BBC - Auschwitz The Nazis and the 'Final Solution' (2005) Part 6 Liberation and Revenge (January 1945 and beyond)

Auschwitz represents a crime unique in human history. Hailed as one of the world's best documentaries ever, this 6-part BBC series tells the story of the Auschwitz Death Camp, site of the largest mass murder in history. 'Auschwitz and The Final Solution' leads the viewer on an unadorned and undisguised journey to the shocking horrors of the Second World War. Writer Laurence Rees and his team interviewed over 100 eyewitnesses, including former Nazi perpetrators who speak on the record for the first time. Their story is brought to life through the use of archived footage, recreations of key moments, computer reconstructions based on recently discovered plans of the camp, and their testimony. The series follows the traces of the mass murder. It begins with the construction of Auschwitz as a concentration camp for Polish political prisoners and shows how it developed into the largest extermination camp during World War II. It explains the liberation of the camp by the Red Army in January 1945 and shows the fates of victims and perpetrators in the post-war period. Series combines the memories of victims and perpetrators with archive footage and very carefully staged drama reconstructions of many key scenes in the history of the camp. For the first time, the buildings of the Auschwitz-Birkenau camp complex are reconstructed using the latest CGI computer animations. The animations are based on plans from the design offices that were confiscated after the end of the war, as well as eyewitness accounts and aerial photographs. They not only show the real Auschwitz, but also make it clear with which visions the Nazis set up the camp. “The name Auschwitz is quite rightly synonymous with horror,” says series producer Laurence Rees, “but the problem with horror is that our natural reaction is to want to turn away from it.” The series still wants to show what happened. But it's not just about the shocking and unimaginable suffering of the victims. It also addresses the question of why the perpetrators acted the way they did. “I am convinced that feeling horror is not enough. We must also try to understand how such horror could have happened if we are to be able to prevent it from happening again in the future”, says Rees. Three years of intensive research preceded the filming. In the course of the production, survivors and perpetrators had their say in almost 100 interviews, many of whom spoke about Auschwitz in front of a camera for the first time. Many documents and plans that were used for the production have only been accessible since the archives in Eastern Europe were opened.

Part 6 Liberation and Revenge (January 1945 and beyond)

On January 27, 1945, the Auschwitz-Birkenau concentration camp was liberated by the Red Army. The sight of the emaciated people and the gas chambers shocked the soldiers. The reality of life in the Auschwitz-Birkenau and Bergen-Belsen camps was revealed. A few months later, more concentration camps were liberated. Many survivors die shortly afterwards as a result of their imprisonment, while most of those responsible are able to flee abroad. What was the fate of the remaining prisoners and the SS garrisons? “Liberation and Revenge” completes the history of Auschwitz. As the end of the war approached, Auschwitz camp officers tried to hide the evidence of their crimes but were not completely successful. After liberation, survivors searched for their family and tried to return to their prewar homes, but former communities and neighbors did not always welcome them back. As evidence of war crimes emerged, some senior SS officers were tried and convicted; others were allowed to resume their lives. Over four years, 1.3 million people were sent to Auschwitz and 1.1 million people died there. Of the 7,000 members of the SS who worked at Auschwitz and survived the war, fewer than 800 were ever put on trial. The final days of the war and its immediate aftermath is a story as shocking as it is surprising, with Jewish survivors facing appalling treatment in their home countries and large numbers of SS perpetrators remaining hidden.

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