Bookkeeping of Death and Prisoner Mortality at Majdanek in Yad Vashem Studies, Volume 35:1

Bookkeeping of Death and Prisoner Mortality at Majdanek

This article examines the method of keeping files relating to prisoner deaths and looks at historical documents and findings concerning human losses at KL Lublin (Majdanek). Nazi concentration camps utilized a highly bureaucratic system of prisoner registration, including the recording of the deceased. An example of Majdanek shows that prisoner deaths were recorded at several levels of the camp structure and by almost every department within the headquarters staff. Various types of lists and statistical data relating to prisoner mortality were sent regularly to the SS Economic-Administrative Main Office (WVHA) and the Reich Main Security Office (RSHA). In the last section of the article, the author - based on archival sources, witness testimonies and scholarly publications - makes an attempt to determine the total number of Majdanek victims.