''Auschwitz 1940–1945: Central Issues in the History of the Camp'' is a five-volume monograph about the Auschwitz concentration camp in

German-occupied Poland German-occupied Poland during World War II consisted of two major parts with different types of administration. The Polish areas annexed by Nazi Germany following the invasion of Poland at the beginning of World War II—nearly a quarter of the ...

during

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the World War II by country, vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great power ...

and

the Holocaust The Holocaust, also known as the Shoah, was the genocide of European Jews during World War II. Between 1941 and 1945, Nazi Germany and its collaborators systematically murdered some six million Jews across German-occupied Europe; ...

. Written by researchers at the

Auschwitz-Birkenau State Museum The Auschwitz-Birkenau State Museum ( pl, Państwowe Muzeum Auschwitz-Birkenau) is a museum on the site of the Auschwitz concentration camp in Oświęcim (German: ''Auschwitz''), Poland. The site includes the main concentration camp at Auschwit ...

, it was first published by the museum in Polish in 1995 as ''Auschwitz 1940–1945: Węzłowe zagadnienia z dziejów obozu''. An enlarged and updated German edition appeared in 1999, translated by Jochen August, and an English edition in 2000, translated by William Brand and partly funded by the

U.S. Commission for the Preservation of America's Heritage Abroad The U.S. Commission for the Preservation of America's Heritage Abroad is an independent agency of the Government of the United States of America. It was established by . The law directs the Commission to identify and report on cemeteries, monumen ...

.Neander, Joachim (2002)
"Auschwitz Scholars Examine Auschwitz"
''Yad Vashem Studies'', XXX, 437–450. It appeared in French in 2004, and an enlarged and updated

French French (french: français(e), link=no) may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to France ** French language, which originated in France, and its various dialects and accents ** French people, a nation and ethnic group identified with France ...

edition was published in 2011. The series editors, Wacław Długoborski and

Franciszek Piper Franciszek Piper (born 1941) is a Polish scholar, historian and author. Most of his work concerns the Holocaust, especially the history of the Auschwitz concentration camp. Dr. Piper is credited as one of the historians who helped establish a m ...

, are noted

Holocaust The Holocaust, also known as the Shoah, was the genocide of European Jews during World War II. Between 1941 and 1945, Nazi Germany and its collaborators systematically murdered some six million Jews across German-occupied Europe; ...

historians; Piper is known, in particular, for having established widely accepted figures for the death toll within the camp. The other researchers are

Danuta Czech Danuta Czech (1922 – 4 April 2004) was a Polish Holocaust historian and deputy director of the Auschwitz-Birkenau State Museum in Oświęcim, Poland. She is known for her book ''The Auschwitz Chronicle: 1939–1945'' (1990). Background Czech was ...

(former deputy director of the museum), Tadeusz Iwaszko,

Stanisław Kłodziński Stanisław Kłodziński (1918–1990) was a Polish physician, lung specialist, and survivor of the Auschwitz concentration camp Auschwitz concentration camp ( (); also or ) was a complex of over 40 concentration and extermination camps opera ...

, Helena Kubica,

Aleksander Lasik Aleksander Lasik (born 1953) is a Polish historian specializing in the history of the Schutzstaffel (SS) within German concentration camps. A professor at the Kazimierz Wielki University in Bydgoszcz, he has worked as an historian for Poland's Ins ...

, Piotr Setkiewicz, Irena Strzelecka, Andrzej Strzelecki, and

Henryk Świebocki Henryk Świebocki (born 1940) is a Polish historian. A senior custodian of the Auschwitz-Birkenau State Museum, Świebocki specializes in the resistance movement within the Auschwitz concentration camp in occupied Poland during World War II. He ...

. Several of the contributors, including Długoborski, were themselves prisoners in Auschwitz or had family members there. The concept of the work was first discussed by the museum in 1979. The research is based on the State Museum Archives, which include 30,000 images; 15 metres of shelves of records from the camp's construction department (''Bauleitung''); and another 15 metres of documents from the camp itself, such as SS personnel files, 70,000 death certificates, watch books, letters from prisoners written inside the camp, telegrams about escapes, punishment books, and the daily roll call.

Irving Greenberg Irving Yitzchak Greenberg (born May 16, 1933), also known as Yitz Greenberg, is an American scholar, author and rabbi. He is known as a strong supporter of Israel, and a promoter of greater understanding between Judaism and Christianity. Early ...

, then chair of the

United States Holocaust Memorial Museum The United States Holocaust Memorial Museum (USHMM) is the United States' official memorial to the Holocaust. Adjacent to the National Mall in Washington, D.C., the USHMM provides for the documentation, study, and interpretation of Holocaust hi ...

, described the work in 2001 as "by far the most comprehensive in its detail and level of source material". Reviewing it for ''

Yad Vashem Studies Yad Vashem ( he, יָד וַשֵׁם; literally, "a memorial and a name") is Israel's official memorial to the victims of the Holocaust. It is dedicated to preserving the memory of the Jews who were murdered; honoring Jews who fought against ...

'', Joachim Neander noted "the authors' deep empathy with the victims" and called it "an academically solid compendium". Peter Hayes, writing in ''

Holocaust and Genocide Studies The United States Holocaust Memorial Museum (USHMM) is the United States' official memorial to the Holocaust. Adjacent to the National Mall in Washington, D.C., the USHMM provides for the documentation, study, and interpretation of Holocaust hist ...

'', regarded the chapters as poorly organized, making it more suitable as a reference work than a readable history. He highlighted volume III by Franciszek Piper as "a masterful account" of the death toll. Hayes, Peter (2003). "Auschwitz, Capital of the Holocaust". ''Holocaust and Genocide Studies'', 17(2), (330–350), 333, 339. __NOTOC__

Publication details

*''Auschwitz 1940–1945: Central Issues in the History of the Camp'', Waclaw Dlugoborski and Franciszek Piper, eds., William Brand, trans. Oswiecim: Auschwitz-Birkenau State Museum, 2000, 5 vols., 1906 pp. **Vol. I: Aleksander Lasik, Franciszek Piper, Piotr Setkiewicz, and Irena Strzelecka. ''The Establishment and Organization of the Camp''. 363 pp. **Vol. II: Tadeusz Iwaszko, Helena Kubica, Franciszek Piper, Irena Strzelecka, and Andrzej Strzelecki. ''The Prisoners—Their Life and Work''. 452 pp. **Vol. III: Franciszek Piper. ''Mass Murder''. 388 pp. **Vol. IV: Henryk Świebocki. ''The Resistance Movement''. 388 pp. **Vol. V: Danuta Czech, Stanisław Kłodziński, Aleksander Lasik, and Andrzej Strzelecki. ''Epilogue''. 314 pp.

Publication details

References

Further reading