80: Death Marches

80 years ago today (January 17, 1945) was the last Roll Call at the Auschwitz Death and Concentration Camp in German-Occupied Poland.

(A Civilian took this picture of a Death March in 1945.)

There were 67.012 Prisoners counted that day (48,340 Men and 18,672 Women.)

56,000 of these Prisoners were then taken on a Death March out of Auschwitz walking in the cold and snow away from the nearby Soviet Red Army to other Concentration Camps in Germany.

Any Prisoner who stopped or became ill was shot and left by the side of the road by the Germans.

15,000 Auschwitz Prisoners were murdered by the Germans on these Death Marches.                                    

The 11,012 other Prisoners were too sick or about to die and left at Auschwitz.