Men’s lives in Nazi Death Camps were terrible because of the food they were given, the sleeping conditions, and the forced labor.  For food they were feed cabbage soup and hard bread.   In the death camps men slept on wooden beds with four men in each bed.  The Nazis would have the men build walls and other back breaking labor. 

Food

     The food in Nazi Death Camps was fowl.  Prisoners got bitter coffee with no milk or sweetener for breakfast (Bauer).  They had no lunch what so ever (Gorgan).  For diner, captives were served cabbage soup (which was cabbage boiled in water) and stale bread that was very brittle and old (Bauer).  During the work day, victims were given very little water, if any.  A survivor once stated, "The food was fowl and scares" (Bauer 314).

                          Cabbage Soup

Sleeping Conditions

     The sleeping conditions in the Nazi Death Camps were terrible.   The men had to sleep on wooden beds (Gorgan).  They slept four to a bed (Gorgan).   The prisoners slept in their own feces (Bauer).   In order to stay warm, these men had to huddle together (USHMM).   A survivor once stated, “We got up at 3:00 am every morning” (Bauer 136).

                   Prisoner Sleeping Barracks

Labor

     The labor that the prisoners were required to do was back breaking and emotionally disturbing.  They were made to build walls out of cinder block (Bauer).  The prisoners were made to dig their own graves (Russian Federation).  The Nazis forces the men to move dead bodies into the furnaces to be incinerated (Bauer).  In some camps, the men had to make wheel barrows in wood shops to carry the dead bodies of other prisoners (Bauer).  “We worked long grueling hours”, said one of the survivors (Menszer).

                         Prisoners Made to Dig Their Own Graves 

References 

Bauer, Yehuda. A History of the Holocaust. Danbury, CT: Franklin Watts, 1982. Print.

Gorgan, Jennifer. “An eyewitness to Nazi.” The Day (New London,CT) 29 Mar. 2010: n. pag. Newspaper Source. Web. 2 May 2010. 1

Mcginley, Mike. “WWII Hero’s Story Lives on Through Daughter,Freature Film.” The Times Leader 12 July 2009: n. pag. Newspaper Source. Web. 3 May 2010. <http://web.ebscohost.com>.

Menszer, John. “Holocaust Survivors Encyclopedia.” Holocaust Survivors. N.p., 2010. Web. 15 May 2010. <http://www.holocaustsurvivors.org/‌data.show.php?di=list&da=encyclopedia&so=entry%5Fname>.

Russian Federation. “20th Century History.” About.com. The New York Times Company, 2010. Web. 17 May 2010. <http://history1900s.about.com/‌library/‌holocaust/‌bleinsatz4.htm>.

theroms. 13 May 2007. flckr. N.p., n.d. Web. 10 May 2010. <http://www.flickr.com/‌photos/‌peaceloveandola/‌496051045/>.

United States Holocast Memorial Museum. “The Holocaust.” Holocaust Encyclopedia. N.p., 1 Apr. 2010. Web. 3 May 2010. <http://www.ushmm.org>.

Veggiefoodie. cabbage soup. 13 Dec. 2008. flickr.com. N.p., 13 Dec. 2008. Web. 12 May 2010.

By: Homer