Figure 1.---'Escape From Sobibor' a true story of a mass escape from a camp in eastern Poland, an area that had been annexed by the Soviet Union in 1939. There are not very many children in the camp because it was one of the horific death camps where the Jews arriving on the transports were all killed upon arrival, especilly the children. Sobibor was not a work camp so it was a very small facility. A few Jews and Soviet POWs were kept alive kept for a time to help run the camp. The SS used Ukranian guards to help run the camp. Here is a scene as a transport of Jews from the ghettoes has just arrived at the camp. The Jewish worker helping the rivals wears a blue outfit and is played by Alan Arkin.

The NAZIs operated a large number of concentration camps all over Europe. There were several different types of camps ranging from labor to punishment to death. The Germans established death camps primarily, but not exclusively to kill Jews. This a made for TV movie was directed by Jack Gold and is the true story, acurately depicted, of what happened in the NAZI death camp at Sobibor. Sorbibor was not a labor camp. Its only purpose was to kill Jews and other victims. It was a place where many Jews were killed and those that lived served their NAZI masters in the killing process on borrowed time. Here some worked in the sorting sheds, going through the luggage of those that had been put through the gas chambers, others worked in the forests but these were mainly Russian POWs. Then there were those who had trades such as cobblers or tailors for example. One of these was a young goldsmith by the name of Stanislaw 'Shlomo' Szmajzner (Simon Gregor) and his younger brother Moses (Eli Nathenson). In one scene Moses is sent to another part of the camp, which in fact is where the gas chambers are to collect some gold for his brother to work on. It is when he reaches this part of the camp and sees the naked men, women and children going to be gassed then he realises the full horror of what has happened to his own parents. When he returns to the main camp he tells his brother who swears vengeance. The actual escape involved the killing of both German and Ukrainian guards. A huge undertaking with around 600 prisoners involved. The big revolt should happen on October 13th 1943, but the unexpected arrival of an SS troop from the labour camp at Ossowa, caused a delay for 24 hours. On October 14th 1943 commander Reichleitner, Gustav Wagner and Hubert Gomerski were on leave. The absence of Wagner and Gomerski, two of the cruellest SS men in Sobibor, seriously weakened the guard garrison. At about 4 p.m. deputy commander Johann Niemann visited the tailor shop to try on a new uniform. There he was killed by Yehuda Lerner with a blow from an axe. The revolt had begun, there was no turning back. Ten Germans, two "Volksdeutsche" and eight Ukrainian guards were killed, SS-Oberscharführer Werner Dubois was seriously injured. Some 300 prisoners managed to escape from Sobibor, but most were killed in the relentless manhunt. Those who had not joined the escape for various reasons were all killed.

Filmology

This a made for TV movie was directed by Jack Gold and is the true story, acurately depicted, of what happened in the NAZI death camp at Sobibor.

Death Camps

The NAZIvSS operated a large number of concentration camps all over Europe. There were several different types of camps ranging from labor to punishment to death. The Germans established death camps primarily, but not exclusively to kill Jews. The killing process varied at the different camps. At Sobibor, gas wascused. Sobibor was not a labor camp. Its only purpose was to kill Jews and other victims. It was a place where many Jews were killed and that a very small number were zllowed to live to served their NAZI masters in the killing process on borrowed time. Here some worked in the sorting sheds, going through the luggage of those that had been put through the gas chambers, others worked in the forests but these were mainly Russian POWs. Then there were those who had trades such as cobblers or tailors for example.

Sobibir

Sobibor was the most isolated of the three Reinhard camps. It was located in a lightly populsted area near Poland's current border with Belarus, fairly close to Belzec. It was in the eastern area of Polabd that had beebn seized by the Siviets in 1939. It was established (March 1942), close to the village and rail station of Sobibor just off the Chelm-Wlodawa rail line. The camp itself was situated in an isolated, wooded and swampy area. SS-Obersturmführer Richard Thomalla, a staff member of the SS Construction Office in Lublin, oversaw the construction. After only a month, SS-Obersturmführer Stangl replaced him. He completed the construction and became the first Camp Commandant. Stangl proved to be Odilo Globocnik favorite and most trusted camp commander. The camp had about 15 German SS men who ran the camp, supervising about 150 Ukranian guards. As in all the death camps, Jews were forced to participate in the killing by the SS. There were also a number of Jews and Soviet POWs who served as prisoner workers. Sorbior despite its lethality, was very small. It was a rectangle, 400 by 600 meters. There was a 3m high barbed wire fencec around it. The SS had tree branches worked into the wire so as the prevent outsiders from viewing what went on inside. It was divided into three separate areas: 1) administration, 2) reception, and 3) killing. Each of the different sectioins were separated by more barbed wire. The vast majority of those sent to Sorbibor to be killed were Jews. Most were murdered by gas within hours of their arrival. About 0.25 million Jews were killed at Sorbior, many from the surrounding area. Some Dutch Jews were also killed at the camp. There was no significant forced labor work at Sorbibor. The sole purpose was to kill Jews as soon as they arrived. A few healthy Jews were selected for slave labor at nearby camps. Almost all of our accounts from Sobibor comes from the pitifully few selected for labor. The Germans ran the camp with SS officers and Ukranian guards.

Killing Process

There are not very many children in the camp because it was one of the horific death camps established as part of Operation Reinhard, the elimination of Polish Jews. The Jews arriving on the transports were all killed upon arrival, especilly the children.

Cast

The best known actor in the film is Alan Arkin. He plays one of the Jewish prisoner workers. None of gthe children are credited as they appear only briefly.

Plot

'Escape From Sobibor' is the true story of a mass escape from the Sobibor death camp. In the film, lne of the craftsmen allowed to live was a young goldsmith by the name of Stanislaw 'Shlomo' Szmajzner (Simon Gregor) and his younger brother Moses (Eli Nathenson). In one scene Moses is sent to another part of the camp, which in fact is where the gas chambers are to collect some gold for his brother to work on. It is when he reaches this part of the camp and sees the naked men, women and children going to be gassed then he realises the full horror of what has happened to his own parents. When he returns to the main camp he tells his brother who swears vengeance. The actual escape involved the killing of both German and Ukrainian guards. A huge undertaking with around 600 prisoners involved. The big revolt should happen on October 13th 1943, but the unexpected arrival of an SS troop from the labour camp at Ossowa, caused a delay for 24 hours. On October 14th 1943 commander Reichleitner, Gustav Wagner and Hubert Gomerski were on leave. The absence of Wagner and Gomerski, two of the cruellest SS men in Sobibor, seriously weakened the guard garrison. At about 4 p.m. deputy commander Johann Niemann visited the tailor shop to try on a new uniform. There he was killed by Yehuda Lerner with a blow from an axe. The revolt had begun, there was no turning back.

The Revolt

The approximately 600 Jewish and Red Army POW workers the Germans forced to opeate the camp wanted to stop the killing and knew that they would also ultimately be be killed as well. Resistance was virtually impossible, but they began to plan an escape. To do so there would have to be a mass escape and that meant killing the Germans and Ukrnians The worker Jews and Soviet POWs staged a rare sucessful rising (October 14, 1943). They managed to kill a few SS and Ukranian guards. Ten Germans, two "Volksdeutsche" and eight Ukrainian guards were killed, SS-Oberscharführer Werner Dubois was seriously injured. Some 300 prisoners managed to escape from Sobibor, but most were killed in the relentless manhunt. Those who had not joined the escape for various reasons were all killed. Most of those who broke out were tracked down and killed by the SS. The camp was subsequently closed, in part because of the advancing Red Army and in part because the number of available Jews in NAZIs had already been significantly reduced by the Aktion Reinhard killings and the camp was no longer needed. Had the Whermacht been more successful, the camp would have probbly been kept open to begin the mass killking of Slavs.

Created: 7:03 PM 11/30/2011
Last updated: 7:03 PM 11/30/2011