Plunder of the property of Auschwitz victims

Transcript of the podcast

One of the elements of the operation of the Auschwitz camp was looting of the property of people deported there. This was most intensified when Nazi Germany began the extermination of Jews at Auschwitz. Most of the property – after being sorted and disinfected – was sent to the Third Reich, where it was handed over to various groups of the German population, organizations and institutions. Dr. Jacek Lachendro, deputy head of the Museum's Research Center, talks about the looting process at Auschwitz.

Auschwitz was the largest concentration camp and extermination centre of Nazi Germany that played a crucial role in the Nazi regime's looting of victims' property. In February 1942, the SS Central Administration, later renamed the SS Main Economic and Administrative Office, was tasked with organising and overseeing the looting of property in the camps. These plundered items were then claimed as the property of the Third Reich. What happened to the luggage, personal belongings, and clothing brought by people deported to KL Auschwitz? Was there any difference in the treatment of items that belonged to prisoners registered in the camp, Jews sentenced to extermination, the Roma, or Soviet prisoners of war?

The Auschwitz concentration camp, established in the spring of 1940, operated in a manner comparable to other concentration camps instituted in Nazi Germany during the 1930s. Thus, the admission procedures to the camp and the management of the personal property of the detainees registered here were quite similar. During admission and registration to the camp, the prisoners were required to surrender their personal belongings. Once disinfected, their clothes and underwear were packed into sacks, bags marked with the prisoners' numbers and stored in one of the blocks of the main camp. This was Block 26, and the entire block and warehouses within it were referred to as Effektenkammer or movable property warehouses. On the other hand, small items and valuables that prisoners brought with them, such as watches, rings, chains, wallets and money, were packed separately and stored in the office room of the Effektenkammer. What happened to these items later? Upon the release of prisoners from the camp, a common occurrence in the early stages of the camp's operations, their personal belongings, including clothing, were retrieved from the warehouse and returned to them. Conversely, in the event of a prisoner's death during the early stages of the camp's operations, the belongings left behind were sent to their families. Nevertheless, the accounts indicate that personal property wasn't always returned, and prisoners were possibly robbed by functionary prisoners or sometimes by SS men. For example, Antonin Čenĕk, a Czech prisoner who received his belongings upon being released from the camp, noted that he had 40 German Marks in his wallet when deported to the camp, but at the time of his release, there were only 5 German Marks left. However, as he wanted to leave the camp as soon as possible, he did not raise any objection. Over the years, the property deposited by prisoners and stored in the Effektenkammer was gradually confiscated for the benefit of the Third Reich. In the spring of 1941, the confiscation of valuable items left behind by dead Jewish prisoners was introduced. In January 1943, all property left behind by Jewish, Polish and Soviet prisoners of war was confiscated. From the onset of 1943, any precious items or money left by these individuals in the depository were transferred quarterly to a specific account at the SS Main Administrative and Economic Office. Eventually, all these valuable items were deposited in the Reich Bank and became the property of the German state. As for the clothing and footwear confiscated or left behind by deceased prisoners, top-quality clothing was given to prisoners released from the camp in subsequent years, mainly German prisoners. According to the accounts of survivors employed in the Effektenkammer, the camp authorities wanted those who left the camp to look their best. Conversely, items of inferior quality, such as clothing, were assigned to prisoners in the camp. These prisoners wore the clothing regularly or passed it on to the German industry's textile or clothing sectors. Clothes of the worst quality were utilised for cleaning industrial equipment. A document exists concerning the valuable items transported out of the camp. It details communication between the Auschwitz administration and the SS Main Administration and Economic Office dating back to the end of March 1944. It was a document attached to a parcel sent from the camp describing the contents of these parcels. And on 30 March 1944, foreign currency was sent from Auschwitz in one of these parcels. It contained nearly 125,000 zlotys, over 20,000 roubles, about 2,000 Romanian lei, 828 Belgian francs, and 567 Czech koruns, among others. The second consignment had already sent valuable items, including 1.5 kg of gold and nearly 4.5 kg of silver. Unfortunately, similar documents from earlier and later periods did not survive. This illustrates what sort of items and valuables were shipped out of Auschwitz. The camp authorities plundered all the possessions of Jews brought for extermination to the Auschwitz camp from the spring of 1942 onwards. They were sorted, and the bulk of these possessions were later shipped to various organisations or institutions in the Third Reich. The possessions taken to Auschwitz were stored on the unloading ramp and later transported to warehouses within the camp complex. Afterwards, Jews sent to the gas chambers had to undress in the undressing rooms and leave all their possessions, including clothes, shoes, and hand luggage. These items were then transported to the warehouses and sorted accordingly. Sinti Roma were also deported to the camp in 1943 and 1944. However, their incarceration in the camp was a sort of internment, and they lived with their entire families in the barracks in sector BIIe of the Birkenau camp. They were not stripped of their belongings when they arrived at the camp and could therefore walk around in their personal clothes. However, these clothes were marked appropriately with their assigned camp numbers during registration. The patches affixed to the prisoners' clothing bore identification numbers and a black triangle that was used to indicate the presence of antisocial prisoners in the concentration camps. During their incarceration, the Sinti and Roma were classified in this category, and the letter 'Z' was also included on the patch. Nevertheless, as early as February 1944, possessions left behind by deceased Sinti and Roma were also confiscated by the camp authorities, and they became the property of the Third Reich. The last of such large groups of people deported to Auschwitz were Soviet prisoners of war. They came from prisoner-of-war camps, particularly the first large group of approximately 10,000 that arrived in October 1941, cladded in their uniforms. Upon their arrival at Auschwitz, they were required to undress and undergo disinfection, and their uniforms were sent for disinfection before being returned to them several days later. There was a huge mortality rate among Soviet prisoners of war. It suffices to say that after a few months, only a few hundred of the approximately 10,000 prisoners of war were alive. The remaining uniforms were given to the prisoners, particularly the Jewish men and women who arrived at Auschwitz in the spring of 1942.

You mentioned a warehouse in Block 26 of Auschwitz I known as "Effektenkammer"; however, another warehouse was also called "Canada". Where did the name come from, and why 'Canada' in particular?

The arrival of transports carrying Jews at Auschwitz resulted in an automatic and successive increase in the number of possessions brought to the camp. Initially, the Effektenkammer housed the possessions of deported Jews, but space soon became a problem. Therefore, the camp authorities established another warehouse about mid-1942, essentially a collection of storage barracks positioned within the economic zone of the main camp, approximately one kilometre northwest of the "Arbeit macht frei" gate. The complex included six wooden barracks, where property brought in was mainly sorted, and a brick building, left behind by a Polish family that had been displaced earlier. An extension was added to the building, and a room was later converted into a disinfection chamber. The storage complex was enclosed by barbed wire fencing and fortified with watchtowers at each corner. This location was the workplace of prisoners tasked with receiving, sorting, disinfecting and preparing the property of deported Jews for transportation to Germany. How did the name come about? It's unclear, but we assume that the name Canada or the Canadian state was associated with wealth and abundance before the war. The sight of the extensive collection of property, clothing, footwear, and food in the camp warehouses evoked associations of abundance and wealth among the prisoners who direly needed them. This is likely the origin of the name Canada for the warehouse complex. Over time, the term Canada also denoted the property kept in storage and the prisoner group, specifically the prisoners' kommando employed there. The official name of this storage complex in SS nomenclature was Effektenlager, i.e., a warehouse for movable property; however, over time, the SS adopted the term Canada, derived from the prisoners, and even used this name occasionally in official camp documents.

How many Canada warehouses were there at Auschwitz?

In the camp nomenclature, two complexes were referred to as Canada. One is the one I just described near the main camp. This facility operated from mid-1942 until the camp’s closure in January 1945. However, it is worth noting that when a larger complex was constructed on the grounds of the Birkenau camp, the facility near the main camp was relegated to a supplementary role. The second storage complex was created and began operating in December 1943 in the western part of the Birkenau complex. Thirty (30) barracks were erected at the complex, with most serving as storage facilities for possessions plundered from Jews deported to Auschwitz. These barracks were utilised for sorting, storing, and transporting the confiscated property. As previously stated, several warehouses were established within Block 26 to store the possessions of the prisoners. Regarding the Canada I facility, approximately 1,000 to 1,600 male and female prisoners were employed there between 1942 and 1943. In 1944, when the responsibility of storing the possessions looted from the Jews was transferred to Birkenau, the number of prisoners employed significantly decreased. However, as regards to Birkenau, Canada II had one of the largest kommando operating within the entire Auschwitz camp complex, employing between 1,500 to 2,000 male and female prisoners in 1944. Nevertheless, there were other locations associated with the Canadas, the storage facilities, where prisoners sorted the possessions of deported Jews and combed through them in search of hidden gold or other valuables. The women's camp comprised various working units, including the Effinger Kommando, led by Gerhard Effinger, the Kommandoführer of this group of female prisoners. He was the SS man who directed the prisoners' work. The female prisoners employed at Effinger's kommando were tasked with handling clothing. Their duties involved sorting the clothes, conducting a recent search for valuables, and removing any markings such as Stars of David or other symbols that may indicate the identity of the previous owners. The clothes were later transferred for disinfection and further prepared for external transport. The women's camp also housed a Schuhkammer, or shoe warehouse, where female prisoners cleaned the shoes delivered there and arranged them into pairs. More often than not, these shoes were delivered from the undressing room at the gas chambers. The female prisoners were responsible for sorting the belongings of deported Jews in a spacious barrack near crematorium two in sector BIb. The prisoners transported these possessions in carts and were again tasked with searching for concealed valuables and packing these clothes. In addition, other sectors of the Auschwitz camp complex were used to store looted property from deported Jews, a direct consequence of the large number of miscellaneous items brought to the site. It is worth remembering that the German authorities led Jews deported from different occupied countries to believe they were being relocated to a new settlement or workplace in the East. Consequently, they were allowed to carry essential items for their daily needs and hand luggage weighing anywhere from 30 to 50 kg. Craftsmen packed various tools and materials for their work, such as shoemaking supplies and fabrics. Doctors brought a variety of medical instruments, while tailors brought their trusty sewing machines. All of these items were intended to be used in their supposed new settlement and workplace. Later, all of these items were confiscated in the camp and transferred to appropriate locations as the storage facilities in both Canadas had run out of space. Consequently, items such as clothes, bedding, and crockery were sent and kept in the extensive buildings in the economic zone of the main camp, in the so-called Unterkunftsgebäude or Theatergebäude. An extension of the camp, Erweiterung, consisting of 20 blocks, was built a few hundred meters north of the gate with the inscription "Arbeit macht frei". The first row of several blocks contained belongings confiscated from the Jews deported to the camp. These included suitcases, glasses, sewing machines, large amounts of clothing, shoes, baskets, etc. All the items in the Erweiterung warehouses were not shipped off, which is quite interesting. The camp authorities clearly ran out of time.

What can we say about the prisoners working in the Canada warehouses? Who were they, what were their working conditions like, and was it possible to smuggle items from the warehouses into the camp?

As I mentioned, the work units employed in these facilities, particularly in Birkenau, were among the largest. They consisted of male and female prisoners, and their task, particularly the men, was to transport property from the ramp where the transports of Jews arrived to these warehouses. In Canada I, prisoners were tasked with disinfecting clothing in a disinfection chamber. The disinfectant used was Zyklon B, and those assigned to this task were mainly Jewish men and women but also consisted of Polish male and female prisoners and prisoners of other nationalities. Their task at the storage complex was to receive the belongings, unpack and categorise them, and ready them for disinfection. As I mentioned earlier, in Canada I, the belongings were disinfected solely in the disinfection chamber, while in Canada II, they were transported to the Central Sauna, where equipped with appropriate disinfection equipment. The next task was to pack these items appropriately, prepare them for shipment and then deliver them to railway wagons, which were then transported to Germany and handed over to various German organisations or sectors of German industry. Being employed in this kommando was considered a privilege in the camp. The reason was that the male and female prisoners employed there had access to food, medicine, and warm clothing, including a range of valuable items that could later be used as currency on the camp's black market. Additionally, these items could be used for bribery to influence the SS men or functionary prisoners to treat other prisoners better. These smuggled items were occasionally employed to orchestrate the prisoners' escape or utilised during the escape. These applied to such items as clothing, currency or valuables. Despite the threat of repression, particularly physical abuse and eventual exclusion from the so-called “good kommando”, the prisoners, particularly the women, took risks and covertly brought numerous items into the camp, concealed in their clothes or underwear and disguised inside their striped prisoner uniforms. The camp authorities or SS men were aware of the possibility of female prisoners or inmates attempting to smuggle in these items; hence, they frequently ordered inspections and even personal searches that were often very detailed. Nonetheless, as I previously mentioned, these items were illicitly smuggled into the camp. However, for Jewish female inmates in particular, the work performed in these units was an incredibly taxing psychological burden, as they often came across clothing items belonging to their family members while searching or sorting, resulting in deep emotional anguish. Reports indicate some women experienced psychological breakdowns. They were losing their sanity.

You mentioned earlier that a significant portion of this clothing was sent to the Third Reich. Photographs taken after the camp's liberation revealed that the Germans left behind a substantial amount of clothing during the evacuation and liquidation of the camp, which serves today as material evidence of the atrocities committed at Auschwitz and is also an integral part of the exhibition.

After the camp's liberation, Soviet and Polish committees of inquiry working at the site and tasked with collecting evidence of the crimes committed at the Auschwitz camp discovered items belonging to Jews deported here in warehouses throughout the Auschwitz camp complex. The camp's hasty functioning, particularly in the final days of its operation and logistic challenges, presumably prevented the camp and SS authorities from removing all these items. The Soviet committee secured a significant number of these items. They are documented and recognised as material evidence of the mass crimes committed here. They were also photographed, and to this day, we still have quite a few of these photographs showing the enormous quantity of property abandoned here. Given the lack of surviving documents, one may infer that the Soviet military later transferred some of these possessions to the Soviet Union. The Soviet authorities sold some of these possessions to their Polish counterparts; however, a substantial amount remained intact and was transferred to the State Museum in Oświęcim, established in 1947. The Museum utilised these possessions to create exhibitions displayed to the public during the official opening of the Museum on 14 June 1947. These possessions can still be viewed in the Museum today, especially in Blocks 4, 5, and 6, where most of the Museum's exhibition is situated.