The process of extermination involved several steps:
1.Deportation: Jews from across Europe were forcibly rounded up and deported to extermination camps in sealed train cars under appalling conditions. Many died during these inhumane journeys due to overcrowding, hunger, thirst, and lack of sanitation.
2.Selection: Upon arrival at the extermination camps, prisoners underwent a brutal selection process. Those deemed able to work were temporarily spared for forced labor, while the vast majority were immediately sent to the gas chambers.
3.Gas Chambers: The Nazis primarily utilized gas chambers to carry out mass murder. These chambers were disguised as showers, and victims were deceived into believing they were being disinfected. Once inside, the doors were sealed, and poisonous gas, usually Zyklon B, was released through vents. Thousands of people were murdered in a matter of minutes in these gas chambers.
4.Crematoria: After the victims were killed, their bodies were transported to crematoria or open-air pits for disposal. The Nazis aimed to eliminate any trace of their crimes, and these facilities operated around the clock to burn the bodies at a rapid pace.
5.Concealment: In an attempt to conceal their atrocities, the Nazis often buried the ashes of the victims in mass graves or scattered them across fields. They also destroyed or repurposed the extermination camp facilities to cover up the evidence of their crimes.
The final stage of the Holocaust was a culmination of the systematic persecution, dehumanization, and genocide of millions of Jews. The industrialization of death in the extermination camps exemplified the depravity and horror of the Nazi regime.