Auschwitz was in southern Poland, just over 30 miles west of Krakow. It was in an area of Poland that the Germans decided to incorporate into the Reich. As part of this process of ‘Germanization’ they wanted ethnic Germans to populate the area, but because this was a heavily industrialised part of Poland – the major manufacturing centre of Katowice is less than 20 miles to the north west – the Germans needed substantial numbers of Poles to remain, in order work in the factories and coal mines.
The original concentration camp at Auschwitz was designed to strike terror into the hearts of these indigenous Poles. If they caused any trouble for the Germans – or even looked as if they might possibly cause trouble – then they risked being shipped to Auschwitz.
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