiko. In the United States, Adam Levy did a terrific job for us.

Obviously, I owe a huge debt to the production team of the TV series. In particular, I must thank Detlef Siebert, who not only brilliantly directed the drama sequences across the whole series but also offered incisive criticism and advice for the rest of the content. He possesses an exceptional mind. The two documentary directors, Martina Balazova and Dominic Sutherland, also did a first-rate job, often working with our faithful camera team of Martin Patmore and Brian Biffin. Dominic—a tower of intelligence and good sense during the post-production of the series—also supervised the graphic content with the help of the Moving Picture Company and John Kennedy. Alan Lygo, the best film editor in television, made a substantial contribution in the cutting room. Tanya Batchelor did an excellent job as an assistant producer on the series and Anna Toborska was outstanding as our specialist Polish researcher. Declan Smith gathered the archive
for the series, and Rebecca Maidens and Cara Goold were the production coordinators; all of them made important contributions. Emily Brownridge could not have done a finer job as production manager, and Anna Mishcon and Laura Davey were always supportive as production executives. My own assistants, first Sarah Hall and subsequently Michelle Gribbon, also were always willing to help.

Special mention must be made of the excellent guidance I received from our American co-producers, KCET. Karen Hunte, Al Jerome, Mary Mazur, and especially Megan Callaway all contributed to this work, as did Coby Atlas at PBS. Sally Potter and Martin Redfern at BBC Books were model and supportive publishers, as were Peter Osnos, Clive Priddle, and Kate Darnton at PublicAffairs in New York. As usual, Andrew Nurnberg gave fine advice.

My own family—my children, Benedict, Camilla, and Oliver, and my wife Helena—helped me more than I can say. It is not necessarily always pleasant to live with someone whose head is full of information about Auschwitz and the Nazis, and my family tolerated that and more besides.

However, my most profound thanks must go to the hundred or so eyewitnesses who allowed themselves to be interviewed for this project. Their memories are priceless. I hope they will forgive me for expressing my thanks to them collectively here—their names are already noted elsewhere in this book, as are their insights.

Aachen prison

Abt, Else

Abwehr

Africa, deportation of Jews to

agriculture

Agudas Israel World Organization

Alexander, Vera

Alinka

Allies

Auschwitz bombing and

Brandi-Grosz mission and

Nazis vs.

Ambros, Otto

American Union of Orthodox Rabbis

Anschluss (annexation)

anti-Semitism

in Germany

Hitler and

Nazi

post-war

propaganda and

Stalin and

See also
Jews

Antonescu, Ion

Arlt, Fritz

Artamans

Auschwitz

agriculture and

Auschwitz

beginning of

black market of

Block

Block

brothels (Block 24) at

Buna plant in

“Canada” and

as concentration camp

corruption in

crematorium at

culture of

as death camp

death march from

discipline in

disposal of bodies at

dual function of

escapes from

forced labor and

French Jews at

Groening and

Höss and

health at

industrial production and

Kapos system and

killing techniques at

liberation of

life in

medical experimentation at

purpose of

release from

servants at

Slovakian Jews at

Soviet POWs and

SS (Shutzstaffel) in

starvation at

sub-camps of

survivors of

See also
Auschwitz-Birkenau

Auschwitz-Birkenau

administration of

crematorium at

development of

dismantling of

Höss and

Hungarian Jews at

Kapos system at

killing process at

“The Little Red House”

“The Little White House”

purpose of

size of

Sonderkommando and

Soviet POWs and

See also
Auschwitz

Auschwitz Protocols

Austauschjuden (“exchange Jews”)

Austria

Anschluss (annexation) with

Greater Geman Reich and

Bach-Zelewski, Erich von dem

Baker, Else

Ballastexistenzen

Bartoszewski, Władysław

Battel, Albert

Bayer company

BBC.
See
British Broadcasting Corporation

Beaune-la-Rolande concentration camp

Becher, Kurt

Bełźec death camp

categories of workers at

development of

gassing at

Belarus

Belgian Jews

Bendera, Eugeniusz

Benjamin, Ernest

Bergen-Belsen concentration camp

Auschwitz death march to

Berger, Oskar

Berlin Wall

Bernadotte, Folke

Bessarabia

Best, Werner

Biebow, Hans

Bielecki, Jerzy

Bier, Rudy

Big Three

Bischoff, Karl

Blatt, Toivi

post-war treatment of Jews and

Sobibór resistance and

Bormann, Martin

Bousquet, René

Bracht, Fritz

Brand, Hansi

Brand, Joel

Brasse, Wilhelm

Breder, Linda

Britain

Auschwitz Protocols and

Final Solution and

Jews from

Soviet Union and