Entering the Concentration Camp
People being stripped and heads shaven
When entering into the camp, the first thing that happened was German soldiers shaved your head. The hair shaved was sold to upholstery factories. Then clothes were stripped from you, and a uniform was issued. The clothes that were stripped from the innocent prisoners were distributed to German citizens.
The Uniform
A chart of different triangles or stars to identify the Prisoners in the concentration camps
The uniforms that were issued to them are often referred to as striped pajamas. Based on religion, race, political view, or sexuality each uniform was marked with different stars and inverted triangles. T
Jewish people were forced to wear a uniform that had a yellow star that looked like the Star of David. Political prisoners were forced to wear a red triangle. Professional criminals were forced to wear a green triangle. Asocial people were forced to wear a black triangle. People of Catholic Clergy were forced to wear a purple triangle. Homosexuals were forced to wear a pink triangle. Jehovah Witnesses were forced to wear a violet triangle.
Jewish people were forced to wear a uniform that had a yellow star that looked like the Star of David. Political prisoners were forced to wear a red triangle. Professional criminals were forced to wear a green triangle. Asocial people were forced to wear a black triangle. People of Catholic Clergy were forced to wear a purple triangle. Homosexuals were forced to wear a pink triangle. Jehovah Witnesses were forced to wear a violet triangle.
The Number
A man showing his identification tattoo in the Buchenwald concentration camp.
Once people lost their identity by forced to strip naked, and have their heads shaved, they were given a number. This number was first sewn into uniforms, but the Germans found it too hard to identify the dead by the numbers on the uniform. It was too hard to identify the number on the uniform because the uniform was only changed every six weeks. In this uniform, the person worked and slept in it and never got to change or clean them. Since this method of identification was failing for the Germans, they went to Tattooing.
First the tattoo was embedded into the skin in a very painful method. The German Nazi would first punch the number into the skin on the chest with interchangeable needles then rubbing the ink within the wound, but once again, this method was found impractical. The German soldier finally moved to the more modern tattoo with only one needle and placing it on the left forearm.
First the tattoo was embedded into the skin in a very painful method. The German Nazi would first punch the number into the skin on the chest with interchangeable needles then rubbing the ink within the wound, but once again, this method was found impractical. The German soldier finally moved to the more modern tattoo with only one needle and placing it on the left forearm.