Expansion and Structure of the Dachau Camp

Expansion:

• In 1933, the General Theodor Eicke, established a system of regulations with brutal punishments on prisoners. He ensured that the Dachau camp system served as a model for all later concentration camps. It also served as a training center for SS guards who were part of the regime.

• Around 1937, began the construction of a large complex of buildings on the grounds of the camp and it was only because of the prisioners labor starting with the destruction of the old munitions factory. The construction was officially completed in August 1938. 

Structure:

Dachau was divided into two sections: the camp area with 32 barracks and the crematoria area. The camp administration was located in the gatehouse at the main entrance. There were also support buildings containing the kitchen, laundry, showers, and workshops, prison block.

The crematorium area View included the old crematorium and the new crematorium with a gas chamber. There prisioners were selected, those who were judged too sick or weak to continue working were sent to "euthanasia" killing center and it is estimated that more than 2,500 Dachau prisoners were murdered in the gas chambers. In addition, mass executions by shooting took place in the main courtyard.

Dachau Concentration Camp Map (1944)

Thereby, the expansion and structure of Dachau camp played a pivotal role in the development of subsequent camps. Established in 1933 under General Theodor Eicke's command, Dachau served as a training center for SS guards and set the model for the future. The expansion in 1937 resulted in a complex of buildings, including barracks, crematoria, and support facilities. The camp area housed prisoners, while crematorium area contained the gas chambers. The atrocities committed in Dachau led to tragics deaths of thousands of prisoners. The construction of the large complex of buildings in Dachau was primarily carried out by prisoner labor. This practice was common in many Nazi concentration camps, where prisoners were subjected to forced labor in harsh conditions. The prisoners' labor was exploited to build the infrastructure necessary for the camp's operations. As for the support buildings, there were many within the Dachau Camp having essential facilities such as the kitchen, laundry, showers, workshops, and the prison block. All provided services for the camp administratioon and the functioning of the camp.

Also there is important to mention that the number of prisoners that there were, exceeded the one that should have. It is known that they exceed 200,000 prisioners, so for that reason they used to sleep up to six people in a single bed. This increased disease and consequently, death. The exceeded camp's capacity led to cramped and unsanitary living conditions so, to accommodate the excessive number of inmates, multiple prisoners were forced to share a single bed, exarcebating the spread of diseases and increasing the death toll within the camp.

The crematorium area of Dachau was a site of immense suffering and brutality. It included both an old and a new crematorium, with the latter featuring a gas chamber. Prisoners who were deemed too sick or weak to continue working were selected for "euthanasia" and transported to killing centers. The gas chambers were used to murder over 2,500 Dachau prisoners. Additionally, mass executions by shooting were carried out in the main courtyard of the camp.

References:

• Dachau. (n.d.). https://encyclopedia.ushmm.org/content/en/article/dachau