Strufthof Concentration Camp

During our visit to the Struthof concentration camp we saw firsthand how Hitler's powerful propaganda that would eventually become known as The Big Lie began to take shape.  The theory behind the Big Lie was that the masses would believe a big lie more than they would believe a little lie, if they heard it often enough. Hitler bombarded the people with talk of peace, nonviolence and a strong unified Germany, while all along he was systematically planning to attack Russia and purge Germany of all non-Arians. 

The Struthof concentration camp was built in 1940 on Mount Louise as a major construction quarry project planned by the Third Reich.  The decision was made to have a camp built there by deportees, as the labor force of the DEST, as this site was subjected to harsh weather conditions and the winter temperatures dropped  down to -20 degrees celsius and would reach 30 degrees celsius in the summer.  The camp was isolated and became a prohibited zone as it was surrounded by three barbered-wired fences.  Many of the deportees were Jewish political leaders. 

Hitler would use barbaric means of tourture such as "roll call" which was also called the hanging square.  All of the deportees were forced to watch.  One prisoner was give 100 blows with clubs by four SS officers on the roll call square in front of all the deportees gathered one evening under the floodlights.  He was taken half dead to the prisoner block which he only left to be hanged on Christmas day 1943.