Death Books from Auschwitz 3 vols Ksiegi zgonów z Auschwitz

The majority of the documents of the SS authorities of the Auschwitz-Birkenau concentration and death camps were destroyed or concealed on orders of the camp administration during its evacuation in January 1945. Thus the SS wished to get rid of evidence of their crimes. The 46 documents collected here, the so-called ?Death Books? are the remaining original records kept by Department II, the camp Gestapo, also called the Political Department. They contain entries for the death dates of Auschwitz prisoners in the period from July 27, 1941 to December 31, 1943. Most of these names of prisoners who died in Auschwitz, documentated by the SS administration, have not been published anywhere befo...re and remain a historical source of unique importance. However, it should be noted that the almost 69,000 deaths entered here are only a small part of those who died in the concentration camp Auschwitz. Over 400,000 people were registered as prisoners, about half of which died there. In the ?Death Books? they are not recognisable as prisoners of a concentration camp and apart from a few exceptions, the causes of death were falsified. The documentation is issued in three volumes. In volume 1, Reports, articles of well-known Auschwitz survivors have been included -- of Tadeusz Paczula, Hermann Langbein, Kazimierz Smolén, Yisrael Gutman and Shmuel Krakowski. Their insights into how the Auschwitz camp functioned are invaluable aids in understanding the SS administrative apparatus and interpreting the source materials. This first volume is published in German, English and Polish and may be purchased separately. Volumes 2 and 3 contains lists of names from A to Z compiled from the entries in the ?Death Books?. Included are name, dates of birth and death, and entry in the deathbooks. A supplementary index in volume 3 is bases on eight additional sources, including the list of Jews entering the camp. This information has been compared to the entries in the ?Death Books?, endorsing their reliability. The Death Books from Auschwitz are thus a uniquely significant source.