The Sonderkommand Revolt by Jessica Rios

Special Command Units

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The Sonderkommand was a group of people forced to work at death camps. They were tasked to burn the already dead bodies that the Nazi's killed. They worked up to four months and during that time period they had to get rid of the bodies from the last group working before them. They were also forced to dispose of their own family's bodies.

Group leaders

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They group leaders involved Jozef Deresinski, Zalman Gradowski, Jankiel Handelsman, Ajzyk Kalniak, Lajb Langfus, Zalman Lewental, Lajb Panusz and Jozef Warszawski. They made contact with Jewish girls that worked in the munitions factory. Israel Gutman and Jehuda Lerner two other leaders started to get small portions of explosives from the girls working in the factory. They hid the explosives under a fake bottom of a food tray.

The revolt

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On October 7 1944 underground military leaders sent a warning to the small group of resistances at the crematoria. They learned that the SS was going to liquidate the Sonderkommando. One morning a senior man from the Sonderkommando was told to make a list to help evacuate three hundred men on that same day. Chaim Neuhof a Jew from Sosnowice. He was a member of the Sonderkommando since 1942. Chaim Neuhof approached a SS staff Sergeant Busch and soon after a brief exchange, he yelled the password "Hurrah" and hit the SS man with a hammer. At the Crematorium IV members of the Sonderkommando attacked the SS. Several SS men were wounded while some of the others SS went behind a barbed-wire fence, shooting at prisoners with machine pistols. The men in Kommando 59-B using the explosives that the hand made grenades, they were able to blow up the crematorium.

Isreal Gutman-Quote

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When I was standing near my friend he told me there was a search going on. He told me that he had not time to put the explosives in the saucers and that the explosives were on his body in a cigarette package.

I knew quite well that not only we would be killed as retaliation, but all the underground of Auschwitz was jeopardised. When they carried out the search they felt that I was trembling and they then searched me very thoroughly.

When they didn’t find anything then they didn’t really look at my friend. Somehow or other they skipped him. Since I was a little excited they thought that I was the one who had explosives and not him.” - Israel Gutman

Crematorium IV

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Zalman Gradowski

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Roza Robota

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Zalman Levental

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Dario Gabbai talks about the Sonderkommando Revolt

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Filip Muller-Quote

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Towards mid-day Scharfuhrer Busch, Unterscharfuhrer Gorges and several other SS men and guards arrived in the yard in front of crematorium IV. All prisoners were ordered to line up, with the exception of fourteen who were away on their various jobs and who, in any case, were not affected by the selection.

Then Busch began calling out the first few numbers on the list, starting with the highest and working his way down to the lowest. Those selected for transfer were made to stand on the opposite side of the yard, those not concerned, once they had been called, were allowed to return to Crematorium V.”

The Revolt of Sonderkommando Prisoners

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Salmen Lewental-Quote

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"They showed an immense courage refusing to budge from the spot. They set up a loud shout, hurled themselves upon the guards with hammers and axes, wounded some of them, the rest they beat with what they could get at, they pelted them with stones without further ado.

It is easy to imagine what was the upshot of this. Few moments had passed when a whole detachment of SS men drove in, armed with machine guns and grenades. There were so many of them that each had two machine guns for one prisoner. Even such an army was mobilised against them.”

The fate of the Sonderkommando prisoners

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October 10, 1944

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Ella Gartner, Ester Wasjsblum, and Ragina Safin,three female Jewish prisoners that worked in the Weichsel-Union Metallwerke. They were arrested in the women's camp of Auschwitz 1. They were charged with stealing explosives from the depot of the plant and they were giving them to the prisoners of the Sonderkommando. They gave them primitive grenades which were used during the uprising. That same day fourteen prisoners of the Sonderkommando were also arrested and locked in the bunker of the Block 11. Two more female prisoners were also arrested in the women's camp of Auschwitz II they were on the charge of having contact with Sonderkommando and transporting explosives there. Roza Robota a Polish Jew was one of the two females that were arrested. She worked in the personal effects camp, that bordered on the compound of Crematorium IV. She accepted explosive materials stolen by Ella Gartner that was in the Weichsel-Union Metallwerke plant and passing it on the Wrobel, who was also a member of the Sonderkommando.

January 6, 1945

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In the evening on January 6 1945, Ella Gartner, Roza Robota,Regina Safir, and Ester Wajsblum, four female prisoners were hanged in the women's camp of Auschwitz. The execution plan has two stages. Two of the four female prisoners are hanged during the evening roll call, which is in front of the male and female prisoners that work the night shift it all takes place in the Weichsel-Union munitions plant. The other portion takes place in the day, once the squad returns to work on the day shift.

"SS-Obersturmfuhrer Hossler reads out the sentence, and screamed that all traitors will be destroyed in this manner"