May 30th, 1943: "New life at Auschwitz"
May 30th, 1943: "New life at Auschwitz"
Josef Mengele pictured as an SS officer during his time at Auschwitz
Reassignment: Life at Auschwitz
On May 30th, 1943 life at Auschwitz changed forever as a man soon to be known as "The Angel of Death" was reassigned to be in Auschwitz. This man was Josef Mengele.
Josef began working as a camp physician in Auschwitz-Birkenau which was another area of camp that is located in Auschwitz. Josef's role was to take care of the Birkenau's "Zigeunerlager" (Romani People.). Josef played a major role in what was to happen to these men and women.On August 2,1944 Josef was responsible for choosing an amount of Romanis to be gassed. 2,893 men, woman, and children were murdered. Shortly thereafter Josef got a promotion making him chief physician.
"The Angel Of Death" is Born
November 18th, 1944 Josef was assigned to Birkenau Hospital as chief physician and his tirade of pain began. Josef and the other hospital staff had the responsibility of doing their camp duties which included what was called "selections". Selections mean that Josef and other SS officers had to identify prisoners of Auschwitz that couldn't work. The SS considered those who couldn't work as useless and those prisoners would be murdered. Josef began conducting another form of selection which were called periodic selections meaning him and other SS officers could pick any person and conduct experiments on that person to determine if they were fit to work. Word of Josef conducting these "selections" made its way around the camp and prisoners began calling Josef "The Angel Of Death". He was referred this way because of his appearance and because if you were chosen most times you wouldn't return.