What Exactly Was in the Dachau Concentration Camp? An Attempt to Approach the Truth – A Harrowing Account by a ...

What Exactly Was in the Dachau Concentration Camp? An Attempt to Approach the Truth – A Harrowing Account by a Prisoner Who Spent Nearly Four Years in the Camp

What Was It Like in the Concentration Camp at Dachau? "An Attempt to Come Closer to the Truth" – "What Exactly Was in the Dachau Concentration Camp? An Attempt to Approach the Truth" - By Dr. Johann Neuhäusler, Auxiliary Bishop of Munich. Published by: Trustees for the Monument of Atonement in the Concentration Camp at Dachau. 1960 edition, which also includes documentation of the memorial events held at the camp.

A personal testimony written with the aim of uncovering the truth about the Dachau concentration camp. The author, a Catholic clergyman who was himself imprisoned in the camp for an extended period from July 12, 1941, until April 24, 1945 - as a “special prisoner, ” was held in the bunker in complete isolation from the general camp population. His prisoner number was 68026. Neuhäusler offers a precise and personal account of what took place in Dachau, beginning with the camp’s establishment in March 1933. He describes the layout of the camp and its various sections, and the harsh living conditions: violence, hunger, humiliation, and torture endured by the inmates. He recounts the brutality of the guards, including cases of physical torture, prolonged solitary confinement, executions, and constant degrading treatment. He also provides detailed descriptions of how corpses were incinerated in the crematorium. Neuhäusler was a prisoner in 1942 when a gas chamber was constructed, intended for mass killings. However, due to sabotage by the prisoners, it was not completed until 1945. According to his description, it included an "undressing room, " a "bath, " and a "mortuary." The "showers" in the bath were in fact metal fixtures meant to supply poison gas. Nonetheless, this “gas chamber” was never put into operation at Dachau. Only the dead were brought to the crematorium for incineration. He details the cruelty of the camp commandants as well as the horrific conduct of the interrogation officers. He describes the horrifying role of the block elders, the unbearable suffering of Jewish prisoners in the camp, including torture and executions of children, and the harsh punishments inflicted on inmates following escape attempts by others. Alongside these personal accounts, the booklet includes photographs and documents that illustrate life in the camp. Neuhäusler emphasizes that Dachau was not merely a prison camp, but a symbol of a system of spiritual and physical oppression. He calls for remembrance of the atrocities not only to honor the victims but to prevent their recurrence, and to build a future rooted in moral and spiritual reconciliation. The booklet was issued in many editions and translated into several languages.

Johann Neuhäusler was a Catholic priest and Auxiliary Bishop in the city of Munich, who became one of the leading voices among clergy speaking out against the crimes of the Nazi regime after World War II, especially as a survivor and key witness to the horrors that took place at the Dachau concentration camp. He was born on January 27, 1888, in Munich, Bavaria, Germany, and was ordained as a priest in 1913. Over the years, he held various academic and clerical positions, distinguishing himself as a devout and conservative theologian, but also as a determined opponent of Nazi ideology. During Hitler’s regime, Neuhäusler worked to defend the rights of the Catholic Church in Germany and maintained contact with individuals persecuted by the regime, including intellectuals, Jews, and fellow clergymen. In 1941, he was arrested by the Gestapo and initially placed under house arrest, before being transferred to Dachau concentration camp. He was imprisoned in the barracks designated for Catholic clergy (Block der Geistlichen), which housed approximately 2,720 clergymen from various countries, Poland, France, Germany, the Netherlands, Czechoslovakia, and others. Neuhäusler managed to survive the harsh conditions and documented his experiences both in memory and in secret notebooks. Following the liberation of the camp by American forces in April 1945, Neuhäusler dedicated his life to moral, historical, and theological remembrance and commemoration. He was one of the founders of the “Chapel of Atonement” (Versöhnungskapelle) at Dachau. His important book was first published in 1947 in German under the title Was war es in Dachau wirklich? (“What Really Happened in Dachau?”), recounting life in the camp. In 1951, he was officially appointed Auxiliary Bishop of Munich and Freising, continuing his religious and moral work until his retirement. He passed away in 1973. Neuhäusler is regarded as a unique figure in the postwar period, combining the roles of eyewitness, high-ranking clergyman, and historically honest writer. His legacy continues today through the memorials and remembrance institutions he established.

80 [1] pages. Light wear to cover. Good condition.