January 27th, 2012 at 5:07PM

This day in history:

The Auschwitz camp complex and its remaining prisoners are liberated by Soviet forces.  

Less than two weeks before liberation the complex had been evacuated by prison guards who took around 60,000 prisoners away on the death marches to avoid the approaching Red Army.  The prisoners were marched for 35 miles (56 km), put on trains, and sent to various other camps.  One fourth of the prisoners died on the way to the trains.

Upon liberation only around six or seven thousand prisoners remained in the complex; they were judged either too sick or too weak to march and left behind by the prison guards.

January 27, 1945 - 67 years ago today.

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  12. botticello reblogged this from bigscarytiger and added:
    It feels like it should be longer ago than 67 years..
  13. bigscarytiger reblogged this from picturesofwar and added:
    Remembering my visit there three and half years ago still makes me want to burst into tears.
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  15. This was featured in #History
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407 notes #history#auschwitz#holocaust
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