Apart from a broken spirit, there’s also a lot of denial. “This can’t be happening. It can’t be that bad. It all will be over soon. We’ll make it through.”
prisoners outnumbering guards 100:1
100 unarmed, malnourished civilians, many of them old, young or female and almost all of them never having killed or even seriously hurt anyone in their lives vs 1 murderous soldier who has already murdered dozens of people today alone, armed with training, guns and fortified positions… It’s not a winnable fight. Maybe if you put exactly these 101 people in one room the 100 could stand somewhat of a chance, but that’s not what happened here.
Look for example at the referenced Sonderkommando revolt. From what I can find, the Sonderkommando consisted of able-bodied men in somewhat ok condition. They were pretty much the best-suited for a revolt. And still at the end of the revolt, 452 Sonderkommando members were dead and only 3 Nazi soldiers died. It was like shooting fish in a barrel.
Also, compared to the regular prisoners, the Sonderkommando members actually knew what was going on and that nobody was supposed to make it out of the camp alive. They managed to keep the extermination a secret even inside the camps.
I never said the kicking and screaming would have been successful. I’m just trying to explain why I think so many people went quietly, and pointing out that most people, when faced with the prospect that their entire family, all their friends, and they themselves face imminent death if they do nothing will tend to do something, regardless of whether it’s likely to succeed.
Apart from a broken spirit, there’s also a lot of denial. “This can’t be happening. It can’t be that bad. It all will be over soon. We’ll make it through.”
100 unarmed, malnourished civilians, many of them old, young or female and almost all of them never having killed or even seriously hurt anyone in their lives vs 1 murderous soldier who has already murdered dozens of people today alone, armed with training, guns and fortified positions… It’s not a winnable fight. Maybe if you put exactly these 101 people in one room the 100 could stand somewhat of a chance, but that’s not what happened here.
Look for example at the referenced Sonderkommando revolt. From what I can find, the Sonderkommando consisted of able-bodied men in somewhat ok condition. They were pretty much the best-suited for a revolt. And still at the end of the revolt, 452 Sonderkommando members were dead and only 3 Nazi soldiers died. It was like shooting fish in a barrel.
Also, compared to the regular prisoners, the Sonderkommando members actually knew what was going on and that nobody was supposed to make it out of the camp alive. They managed to keep the extermination a secret even inside the camps.
I never said the kicking and screaming would have been successful. I’m just trying to explain why I think so many people went quietly, and pointing out that most people, when faced with the prospect that their entire family, all their friends, and they themselves face imminent death if they do nothing will tend to do something, regardless of whether it’s likely to succeed.
Also, keep in mind that there are fates worse than a quick painless death in the gas chambers. And the Nazis very much used those as well.