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Treblinka was one of the Nazi's main camps and it was located between two towns in Poland named Siedlce and Malkinia. Treblinka was actually made up if two separate camps. The fist camp, established in December 1941, was a medium forced-labor camp. The second camp was established in July 1942. This second camp was more secretive because of the fact that many Jews were exterminated here. In January 17, 1945 Soviet troops liberated Treblinka. By this time it is believed that between 7 seven and nine hundred thousand Jews. Treblinka II covered an area of 17 hectares and was also near a penal labor camp. To keep unwanted eyes out and prisoners in the Nazis built a barbed wire fence wrapped in vines to hide their camp. The Nazis also put anti-tank defenses around the outside of a camp, such as rolled up barbed wire encircling the camp. In addition watch towers, placed strategically around the camp, kept watch for enemies.
The Germans also used other measures to keep up their well organized ruse by painting Jewish stars on the walls and there were Jewish inscriptions on the curtains of the gate. One of these inscriptions read, "This is the gate through which the righteous pass". Treblinka II was also known to be a "transit camp". This is what the SS officers told the Jews as they arrived by the train full. After this speech the women and children would be sent in one line while the men would be herded into a separate line. This was followed by the shaving of the prisoners head.
Treblinka first was manned with three gas chambers, but as time went on and more Jews arrived the need for more arose and three more were constructed. These chambers appeared to the Jews to be nice refreshing showers which they would use to clean themselves off and sometimes it was, but most likely it was gas that they received. Long pipes cascaded through the roof of the chamber. These pipes would decide the fate of the Jews for the moment. When gasses the prisoners did not immediately die. They had to stand for thirty to forty minutes before the gas took effect. After their death the SS would then take them to mass graves which would later be dug up by the SS so the bodies could be incinerated.
There were acts of rebellion from these prisoners, although very few were successful. One instance was on August 2, 1943 when prisoners where able to arm themselves and revolt. This revolt consisted of 840 inmates, but only 200 escaped of which only 100 survived the war. In the end Treblinka was believed to be one of the Nazis most deadly camps.
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