The Nazis realised at an early stage that there was a need for
permanent and experienced working groups of prisoners to ensure
that the death camp operations ran smoothly. Jewish specialists
were able to work at their individual skills, as long as they
were fit and served a purpose; arbitrary executions became a
rarity. However the execution of those who fell ill continued. ,
the first operational death camp within the sphere, camp
commandant developed guidelines for the extermination of the
Jews and for the supervision of the Jewish work brigades. Those
unable to work were exterminated. , who arrived in in May/June
1942 with a transport of Jews from “To my great good fortune I
was part of the second transport, some of whose members were
selected as permanent workers. Before that, they would take out
200 men from each transport to load the belongings. As soon as
the work was finished, they shot them. I however, was privileged
to be counted among the permanent workers of the camp. In charge
of each working gro