Free The Theory and Practice of Hell by Eugen Kogon

pare the behavior patterns of the few who escaped the con centration camps alive with those of their contemporaries who suffered no such ordeal.
     

    Chapter Four
    THE PHYSICAL SET-UP OF THE CAMPS

    As sites for concentration camps the SS invariably chose inac cessible areas, preferably forests and moors, not too far from the larger cities. This served a dual purpose. The camps were to remain isolated from the outside world, while the SS itself was to retain access to urban amenities. Again, the Nazis and their sympathizers were thus enabled to profit in supplying the camps, while the rest of the population was kept in a state of terror.
    The prior existence of road and industrial facilities was not taken into account. SS industrial enterprises were generally self-sufficient, in any event. If there were indispensable plants already in existence at other locations, subsidiary labor squads were detailed from the camps. Traffic was fully motorized, and in case of need there was plenty of prisoner labor to build roads and even railroad lines. Not even the water supply played a dominant part in site-planning. Emergency water mains, adequate for the needs of the SS, were quickly installed—from far away, if necessary. As for the prisoners, they had to wait. More than almost anything else, the water shortage contributed to the wretched con ditions under which the prisoners lived in many camps.

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    42 EUGEN KOGON

    As a rule a site large enough to accommodate the SS and ten to twenty thousand prisoners was staked out. Only a small part of the area was allotted to the latter. First of all the quar ters for the SS were built, while the prisoners lived in emer gency shelters. Much later, when every need and whim of the overlords had been satisfied, construction of the camp proper was tackled.
    Each concentration camp had three main areas: the headquarters area; the SS residential settlements; and the compound, surrounded by barbed wire.
    The headquarters area included an administration building, barracks for the SS, fine residences with large gardens for the leading officials, and a whole series of show places, such as zoological gardens, hothouses, parks, riding academies and clubs—all carefully planned and beautifully landscaped. At some distance were essential installations ranging all the way from farms and truck gardens to armories and war plants.
    Prime examples of SS parasitism at Buchenwald were a falconry court built as a tribute to Hermann Goring, and a riding hall for the wife of Commandant Koch. Construction of the falconry court was begun in 1938 and completed in 1940. The costs for materials alone ran to 135,000 marks. The area held the following buildings: the falcon house proper, in ancient Teutonic style, of massive and artfully carved oak; a hunting hall with hand-carved oak furniture, huge fireplaces and hunting trophies; a circular garden house; and the falconer’s house, where later, when the sport of falconry could no longer be practiced, the former French Premier, Leon Blum, and other prominent persons were quartered. There was also a game preserve and a cage for wildcats. Fallow deer, roebucks, wild boar, a mouflon, foxes, pheas ants and other animals were kept there. Outside the falconry court, in the so-called zoological garden, five monkeys and four bears were kept in cages. In the early years there was even a rhinoceros. Whenever one of the animals died, a “ volun tary” collection was taken up among the Jews to provide a replacement. A wolf cost about 4,000 marks and a squirrel might cost the same amount. One of the satanic SS pastimes under the regime of Commandant Koch was to throw prisoners into the bears’ cage to be torn limb from limb.
    The animals enjoyed an excellent diet. As late as 1944,
     

    THE THEORY AND PRACTICE OF HELL 43

    when there was a serious food shortage in camp, the bears, monkeys and birds got a daily ration of meat abstracted from the prisoners* mess. The bears also