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The Operation Reinhard Death Camps, Revised and Expanded Edition: Belzec, Sobibor, Treblinka
Under the code name Operation Reinhard, more than one and a half million Jews were murdered between 1942 and 1943 in the concentration camps of Belzec, Sobibor, and Treblinka, located in Nazi-occupied Poland. Unlike more well-known camps, which were used both for slave labor and extermination, these camps existed purely to murder Jews. Few victims survived to tell their stories, and the camps were largely forgotten after they were dismantled in 1943. The Operation Reinhard Death Camps bears eloquent witness to this horrific tragedy.
This newly revised and expanded edition includes new material on the history of the Jews under German occupation in Poland; the execution and timing of Operation Reinhard; information about the ghettos in Lublin, Warsaw, Krakow, Radom, and Galicia; and updated numbers of the victims who were murdered during deportations. In addition to documenting the horror of the camps, Yitzhak Arad recounts the stories of those courageous enough to struggle against the Nazis and their Final Solution. Arad's work retrieves the experiences of Operation Reinhard's victims and survivors from obscurity and exposes a terrible chapter in humanity's history.
This newly revised and expanded edition includes new material on the history of the Jews under German occupation in Poland; the execution and timing of Operation Reinhard; information about the ghettos in Lublin, Warsaw, Krakow, Radom, and Galicia; and updated numbers of the victims who were murdered during deportations. In addition to documenting the horror of the camps, Yitzhak Arad recounts the stories of those courageous enough to struggle against the Nazis and their Final Solution. Arad's work retrieves the experiences of Operation Reinhard's victims and survivors from obscurity and exposes a terrible chapter in humanity's history.
544 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 1987
84 people are currently reading
1796 people want to read
About the author
Yitzhak Arad
14 books10 followersYitzhak Arad is an Israeli historian, author, retired IDF brigadier general and a former Soviet partisan, director of Yad Vashem from 1972 to 1993. He specialised in the history of the Holocaust.
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Displaying 1 - 26 of 26 reviews
March 14, 2016
Resurrecting the Horrors Hidden in the Forests of Eastern Poland …
As Auschwitz arguably stands front-and-center as the iconic symbol of the Holocaust, three deadlier extermination camps lay hidden, deep in the forests of eastern Poland. Belzec, Treblinka and Sobibor were constructed explicitly to carry out Operation Reinhard (Germany’s plan to eradicate Jews in the General Government District of Poland). 25 months later, when the operation was deemed complete and 1.7 million Jews were murdered, the Nazis’ destroyed the camps to hide their atrocities. Using damning testimonies of victims and perpetrators alike, Yitzhak Arad manages to vividly reconstruct the existence and operation of all three camps in a way that hauntingly brings them to life. Arad’s exhaustive and all-encompassing approach to the subject matter makes this book a valuable, one-of-a-kind resource.
Unlike Auschwitz, there are no structural remains of Belzec, Sobibor and Treblinka to provide tangible evidence of their role in the Nazi plan to eradicate Jews from Poland; only obscure post-war memorials mark the locations where almost 2 million men, women and children were systematically liquidated. The names of the camps may be familiar, but what they looked like, how they operated and what it was like for those who ran the camp and the shortened lives of those forced to enter their perimeters is shrouded in darkness. Having read numerous books on the Holocaust over the last 30 years, I was hard-pressed to find more details on these particular camps and I’m glad I chose Arad’s book as a first step. This book, while hard to digest at times, provided me with more education on the subject that I ever anticipated.
What makes BELZEC, SOBIBOR, TREBLINKA: THE OPERATION REINHARD DEATH CAMPS such a compelling read is its exhaustive presentation; almost every imaginable facet of these camps is thoroughly covered (often with its own chapter). The book is broken down into three parts: The Extermination Machine, Life in the Shadow of Death and Escape and Resistance. The first part deals specifically with the rationale behind the camps’ construction, their layout (including diagrams for each camp), the organizational structure, operation and the clearing of the Jewish ghettos in Poland. A chapter is even dedicated to completely explaining the misery of what it was like in the cattle cars that took people to the camps. We get a better understanding of how secretive the camps were (the majority of Jews believed the Germans were simply relocating them for labor purposes) and how the Germans took great care to create the illusion that ensured those entering the camps would have no indication of their eventual fate (flower beds, gardens and gas chambers disguised as bathhouses). The second part of the book gives readers an idea of what life was like inside the camps from both sides of the coin. We are presented profiles of the Nazis in charge of the camps and a clearer understanding of what life was like for the prisoners (including the living conditions, physical abuse, disease and suicide). I found this section of the book particularly interesting. The last part of the book illustrates the social activity amongst the prisoners (mainly, those whose lives were temporarily spared because the possessed particular skills that Nazis found beneficial). I was somewhat shocked to learn of the rather vibrant social lives these individuals managed to sustain considering they fully understood the nature of the camps and that they too, would eventually be murdered. Not only did this social life lead to romantic affairs, but led to the formation of subversive groups that culminated in organized uprisings/escape attempts at each camp. As comprehensive as any history I’ve ever read about any concentration or extermination camp. Arad addresses every conceivable angle of the camps, especially the cruel and inhuman methods the Germans used to kill and the varied methods of body disposal. There were moments in the book that I found myself thinking that this sadistic three-camp system was no different than raking leaves into three separate piles and burning them … objects, not people. We also get a better understanding of why so many people seemed to quietly accept their fate and that knowledge of the camps and their explicit purposes was known by the Polish Home Army and others. The book has two appendices: one accounts for the number of Jews transported from individual ghettos to designated camps by date and the other appendix accounts for the fates of the German/Ukrainian perpetrators.
The key to Arad’s effective presentation is how he builds the book around exhaustive research and cites court/interrogation transcripts of surviving prisoners and Germans who operated the camps. This is significant considering the lack of survivors (only 2 individuals survived escaping Belzec and approximately 130 survived escapes from Treblinka and Sobibor). Frequently, survivor accounts (mostly post-war court testimonies) are corroborated by the testimonies of their former Nazi guards. I felt this was critical not only in solidifying the authenticity of the book’s contents, but in creating a much clearer image of events described by presenting both “sides of the coin”. Usually, I would find the minutiae associated with such a comprehensive and scholarly book difficult to read. While this book can be overwhelming/difficult at certain points, Arad does an excellent job of condensing the details for a more fluid read. There are several instances where a particular subject discussed in one part of the book is re-introduced in another, but mainly for contextual purposes.
This book is probably the best Holocaust book I’ve read to this point in my life. I was simply looking for a better understanding of any one of these lesser-known camps. Instead, I received a thorough education on all three camps (which is more practical, considering all three were created for the same purpose … Operation Reinhard). If there is a single book I would recommend on those wanting a better understanding of the Holocaust, this would certainly be the one.
As Auschwitz arguably stands front-and-center as the iconic symbol of the Holocaust, three deadlier extermination camps lay hidden, deep in the forests of eastern Poland. Belzec, Treblinka and Sobibor were constructed explicitly to carry out Operation Reinhard (Germany’s plan to eradicate Jews in the General Government District of Poland). 25 months later, when the operation was deemed complete and 1.7 million Jews were murdered, the Nazis’ destroyed the camps to hide their atrocities. Using damning testimonies of victims and perpetrators alike, Yitzhak Arad manages to vividly reconstruct the existence and operation of all three camps in a way that hauntingly brings them to life. Arad’s exhaustive and all-encompassing approach to the subject matter makes this book a valuable, one-of-a-kind resource.
Unlike Auschwitz, there are no structural remains of Belzec, Sobibor and Treblinka to provide tangible evidence of their role in the Nazi plan to eradicate Jews from Poland; only obscure post-war memorials mark the locations where almost 2 million men, women and children were systematically liquidated. The names of the camps may be familiar, but what they looked like, how they operated and what it was like for those who ran the camp and the shortened lives of those forced to enter their perimeters is shrouded in darkness. Having read numerous books on the Holocaust over the last 30 years, I was hard-pressed to find more details on these particular camps and I’m glad I chose Arad’s book as a first step. This book, while hard to digest at times, provided me with more education on the subject that I ever anticipated.
What makes BELZEC, SOBIBOR, TREBLINKA: THE OPERATION REINHARD DEATH CAMPS such a compelling read is its exhaustive presentation; almost every imaginable facet of these camps is thoroughly covered (often with its own chapter). The book is broken down into three parts: The Extermination Machine, Life in the Shadow of Death and Escape and Resistance. The first part deals specifically with the rationale behind the camps’ construction, their layout (including diagrams for each camp), the organizational structure, operation and the clearing of the Jewish ghettos in Poland. A chapter is even dedicated to completely explaining the misery of what it was like in the cattle cars that took people to the camps. We get a better understanding of how secretive the camps were (the majority of Jews believed the Germans were simply relocating them for labor purposes) and how the Germans took great care to create the illusion that ensured those entering the camps would have no indication of their eventual fate (flower beds, gardens and gas chambers disguised as bathhouses). The second part of the book gives readers an idea of what life was like inside the camps from both sides of the coin. We are presented profiles of the Nazis in charge of the camps and a clearer understanding of what life was like for the prisoners (including the living conditions, physical abuse, disease and suicide). I found this section of the book particularly interesting. The last part of the book illustrates the social activity amongst the prisoners (mainly, those whose lives were temporarily spared because the possessed particular skills that Nazis found beneficial). I was somewhat shocked to learn of the rather vibrant social lives these individuals managed to sustain considering they fully understood the nature of the camps and that they too, would eventually be murdered. Not only did this social life lead to romantic affairs, but led to the formation of subversive groups that culminated in organized uprisings/escape attempts at each camp. As comprehensive as any history I’ve ever read about any concentration or extermination camp. Arad addresses every conceivable angle of the camps, especially the cruel and inhuman methods the Germans used to kill and the varied methods of body disposal. There were moments in the book that I found myself thinking that this sadistic three-camp system was no different than raking leaves into three separate piles and burning them … objects, not people. We also get a better understanding of why so many people seemed to quietly accept their fate and that knowledge of the camps and their explicit purposes was known by the Polish Home Army and others. The book has two appendices: one accounts for the number of Jews transported from individual ghettos to designated camps by date and the other appendix accounts for the fates of the German/Ukrainian perpetrators.
The key to Arad’s effective presentation is how he builds the book around exhaustive research and cites court/interrogation transcripts of surviving prisoners and Germans who operated the camps. This is significant considering the lack of survivors (only 2 individuals survived escaping Belzec and approximately 130 survived escapes from Treblinka and Sobibor). Frequently, survivor accounts (mostly post-war court testimonies) are corroborated by the testimonies of their former Nazi guards. I felt this was critical not only in solidifying the authenticity of the book’s contents, but in creating a much clearer image of events described by presenting both “sides of the coin”. Usually, I would find the minutiae associated with such a comprehensive and scholarly book difficult to read. While this book can be overwhelming/difficult at certain points, Arad does an excellent job of condensing the details for a more fluid read. There are several instances where a particular subject discussed in one part of the book is re-introduced in another, but mainly for contextual purposes.
This book is probably the best Holocaust book I’ve read to this point in my life. I was simply looking for a better understanding of any one of these lesser-known camps. Instead, I received a thorough education on all three camps (which is more practical, considering all three were created for the same purpose … Operation Reinhard). If there is a single book I would recommend on those wanting a better understanding of the Holocaust, this would certainly be the one.
May 2, 2021
Yitzhak Arad’s book Belzec, Sobibor, Treblinka: The Operation Reinhard Death Camps, is an historical survey of the three death camps listed in the title, as well as some sub-camps in different locations.
Operation Reinhard was the final solution for the Jewish problem in what Germany called “The General Government,” or Poland.
Unlike Auschwitz, which was a death camp and concentration camp, a vast area the size of lower Manhattan, where slave labor and extermination existed side by side, Belzec, Sobibor and Treblinka simply to murdered Jews. Any Jews kept alive in the camps were dedicated expediting this process.
Arad’s book is excellent and informative history. He shows how the Nazis exterminated two million Jews with simple methods at hand, using a relatively small staff, and keeping it largely a secret.
Even the camps themselves were unimpressive. Again, unlike Auschwitz, with its iconic ramp and gate, a place like Belzec had improvised barracks and wooden buildings all on a small plot of land no more than 18 acres. There, 500,000 Jews were murdered and buried in mass graves on the site in less than a year.
All Operation Reinhard camps were destroyed by 1943, and places like Belzec, in a very remote part of Poland, were largely forgotten. At Belzec, what is essentially a mass grave was used as a public park by local Poles; it was not until the 2003 that steps were taken to create a memorial and museum at the site.
This book shows how banal mass killing can become; it can be performed on a shoe string budget and with a small staff. And its results are staggering.
Operation Reinhard was the final solution for the Jewish problem in what Germany called “The General Government,” or Poland.
Unlike Auschwitz, which was a death camp and concentration camp, a vast area the size of lower Manhattan, where slave labor and extermination existed side by side, Belzec, Sobibor and Treblinka simply to murdered Jews. Any Jews kept alive in the camps were dedicated expediting this process.
Arad’s book is excellent and informative history. He shows how the Nazis exterminated two million Jews with simple methods at hand, using a relatively small staff, and keeping it largely a secret.
Even the camps themselves were unimpressive. Again, unlike Auschwitz, with its iconic ramp and gate, a place like Belzec had improvised barracks and wooden buildings all on a small plot of land no more than 18 acres. There, 500,000 Jews were murdered and buried in mass graves on the site in less than a year.
All Operation Reinhard camps were destroyed by 1943, and places like Belzec, in a very remote part of Poland, were largely forgotten. At Belzec, what is essentially a mass grave was used as a public park by local Poles; it was not until the 2003 that steps were taken to create a memorial and museum at the site.
This book shows how banal mass killing can become; it can be performed on a shoe string budget and with a small staff. And its results are staggering.
November 8, 2011
A remarkably thorough look at three of the Nazi extermination camps in Poland. There is a tremendous amount of primary source material in this, the research was thorough. The book was well put together and written. The subject matter is not easy to digest, but of incredible importance. The book goes into details about the organization and planning and day to day operations of the camps. Investigates what life was like for the prisoners, SS, and Ukrainian guards. Goes into detail about a few of the SS men. Covers the uprisings in Treblinka and Sobibor, the escapes, and the flight as well as the Nazi response and that of the Poles in the area.
11/7/2011
11/7/2011
December 29, 2019
I never know what to say about these books. Not an easy read, obviously. But maybe important especially now. Never underestimate what hate filled humans are capable of.
I read this because I have to admit I had never heard of Belzec. Mostly read this on my commute because I needed life around me while doing so.
I read this because I have to admit I had never heard of Belzec. Mostly read this on my commute because I needed life around me while doing so.
November 27, 2009
Highly praised in all reviews, and deservedly so, Arad's book is notable both for its intercalation of primary documents into his narrative and for his condemnations of Western Powers, the Poles, and the Armia Krajowa for their indifference to and oftentimes active collusion in operations of Poland's ghettos and death camps. It virtually concludes with a record of the Poles returning to the grounds of Treblinka in November 1945 to dig in the ground at the cremated remains of hundreds of thousands of Jews, madly looking for concealed diamonds and gold.
A good introduction, then, for scholars (and probably intelligent non-scholars) introducing themselves to Holocaust scholarship.
A good introduction, then, for scholars (and probably intelligent non-scholars) introducing themselves to Holocaust scholarship.
June 20, 2013
This book was very interesting and well done. It was easier to follow than Saul Fiedlander's "The Years of Extermination" simply because it had more of a focus; only the three camps. I had just read "Masters of Death" so that gave me good context for this book, which deepened the meaning for me. This was a very interesting and heavy read (heavy only because of the grim details).
April 23, 2019
It's difficult to review a book like this. I can only imagine what it was like for Yitzhak Arad to write it. I feel I must somewhat dissociate myself from the subject matter in order to step back and review the book as a book - not to make unnecessary commentary on the horrors of the Holocaust. Amazingly this is exactly what the author himself did somehow. This is a factual, dispassionate history of Operation Reinhard in which Arad keeps his personal feelings at bay and allows the reader to make whatever judgments he or she wishes to make.
Arad relies heavily on the recorded testimony of several participants in the operation, both those who ran the camps and prisoners who miraculously escaped. I thought this added greatly to the impact and veracity of the history being told. When necessary, the author would correct or annotate these comments based upon his obviously exhaustive research. It can be numbing when you read about the immensity of the Nazi extermination efforts, so putting an individual's name and recollection to the experience worked well.
The book is structured well and organized in a very logical manner. Arad is telling the story of three different facilities within the much larger Nazi camp system, so he had to make some important decisions about what to include, and what to omit. Sometimes I did get a bit lost with all the Polish, German and Ukrainian names - and who was doing what at which camp - but most of this was not critical to the greater operation being described.
For the researcher or student there is an exhaustive bibliography, index and other data included at the end of the book. Arad also included numerous footnotes in each chapter with a reference to these at the end as well. Thankfully he did not put them at the bottom of each page, or this book would have taken me even longer than it did to read. I can bypass footnote numbers - but find it almost impossible not to drop my eyes down to read them when they are on the same page.
There are a few photographs included, and I wish there had been more. Unfortunately, even though we are in the modern, digital age, the quality of these reproductions is quite poor. Sometimes one can blame this on the poor resolution of the originals, but photography in the 1940s was quite well developed and even the contemporary photos and illustrations looked washed out. This truly is my only complaint about this excellent book.
For anyone fascinated (or horrified) by the Holocaust, this is a must-read.
Arad relies heavily on the recorded testimony of several participants in the operation, both those who ran the camps and prisoners who miraculously escaped. I thought this added greatly to the impact and veracity of the history being told. When necessary, the author would correct or annotate these comments based upon his obviously exhaustive research. It can be numbing when you read about the immensity of the Nazi extermination efforts, so putting an individual's name and recollection to the experience worked well.
The book is structured well and organized in a very logical manner. Arad is telling the story of three different facilities within the much larger Nazi camp system, so he had to make some important decisions about what to include, and what to omit. Sometimes I did get a bit lost with all the Polish, German and Ukrainian names - and who was doing what at which camp - but most of this was not critical to the greater operation being described.
For the researcher or student there is an exhaustive bibliography, index and other data included at the end of the book. Arad also included numerous footnotes in each chapter with a reference to these at the end as well. Thankfully he did not put them at the bottom of each page, or this book would have taken me even longer than it did to read. I can bypass footnote numbers - but find it almost impossible not to drop my eyes down to read them when they are on the same page.
There are a few photographs included, and I wish there had been more. Unfortunately, even though we are in the modern, digital age, the quality of these reproductions is quite poor. Sometimes one can blame this on the poor resolution of the originals, but photography in the 1940s was quite well developed and even the contemporary photos and illustrations looked washed out. This truly is my only complaint about this excellent book.
For anyone fascinated (or horrified) by the Holocaust, this is a must-read.
September 19, 2007
This is a must for anyone researching the Holocaust. Just about everyone has heard of Aushwitz, Dachau and Buchenwald but not many knew about the camps that fine tuned the system of death. This book charts the begining of genocide done by ordinary men and women.
September 11, 2012
I used this book as a source and quoted it in my September 11, 2012 Executed Today entry: 1942: Ten for Meir Berliner’s murder of a Treblinka officer.
August 2, 2023
80 years ago, August 1, 1943, a group of Jews at the final meeting of the "Organizing Committee" approved a plan to revolt at the Treblinka death camp. Shmuel Rajzman, who was present, wrote:
"At the Organizing Committee meeting, held late at night by the light of fires burning the bodies of hundreds of thousands of those dearest of us, we unanimously approved the decision to launch the uprising the next day, August 2. I will never forget white haired Ze'ev Korland, the eldest among us all, who, with tears in his eyes, administered to us the oath to fight to our last drop of blood for the honor of the Jewish people. Every man present sensed the tremendous responsibility involved in our decision to eliminate this creation of mad German sadism and bring an end to Treblinka."
(Page 284, Yitzhak Arad's, The Operation Reinhard Death Camps).
The plan was to unfold at 4pm but at 3.30 a series of events began to play out that dulled the effect of the revolt. Shmuel Willenberg related (page 291, Arad): "Upon hearing the shot, I took off at a run for the barracks to grab the jacket in which I had hidden gold for escape... Shots were being fired at the tower guards. The air shook from an explosion, then a second and a third... Prisoners were running in every direction... The confusion was indescribable. One of the wooden huts, well dried by the sun and wind, went up in flames. Among the crowd I saw several panick stricken Germans running about the square, hiding behind trees... Black clouds of smoke covered the sky. Rifles and machine guns cracked from the six guard towers. Scattered single shots from our side replied.... I reached the fence.... I crawled through the open area and reaches the barriers. I looked around. The dead had created a sort of bridge over the barbed wire complex across which another escapee moved every moment. Past the barriers began the forest, rescue, freedom.... With a leap ... I was in the forest."
"The uprising plan for the extermination area had not been executed in full, but it had achieved a great many of its objectives.... Most of the extermination area prisoners succeeded in bridging the complex and escaping." (Page 293, Arad).
"At the Organizing Committee meeting, held late at night by the light of fires burning the bodies of hundreds of thousands of those dearest of us, we unanimously approved the decision to launch the uprising the next day, August 2. I will never forget white haired Ze'ev Korland, the eldest among us all, who, with tears in his eyes, administered to us the oath to fight to our last drop of blood for the honor of the Jewish people. Every man present sensed the tremendous responsibility involved in our decision to eliminate this creation of mad German sadism and bring an end to Treblinka."
(Page 284, Yitzhak Arad's, The Operation Reinhard Death Camps).
The plan was to unfold at 4pm but at 3.30 a series of events began to play out that dulled the effect of the revolt. Shmuel Willenberg related (page 291, Arad): "Upon hearing the shot, I took off at a run for the barracks to grab the jacket in which I had hidden gold for escape... Shots were being fired at the tower guards. The air shook from an explosion, then a second and a third... Prisoners were running in every direction... The confusion was indescribable. One of the wooden huts, well dried by the sun and wind, went up in flames. Among the crowd I saw several panick stricken Germans running about the square, hiding behind trees... Black clouds of smoke covered the sky. Rifles and machine guns cracked from the six guard towers. Scattered single shots from our side replied.... I reached the fence.... I crawled through the open area and reaches the barriers. I looked around. The dead had created a sort of bridge over the barbed wire complex across which another escapee moved every moment. Past the barriers began the forest, rescue, freedom.... With a leap ... I was in the forest."
"The uprising plan for the extermination area had not been executed in full, but it had achieved a great many of its objectives.... Most of the extermination area prisoners succeeded in bridging the complex and escaping." (Page 293, Arad).
February 27, 2023
How does one rate a book like this? Belzec, Sobibor, Treblinka is about three Nazi death camps in Poland that were used in Operation Reinhard, a secret operation to exterminate Jews in Poland. These three camps were built to simply destroy the Jewish people. Arad did a great job bringing this story to our attention because it is one that must be told. Most people are familiar with Auschwitz, but very few know these camps. In history class and my own readings, it is Auschwitz that gets the most attention. Sobibor I learned because I read somewhere there was a rebellion, so I read the book (another good but sad read). I came across this book and I had to read it. When we study history, we must look at the good and the bad. Yes, there are things we should celebrate and use the bad things in history as teachable moments. This book was depressing but informative. It was absolutely heinous what the Nazis did to their victims. What happened at Sobibor, Belzec and Teblinka was horrifying. Arad covers the beginning of the camps, the deportations, the daily life and even discusses the resistance. This book is very readable and includes blueprints of the camps designs. The challenge is reading the terror the Nazis committed against the Jews. A powerful history book and one people should read.
April 12, 2020
I found this one of the more interesting explorations of the Nazi Death Camps, chiefly due to the layout.
Rather than being a biography from a victim, or a historical account full of prose, this book takes a much more academic approach.
It reads in chronological order, taking an aspect of camp life and then goes into detail of that aspect within each camp. Comparing and contrasting is interesting, for the differences as well as the similarities, and the layout made me take it in much more than usual as the dates aren't flying around all over the place. Seems my brain likes order.
Rather than being a biography from a victim, or a historical account full of prose, this book takes a much more academic approach.
It reads in chronological order, taking an aspect of camp life and then goes into detail of that aspect within each camp. Comparing and contrasting is interesting, for the differences as well as the similarities, and the layout made me take it in much more than usual as the dates aren't flying around all over the place. Seems my brain likes order.
May 11, 2023
Brilliant book, everything you need to know. So sad, the one that stands out for me was the naked girl getting her haircut by a man in that cramped hut with its hair strewn floor and realizing that there was no escape and no way out, and no one cared and the panic that came all in the heat of summer.
June 6, 2019
Accurate in numbers about the millions murdered in German death camps but some of the personal stories are wrong or riddled with inaccurate information.An important book that should be read.The numbers can hardly be disputed when the Germans left so much evidence.
February 4, 2020
By far the most comprehensive and authoritative account of the Operation Reinhard camps.
It was both dispassionately scholarly and quite moving in several places.
It was both dispassionately scholarly and quite moving in several places.
February 28, 2020
Well researched. Included lots of first hand testimony. Horrifying.
March 1, 2020
Sad, beautiful story well detailed. Tough to read onlybecause of the subject matter. Thank you for sharing this story.
Read
May 2, 2021Indrukwekkend verontrustend...
January 2, 2022
Excellent view into the Holocaust
October 31, 2024
Excellent book well researched a must read to understand a terrible period in human history.
September 12, 2025
A book like this is never easy to read. However I found it easy to read and the information from first hand accounts were great. Definitely recommend
June 6, 2019
I gave this book 5 stars because it opens up the secrets of the death camps, not Auschwitz, but those used only for murder, millions of murders. I agree with the figures, really there is no way to dispute them as the Germans left plenty of evidence. However this book gets some of the personal stories wrong. The numbers speak clearly and loudly and because of that it needs to be read.
October 8, 2015
Fascinating account of organized evil. A must read about the camps dedicated exclusively to murder and the extermination of Jews.
February 11, 2016
soul crushing and horrifying. meticulously researched.
July 16, 2016
A bit dry but very thorough discussion on all aspects of the three camps. Academic writing though, be warned.
June 1, 2020
The book is an comprehensive and detailed overview of the planned and organized effort by the Nazis to exterminate the Polish Jews. I did get lost at times in the overemphasis on statistics.
Displaying 1 - 26 of 26 reviews