Bibliograph

The Auschwitz photographer, based on the true story of Wilhelm Brasse prisoner 3444, Luca Crippa and Maurizio Onnis ; translated from the Italian by Jennifer Higgins

Type

Label

The Auschwitz photographer, based on the true story of Wilhelm Brasse prisoner 3444, Luca Crippa and Maurizio Onnis ; translated from the Italian by Jennifer Higgins

Language

eng

Bibliography note

Includes bibliographical references

resource.biographical

contains biographical information

Illustrations

platesillustrationsportraits

Index

no index present

Literary Form

non fiction

Main title

The Auschwitz photographer

Nature of contents

bibliography

Responsibility statement

Luca Crippa and Maurizio Onnis ; translated from the Italian by Jennifer Higgins

Sub title

based on the true story of Wilhelm Brasse prisoner 3444

Summary

When Germany invaded Wilhelm Brasse's native Poland in 1939, he was asked to swear allegiance to Hitler and join the Wehrmacht. He refused. He was deported to Auschwitz concentration camp as political prisoner number 3444. A trained portrait photographer, he was ordered by the SS to record the inner workings of the camp. He began by taking identification photographs of prisoners as they entered the camp, went on to capture the criminal medical experiments of Josef Mengele, and also recorded executions. Between 1940 and 1945, Brasse took around 50,000 photographs of the horror around him. He took them because he had no choice. Eventually, Brasse's conscience wouldn't allow him to hide behind his camera. First he risked his life by joining the camp's Resistance movement, faking documents for prisoners, trying to smuggle images to the outside world to reveal what was happening. Then, when Soviet troops finally advanced on the camp to liberate it, Brasse refused SS orders to destroy his photographs. 'Because the world must know,' he said

Target audience

adult

Contributor

Creator