Going to the Dachau Concentration Camp was a site I will never forget. Just being on the grounds and knowing that I walked in the camp a free person, while so many others walked into that camp as a prisoner. I was very surprised that people who joined the SS volunteered for it and thought what they were doing was helping society. They were able to leave the SS any time they wanted, but very few did. The cruelty of the SS towards the prisoners was very intense and caused unimaginable pain.
The toughest part for me was seeing the crematorium. Knowing that these ovens were built to burn dead and beaten bodies was a lot to take in. Normally when I think of ovens, I think of cooking in the kitchen with my family and the smell of freshly baked cookies. It was really tough to know that these ovens were created for the destruction of people, instead of the love and warmth of family and friends.
I was also surprised by the fact that the SS were people that volunteered.
ReplyDeleteThat's an interesting perspective to take. What was hard for me though was the undressing room. Knowing that they used the crematorium to use poisonous gas as well was shocking, but the fact that they were reusing uniforms was also heart wrenching.
ReplyDeleteIt was absolutely heartbreaking to see the amount of cruelty that took place in Dachau. I was also touched by the crematorium. Learning that the prisoners built the new one knowing it would be used on themselves is chilling to think about.
ReplyDeleteWhen the tour guide mentioned that the builders of the new crematorium had slowed the progress of the construction as much as possible in order to delay gassing, it was heart breaking. They knew the whole time what was waiting for them.
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