KILLING MACHINES IN WWII
NEW WEAPONS CREATED IN WWII
A single shot pistol was inaccurate and only useful during close combat. Pistols were carried by infantry officers, tank crews and pilots.
United states- .45 caliber M1911 was the best pistol carried. Germany- .38 caliber Walther was the most reliable than their other models. Britain- .38 Caliber Webley Soviets - Nagent revolver 1895 pistol |
HAND GRENADES
Hand grenades were used before WWII but the grenades in WWII became a must-have in every infantry man’s kit.
There were different kinds of grenades, some were used to signal or screen, and some emitted tear gas. German and Japanese grenades had different designs but their effects were the same as the American model. “ A Japanese hand grenade landed next to me. Alerted by my buddy to ‘roll’, I quickly moved my body as it went off.” - Marine Corporal Robert Johnsmiller (History of American wars, 2014) http://www.history-of-american-wars.com/world-war-2-weapons.html |
CONCENTRATION CAMPS
(Auschwitz Concentration Camp, 2007)
![Picture](/uploads/9/8/8/8/98884372/published/54-5.jpg?1485234798)
The concentration camps had a system which separated the categories of the prisoners. The prisoners had a different colored triangle or a star on their uniform.
Red Triangle-Political
Yellow Star- Jewish
Green Triangle- Criminals
Pink Triangle- Homosexuals
Violet Triangle- Jehovah Witnesses
Purple Triangle- Catholic Clergy
Black Triangle- Asocial
Red Triangle-Political
Yellow Star- Jewish
Green Triangle- Criminals
Pink Triangle- Homosexuals
Violet Triangle- Jehovah Witnesses
Purple Triangle- Catholic Clergy
Black Triangle- Asocial
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Punishments and Executions
Every SS could kill prisoners without incurring any responsibility. This was accepted and supported by the camp command and the state. A common cause of punishment was not showing up to work, to avoid work, to leave a workspace without permission, eating while working, and breaking the rules in general. Flogging was a common punishment used against people. The prisoners were carried out in public and was lied down in a way that the prisoner could not move they're legs. People were beat with a stick, or a whip. The number of strokes could not exceed 25 at once. “Two hundred women are to be flogged, to receive 25 strokes each. In the streaks of light can be seen the procession of women approaching in slow and orderly fashion the place where each of them lies down under the whip. The stooping figure of Schultz is outlined against the door of the block, the whip is his hand flashing.”- Seweryna Szameglewska Pillar was another way of punishment that was frequently used in the camps. Suspending a person by their hands behind their backs, in a way their feet could not touch the ground. Many people lost consciousness from the pain which was caused by pulling on the arm tendons, resulting in loss of movement in arms, then leading to death because of the lack of work they were able to do. |
Gas Chambers
Lagerfuherer Karl Fritzsch first used gas to kill prisoners in 1941 and the success of the experiment lead to more deaths than ever. The prisoners were crammed into a small room without windows. as soon as they were pushed into the cells, the SS threw the gas, and the doors were locked and sealed. After the time had passed, the crematorium squad proceeded to burn the corpses. At least 1.1 million people died in the Auschuwits, and 90% Jewish. Overall, 11 million people died during the holocaust. " The sad and horrible conclusion is that on one cared that Jewish people were being murdered... This Is the Jewish lesson of the Holocaust and this is the lesson which Auschwitz taught us."- Ariel Sharon (BrainQuote, Auschwitz Quotes 2001-2017) https://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/keywords/auschwitz.html |
Horrific stories about concentration camps
http://www.fpp.co.uk/Auschwitz/stories/Pelt_sources/Buchenwald_Report_extract.html
http://www.fpp.co.uk/Auschwitz/stories/Pelt_sources/Buchenwald_Report_extract.html