The horrors of Auschwitz and the death march were etched into the memories of those who survived. The liberation of Auschwitz was a moment of relief and hope for those who had endured such unimaginable suffering. But the scars of the Holocaust would remain with survivors for the rest of their lives, a reminder of the darkest chapter in human history.
Kazimierz Smolen, the Soviet officer in charge of liberating Auschwitz, made a speech to the remaining prisoners that day:
“You are free. The Red Army has come to liberate you. You are free to go wherever you please. We have come to liberate you.”
For the survivors of Auschwitz, liberation was a bittersweet moment. Many had lost everything – their families, their homes, their possessions. They were physically and emotionally scarred by the horrors they had endured. But they were also filled with hope for the future, grateful to be alive and free.
As the world learned the full extent of the atrocities committed at Auschwitz, the camp became a symbol of the Holocaust, a reminder of the depths of human depravity and the resilience of the human spirit. The survivors of Auschwitz, and all those who perished there, will never be forgotten.
Georgii Elisavetskii, a Jewish Soviet officer, was one of the first Soviet soldiers to enter Auschwitz. He described the harrowing scene he encountered:
When I entered the barrack, I saw living skeletons lying on the three-tiered bunks. As in a fog, I hear my soldiers saying: ‘You are free, comrades!’ I sense that they do not understand and begin speaking to them in various languages. Then, using Yiddish, I reassured them that we had come to liberate them. Their initial fear turned to relief as they embraced us, and tears flowed down our cheeks in a moment of overwhelming emotion. (Quoted in The Liberation of the Camps: The End of the Holocaust and Its Aftermath by Dan Stone: 2015.)
Alexander Vorontsov, a Soviet Army film operator, captured the horrors of Auschwitz on film:
A ghastly sight arose before our eyes: a vast number of barracks… People lay in bunks inside many of them. They were skeletons clad in skin, with vacant gazes. The memory of this atrocity has stayed with me my whole life long. (Quoted in The Liberation of the Camps: The End of the Holocaust and Its Aftermath by Dan Stone: 2015.)
Medical Care
Soviet soldiers established field hospitals in Auschwitz to provide lifesaving treatment to over 4,500 prisoners, the majority of whom were Jews. Doctors had to reintroduce food gradually to patients who were severely malnourished to prevent further deaths.
Inside former gas chamber at Auschwitz main camp
Maria Rogoz, a Polish Red Cross volunteer, witnessed the suffering of the patients at the hospital in Auschwitz:
The sight of the rooms full of patients made a shocking impression on me. There were about two hundred ex-prisoners in the building. The conditions were dire, and many patients succumbed to illness and exhaustion. (Quoted in The Liberation of the Camps: The End of the Holocaust and Its Aftermath by Dan Stone: 2015.)
Leaving Auschwitz
Most survivors of Auschwitz left the camp within four months and were relocated to Displaced Person camps in Western Europe. A significant number of Holocaust survivors now reside in Israel, the United States, Western Europe, and the former Soviet Union.
Forgetting Auschwitz
Despite the importance of remembering Auschwitz and the Holocaust, a concerning number of young Americans are unaware of these historical events. It is crucial to educate future generations about the atrocities that occurred at Auschwitz and ensure that the memory lives on.