Polish Killing & Atrocity Centers

Founded in 1941 as a killing center and liquidated in 1944, Majdanek (my-a-dan-ek) was known as a killing center for those in the Jewish Resistance Movement and Gestapo hostages. Majdanek was part of Aktion Reinhard, the plan to exterminate the Jews of Poland. Located near Lublin Poland, over 500,000 persons were imprisoned from 1941-44, of which over 360,000 died. Five krema, or crematoria were kept active daily during the shoah. Like other killing centers, death by gas chamber using Zyklon-B was the prevalent means of death. Majdanek consisted of 6 units, including a unit for women and a hospital unit for Nazi Sympathizers. Murders in the camp occurred up to the end of 1943. Several other subcamps were under the leadership of the SS/Police head, of the Lublin district, SS Major General Globocnik. The commandants included: Karl Koch (tried for theft) Max Koegel, Herman Flosted and Martin Weiss, the last was A. Liebehenschel see Staff of Killing Centers

Grueling slave labor in the German armaments industry was pronounced at Majdanek. Jews and Poles constituted the largest number of prisoners, but over 50 nationalities were represented. The largest age group was young men and women in their 20s, and a full 6% were children, with 1.1% infants: a much higher statistic than most camps. Known for cruelty and fraud, all 3 of the commandants of Majdanek were put to death after the war in 1946 by ally tribunals.