Sonderkommando Revolt in Auschwitz

Parallel to the mass murder activities, thousands of prisoners lived in Birkenau, forced to work in industrial factories in the Auschwitz-Birkenau area.

These Jews lived in separate buildings from the rest of the camp prisoners to prevent the spread of the truth about the murder industry.

These workers received better living and food conditions; however, they were constantly threatened with death by the Germans, who routinely killed group members every few months and brought in new prisoners.

[1] From the camp's early days, several resistance groups formed, primarily composed of prisoners who worked in medical and administrative roles and managed to survive longer.

Roza Robota led this group, and the women began smuggling small amounts of explosives each day, hidden in double-bottomed food containers, to the liaison prisoners Jehuda Laufer, Israel Gutman, and Noah Zabludowicz.

The plan was to overpower the German soldiers during evening roll call, blow up the four crematoria, cut the electrified (only at night) fence, and escape.

[4][3] On the day of the revolt, at 12:00, German soldiers unexpectedly arrived at Crematoria IV and V and began to isolate a group of prisoners for deportation.

However, the prisoners in Crematorium II exited the building, and using cold weapons and homemade grenades assembled with the obtained explosives, managed to make their way to the camp's wire fence, cut it, and escape.