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What were the death marches from Auschwitz?

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Auschwitz: entrance gates — Auschwitz The entrance gates to the Auschwitz concentration camp, near Kraków, Poland; the sign reads “Arbeit Macht Frei” (“Work Liberates”).

As Soviet forces advanced in early 1945, the Nazis began abandoning the Auschwitz complex. On January 18, 1945, approximately 60,000 prisoners were forced to march toward Wodzisław Śląski in what became known as the death marches.1

From Wodzisław Śląski, the prisoners were loaded onto freight trains—often in open cars—and transported westward to other concentration camps located away from the front lines. The conditions during these marches were catastrophic; prisoners suffered from extreme exhaustion, starvation, and the harsh winter cold. Many individuals were shot by guards along the way, and it is estimated that one in four prisoners died during the journey.1

These marches represent a horrific chapter of the Holocaust, reflecting the brutal disregard for human life maintained by the Nazi regime even as their control over the camps collapsed.21