Thursday, July 24, 2008

Nation & World

USN Current Issue

The Nazi Chronicles

Closed for decades, the world's largest Holocaust archive now reveals its secrets

By Andrew Curry
Posted 5/13/07
Page 4 of 4

"It's been a long, long way," says Mayer with a sigh. "Emotionally, to see a letter from my father from 1946 was the most heart-rending. To see an original document really resonates. It is phenomenal."

Belzec, a death camp in Poland that served as the last stop for 600,000 victims of the Nazi regime, including members of the Lothar family. Below, Carlyn and Lothar Mayer review documents at Bad Arolsen.
IRA NOWINSKI-CORBIS

But, disappointingly, the file doesn't include any information on deaths, only deportations. "I was hoping to find out when they died, what was the cause of death," Mayer says. "This doesn't give me the closure I was looking for."

He might, however, have made a grim guess. Belzec, a German concentration camp in what is now southeastern Poland, was one of the Nazis' most efficient killing machines. Between March 17, 1942, and December 1942, at least half a million Jews were gassed and incinerated there, usually within hours of their arrivals.

advertisement

advertisement

Special Report: 1957

A closer look into the year of Sputnik, Little Rock, African Independence, and more.

The Secrets of the Civil War

An estimated 50,000 books have been written about the conflict, but there are still some mysteries left to be solved.

NEWSLETTER

Sign up today for the latest headlines from U.S. News and World Report delivered to you free.

RSS FEEDS

Personalize your U.S. News with our feeds of blogs and breaking news headlines.

USNews MOBILE

U.S. News daily briefings are also available on your mobile device.

Use of this Web site constitutes acceptance of our Terms and Conditions of Use and Privacy Policy.