When people of later generations mention the concentration camps established by Germany, they will definitely mention Auschwitz, known as the death camp, where 1.1 million people were massacred throughout World War II.
But the Auschwitz concentration camp was not the only concentration camp established by the Germans in Poland. Near Lublin, where the 48th Army was about to attack, there was the equally notorious Majdanek concentration camp.
When Sokov saw the place name of Lublin on the map, he suddenly remembered that although this concentration camp was not as famous as Auschwitz, it still killed 360,000 Jews and Soviet prisoners of war, so he ordered Sidorin:
"Comrade Chief of Staff, immediately call the commanders of the 211th and 284th Infantry Divisions and ask them to adopt a rapid march speed and quickly advance towards Lublin."
Hearing Sokov's order, Sidorin couldn't help but be startled, and then reminded Sokov: "Comrade Commander, our task is to assist the troops on the left wing of the front to launch an attack on the Lublin area, but to serve as the main offensive
Task."
"I know," Sokov pointed at the map with his hand and said to Sidorin: "As far as I know, the German army established a Majdanek concentration camp on the outskirts of Lublin, which in addition to detaining a large number of Jews
In addition, there are many prisoners of war from our army. If we don't act quickly, I'm worried that the Germans will kill them."
Regarding Sokov's statement, Sidorin and Ponedelin both expressed doubts: "Comrade Commander, where did you get the news? How come we have never heard of any concentration camps here?"
Naturally, Sokov would not tell the two of them that his knowledge of this concentration camp came from books of later generations. He could only say vaguely: "I have my own sources of information, and I will never be wrong."
Hearing what Sokov said, it was natural for the two of them to ask each other's source of information. After all, there were some things that they were not qualified to know at their level. Ponedelin was silent for a moment, and then asked: "Comrade Commander
, can you tell us about the situation in this concentration camp?"
Sokov nodded and repeated what he remembered to the two of them: "The purpose of the Germans in establishing the Majdanek concentration camp was to eliminate the enemies of the Third Reich, assist in the extermination of the Jews, and participate in the deportation and '
Resettlement of Poles living in the Zamosc area.
The concentration camp covers an area of 667 acres and is located next to the road connecting Lublin, Zamosc and Cheium. It is surrounded by a double-layer barbed wire fence with high-voltage electricity and 19 watchtowers. The concentration camp consists of five parts: 22
Cells, 7 gas chambers, 2 wooden gallows, 1 small crematorium and various other 'essential' buildings, such as storage rooms, workshops, laundry rooms and coal storage rooms. In September 1943, another
A large crematorium was added.”
"Comrade Commander," Ponejelin said with some surprise: "The information you obtained is quite detailed. You can even clearly understand the number of buildings in the enemy's concentration camp."
Sidorin asked with some confusion: "Comrade Commander, I don't understand why the Germans built crematoriums in concentration camps, and there are two crematoriums, one large and one small? Is the death rate of prisoners in the concentration camps so high?
Is it high?"
Since the inside story about the concentration camps has not yet been announced, many people confuse the death camps with ordinary prisoner of war camps. In order to give everyone a clear understanding of the death camps, Sokov said to the two of them: "The Germans
The concentration camps are two different things from the prisoner of war camps we are familiar with. Everyone who enters the concentration camp will be screened. Strong men and skilled people will be left to work for the Germans. Thousands of others will be left.
The old, weak, women and children would be deceived by the Germans into the gas chambers and poisoned to death in the name of taking a bath, and then their bodies would be sent to the crematorium for burning."
"No way, Comrade Commander." Sidorin still expressed doubts about Sokov's statement: "If you say that the Germans shot some people in the concentration camp, I believe it. But if you say that the Germans will
It would be too far-fetched to think that the old, weak, women and children in the team were sent to the gas chambers to be poisoned. I think it may be a rumor deliberately spread by the British and American countries for some purpose."
Sokov did not expect that Sidorin did not believe what he said, and even thought that the gas chambers in the concentration camps he mentioned were deliberately fabricated by Britain and the United States for some purpose. He did not argue with the other party, but turned his head.
Asked Ponyjelin on the side: "Comrade Deputy Commander, do you believe what I say?"
"How should I put it, Comrade Commander." Ponedelin was much more experienced than Sidorin. Although he also questioned what Sokov said, he said it very tactfully: "Speaking of the fact that the Germans often massacred tens of thousands of people.
Thousands of old, weak, women and children, I think this is indeed a bit unbelievable."
Seeing that neither of them believed what he said, Sokov didn't bother to waste any more words, but said to Sidorin: "Chief of Staff, call the two division commanders and ask them to speed up and advance towards Lublin. Wait until they are liberated.
After visiting Majdanek Concentration Camp, you will be able to understand whether everything I said is true or unrealistic rumors."
When Sokov's troops were advancing rapidly toward Lublin, the guard commander in Majdanek concentration camp, Arthur Liebchencher, was arranging his men to prepare for the liquidation of the concentration camp.
As the second guard commander of the Auschwitz concentration camp, Arthur Liebchenscher had a ruthless side. In order to prevent the crimes in the concentration camp from being exposed, he decided to kill all the prisoners in the concentration camp and at the same time,
Burn all buildings.
His deputy, a major named Miller, learned that Arthur Liebchencher had issued such an order and asked him: "Your Excellency, Commander, I don't think it is right to kill all the prisoners in the concentration camp."
Wise behavior."
Arthur Liebchencher looked at his subordinate, frowned and asked: "Why?"
"Your Excellency, Commander, the main reason why you want to kill these prisoners is to prevent the secrets in our concentration camp from being discovered by the Russians who are rushing towards Lublin. Am I right?"
"That's right." After Arthur Liebchencher reluctantly admitted this, he asked: "What exactly do you want to say?"
"There are many highly skilled craftsmen in the concentration camp. It would be a pity to kill them like this. After all, relying on their skills, we can do more things for Germany." Miller said: "Also, kill them.
After detaining the prisoners in the concentration camp, someone still needs to dispose of their corpses, otherwise everything we do will be in vain, and the Russians will easily obtain the secrets in the concentration camp through the corpses that are left undisposed of."
After listening to Miller's words, Arthur Liebchencher had to rethink his order. If he really followed his original idea and killed all the prisoners in the concentration camp, who would be responsible for the mountains of corpses?
We can't let the guards of the concentration camp take action, right? Besides, there are indeed many talented people among the prisoners in the camp, so it would be a pity to kill them all without explanation.
Thinking of this, he said to Miller: "Major, you immediately select a group of skilled technicians and send them to Auschwitz by train. Let the remaining people dig a big hole for themselves, and then shoot them all."
After all this is done, use a bulldozer to fill the hole."
"Yes, your Excellency, Commander." Major Miller said, "I will immediately start arranging this matter."
Miller returned to his office and immediately ordered his subordinates to compile a list of technicians, preparing to select a group of skilled technicians and transport them to Auschwitz as soon as possible.
But in a concentration camp that can accommodate 45,000 prisoners, the number of various skilled workers alone exceeds 30,000. It takes a lot of time to select qualified candidates from these 30,000.
Before the list was completed, the leading troops of the 211th Infantry Division appeared near the concentration camp.
When he learned that the leading troops of the Soviet army had appeared nearby, Arthur Liebchencher was startled. He asked Miller: "Major, what is going on? Doesn't it mean that the Russians are still at sea?"
Umm, you haven’t stepped into the Polish border, why did you suddenly appear near our concentration camp?”
"Your Excellency, Commander!" Miller replied in a panic: "Judging from their location, these Russians are not coming from the direction of Chelm, but more like coming from the Brest Fortress."
"What, from the Brest Fortress?!" Hearing what Miller said, Arthur Liebchencher's eyes widened in surprise: "Didn't our army deploy heavy defense forces in the direction of the Brest Fortress?
How did they get here?"
Miller didn't know what was going on, so he could only answer vaguely: "The specific situation is not clear, but this Russian force did come from the direction of the Brest Fortress."
"Have arrangements been made for the technicians who are going to be transferred to Auschwitz?"
"Not yet, Your Excellency, Commander." Miller replied with some embarrassment: "According to my idea, no less than five thousand technicians should be transferred to the Auschwitz concentration camp. However, since the number of technicians in the concentration camp exceeds three
million, so the screening and screening work is not yet in progress.”
"If the technicians can be transferred immediately, how many are there?"
"There are about eight hundred people."
"Load them all into trucks immediately!" Arthur Liebchencher shouted loudly: "Before the Russians arrive, transport them to Auschwitz."
"What about the remaining people?" Miller asked: "Do we still follow the original plan and deal with them all?"
"Major, there are only 1,300 guards in our concentration camp." Arthur Liebchencher said: "If the incoming Russians are really the troops who just occupied the Brest Fortress, do you think we can stop them?
They?"
"Then what should we do?"
"Leave some to hold on, and the rest will immediately board the train and move." Arthur Liebchenscher was already panicking at this time: "We must leave this damn concentration camp before the Russians arrive."
When the Germans began to drive the mechanics who were going to be sent to the Auschwitz concentration camp onto the train, the leading regiment of the 211th Infantry Division was no more than two kilometers away from the concentration camp.
Seeing the Soviet army close at hand, Arthur Liebchencher became even more panicked. He knew that if he fell into the hands of the Soviet army, he would definitely not end well, so he quickly ordered Miller: "Drive, drive quickly!"
"
"But your Excellency, Commander, the number of technicians who have boarded the train is less than three hundred, and the rest are still waiting to board the train on the platform."
"Ignore them." Arthur Liebchencher, who was eager to escape, did not care about the life and death of the prisoners in the concentration camp. He ordered repeatedly: "Drive, drive immediately!"
In this way, under the strict orders of Arthur Liebchencher, the train, carrying 900 guards and 290 mechanics, slowly drove out of the Majdanek concentration camp and headed in the direction of Auschwitz.
Drive away.
The remaining four hundred guards in the concentration camp were immediately disheartened and morale was low when they saw Arthur Liebchenscher abandoning them and fleeing. Originally, their combat effectiveness could not be compared with that of the ordinary Wehrmacht, and now they had no fighting spirit.
Facing the onrushing Soviet troops, some soldiers even trembled with their trigger fingers.
As soon as the Soviet army rushed in front of them, the German guards, who had already lost their fighting spirit and still had the courage to fight, threw away their weapons and surrendered to the Soviet army with their hands raised.
When Colonel Liugekov, commander of the 211th Division, walked into the concentration camp, he was immediately stunned by the scene in front of him. Groups of skinny prisoners wearing prison uniforms were standing in the open ground, looking numbly at the Soviet commanders and fighters who entered the concentration camp.
.About 2,000 corpses were piled outside the crematorium before they could be burned.
The dressing room outside the gas chamber was full of victims before they walked into the gas chamber. The large and small shoes and clothes they took off were piled up in piles, which was shocking.
"Comrade division commander," the leader of the vanguard regiment walked up to Liujikov and asked with red eyes: "We have captured about 300 German prisoners, what should we do with them."
"Shoot them all, shoot them all." Liujikov shouted at his men: "They are not prisoners, they are just a group of two-legged beasts, shoot them all."
Regarding Liujikov's order, the head of the vanguard regiment said hesitantly: "Comrade division commander, why don't you ask the group army headquarters for instructions and see what the commander's attitude is?"
"What can I ask for?" Liujikov said angrily: "Shoot them all immediately. If the superiors want to investigate, I will bear all the responsibilities."
Then, the surviving prisoners in the Majdanek concentration camp saw a scene they would never forget: the guards who usually bullied and killed them at will were pulled in front of the barbed wire fence by Soviet commanders in groups of ten, and then used machine guns to
Carry out shooting.
In a short time, more than 300 captured German guards were all shot to death by the Soviet army. The blood oozing from under the mountains of corpses flowed everywhere like streams.
Seeing that the guards who had oppressed them were all sent to meet God by the Soviet army, the obedient prisoners slowly walked towards the pile of corpses. After looking at them for a while, some people spat on the corpses, and then others picked them up on the ground.
The lumps of earth hit the corpse hard.
When the Soviet commanders and fighters not far away saw the prisoners' actions, some tried to step forward to stop them, but were stopped by Liugekov. He whispered: "Let them go."
At this time, the division chief of staff came over and asked Liujikov for instructions: "Comrade division commander, since we have successfully captured the concentration camp, should we immediately report this news to the group army headquarters?"
"This is what we should do, Comrade Chief of Staff." Liujikov nodded and said to his Chief of Staff: "In the telegram, you report the situation we saw truthfully. At the same time, don't forget to tell me