User reviews

This is a superbly produced documentary, based largely on information that has come to light since information from the eastern bloc countries and former Soviet Union became accessible.

The documentary comprises mainly of interviews with surviving SS soldiers and surviving prisoners from the Auschwitz and similar camps. It uses CGI special effects, combined with film of the Auschwitz camps to achieve the most realistic reconstruction of how it looked, and how it operated. Dramatisations of various meetings and events have been authentically reconstructed with well cast actors.

The stories from the survivors, particular in the episode about children, are the most moving I've ever seen in a documentary. The combination of original photographs, moving music and a first hand account from a survivor make these stories most poignant.

It does not demonize the Nazi's, but gives in insight into the mentality that pervaded the regime. It shows them as lacking empathy. We see evidence that not only the Germans, but many French, many Hungarians and many Slovakians were only too willing to help deport their Jews; even the British Police, on the Nazi occupied Channel Islands, were willing to send Jews to the east. Finally, the documentary shows how the surviving Jews, or their return to their homeland, were treated badly by their fellow countrymen.

This documentary shows that what happened in the holocaust happened because humans, not just Nazi's, are capable doing terrible things to humanity, given a certain set of circumstances.

TV often fails to convey complex information: both in facts and emotionally; instead it mostly serves up the obvious with images to trick our eyes.

This documentary sets a new standard: the research is impeccable, the interviews gripping, the production perfect in every respect and finally the horror, the terrible horror of what humans can do, is absolutely clear. A history book could not do a better job.

One of the best and bravest aspects of the series is when the interviewers ask a person how they felt about a murder they committed: did they regret it, how do they feel about it now? Those interactions make it worth watching the series alone.

Laurence Rees tells the most appalling story you have ever heard. Though the documentary is centred on the history of Auschwitz concentration and extermination camp, it also explains the Holocaust as a whole. 'Auschwitz' is made up of 4 elements: Dramatic reconstruction with native actors, high quality computer generated imagery, interviews of eye-witnesses, and astonishing archive footage. The actors play honestly their characters, and perfectly show the unforgivable and cold minded zeal of SS men. The interviews of (former?) Nazis and victims give a crucial human touch to this documentary. The BBC proves, one more time, that quality can go along with TV programme.

2005 was a good year for the BBC. They had Rome, they resurrected the Doctor Who franchise - but before all that, they created Auschwitz - The Nazis and the "Final Solution", which was, without doubt, their best WWII show yet. This harrowing account of what life was like inside the Nazi death camp uses real life footage, powerful and realistic dramatization sequences, and interviews with people who were there to create one of the most powerful mini-series ever broadcast on television. It shows the horrors of Auschwitz and other death camps in Germany and Poland to a generation who have never been forced to endure it, and uses the latest computer trickery to show to you the atrocious conditions in which the Jews lived. This is more than just a mini-series - it is a masterpiece, and lets everybody know that we are not to let things like this ever happen again. From the first to the final episode, I watched it with amazement, learning more and more about what happened in Europe over 60 years ago, and thinking "Why?". It is not the sort of thing you should watch for enjoyment - you watch it to remember those who died at Auschwitz, and think about their struggles and fears, and hope that no race ever treats another people like that ever again.

If you can see this show, do see it, as it is a harrowing, powerful, and well-researched tribute to the six million people who died because of the immense cruelty of the Nazis. A must-see. 10/10

I'm not a Jew so I have no axe to grind.

This is probably the most comprehensive account of the most infamous death-camp of them all. Not only are ex-inmates interviewed, but also ex-SS guards who are extraordinarily candid about their work & their attitude to the prisoners. The whole machinery involved in the organisation & efficiency of what amounted to an entire murder camp system.

This 6 part documentary cannot be ignored, once you have seen the evidence & heard the testimony there will be no doubt in your mind. It did happen & it was done by people not much different from the rest of us.

It cannot be allowed to happen again.

I watched a lot of documentaries about the Nazi state recently. My purpose is to understand the events, the effects, that led to this horrendous massacre. This one is definitely one of the best in depth analysis and reconstruction of events. The main cause, everyone should watch these films beyond remembering, is that we still live in the system which produced the radical nationalist party that rose to power and destroyed 55 million people. Stupidity and despair hand in hand can go farther we can imagine. A lot of us think it can't happen again. But it can and is happening. No one can question the importance of these films ever. They should air this on every national television and then the people should be more aware, what it means when radicals march in uniforms on our streets as it happened not long ago in my country. Uniforms are banned, but that happened in Germany as well before they seized power. The threat is alive!

A lot of witnesses testify in this film, about the brutal truth. You may feel how crazy and surreal it all was. But the people who took part in the genocide felt justified to do it. And they thought they doing the right thing. If you want to understand in depth how it happened you may get closer by watching this film. Highly recommended!

This is the story of the Nazi concentration camp of Auschwitz. We follow it from the very beginning in 1940 until its liberation by Russian troops in January 1945. We also get a glimpse of the aftermath in the form of the Nuremberg trials and we follow the destiny of central figures in the extermination of Jews, Gypsys, Russian POWs and political prisoners from mainly Poland. One of the most unpleasant aspects of this story is that some of the survivors of the camps has lead a miserable life after the war as they were not welcomed by various reasons when they returned home.

The series contains 6 episodes of about 45 minutes each. It is build up by interviews of former prisoners as well as a couple of guards. There is also extensive footage in the form of photography, film-clips and various documents.

In an attempt to make the story come more alive the producers have also hired German actors to play out the role of central figures in Auschwitz; Rudolf Höss, Adolf Eichman, Heinrich Himmler and Dr. Joseph Mengele to name a few. With the help of computer techniques the buildings of Auschwitz has been rebuild in order to get a view of how the camp looked like with specific attention to the gas-chambers and the barracks were the prisoners lived.

So a lot of work has been put into telling the story of one of the darkest chapters in human history. It is truly a depressing tale that leaves you with the big (and unanswered) question: how could this happen? And how can we avoid this happening again? For some reason BBC has chosen not to interview other than eye witnesses and therefore I personally was missing the explanation that a historian, sociologist etc could give to the phenomenon of Holocaust. As a psychologist myself I wondered about this; how can the combination of hatred and discipline be stronger than empathy with the prisoners? Empathy is not something that we choose but something that is always there. So how could those that were involved with the slaughtering of the prisoners not empathize with them? Maybe they did empathize with them after all - but empathy does not always lead to sympathy. It can also lead to sadism I think. Either way, the ability to empathize would dictate that the Germans were not unaffected by their actions which we also are told. Höss never liked the killings and especially in the beginning when it was done by shooting it made him uneasy.

One of the more controversial stories that are being told is that the allied forces refused to bomb the railroad-tracks leading to Auschwitz although they knew what was going on and although they were bombing IG Farben only 6 kilometers away. We have an eyewitness from Auschwitz telling us, that she saw the airplanes from the allied forces flying by and from an air photo of the camp we see that it is easy to identify the crematorium. Why didn't the allied forces drop a few bombs? This is really beyond me and makes me wonder if the allied had some sort of hidden agenda.

Another more controversial story is the story of the Hungarian Jews. The Germans apparently tried to bargain with their lives and wanted trucks in exchange of Jews. In a document from the allied forces we learn that it was seen as "blackmail" and that the allied forces saw a big problem in getting around 700.000 (I think) Jews to house and to feed. So the consequence was that they went straight to Auschwitz and the gas chambers.

Especially one interview with a guard by the name of Oskar Gröning is remembered; he is without remorse but decided to participate when he learned that theHolocaust by some people are being denied. The lack of remorse is interesting. It is tempting to understand the absence of this as a result of defense mechanisms at work.

I will not give this top rating as there was too much description and too little explanation. I also think that it was unnecessary to employ actors. A good narrative could have done the work instead. On the other hand you have the invaluable interviews with the eyewitnesses who will be dead and gone in a few years.

Regards Simon

Didn't view this 2005 BBC documentary until early this year (2019) via Netflix. Would highly-highly recommend the series.

We traveled to Germany & Poland several years ago via a "World War II and extermination camps" 13day trip, where we encountered the remains of some of the horrors & atrocities of WWII and the Nazis. Especially poignant were the tours of the Auschwitz main compound and the nearby Auschwitz-Birkenau camp. The 6-part series BBC series gives in-depth and chilling facts of this horrible piece of history.

One of the best hollocost documentaries out there. The stories and interviews selected tell the story of what happened extremely well.

People involved with the production of this documentary understand and achieve the maturity in which not many people attain. It is that the facts of the Holocaust need no over-dramatisation at all. A simplistic and even storytelling, plus fairness and calmness, is just right, if one wants real impact for the audience. This piece of excellent journalism establishes the evolutionary nature of a thinking mind: it grows on you. Watching this documentary is comparable to hearing a politely confident voice taking us down the road we do not plan to complete the journey. Just like death camps themselves, or the mind of the Jewish and other victims at the time, people in the field did not know what they were up against. Unfortunate circumstances, at first, had led to bad, worse, and finally hopeless situation for those violated and abused at the extreme. Some people lost their sense of optimism and logical thinking. Some people firmly believed that "God" had completely forgotten this Hell on earth, or simply found it too much of a Hell to visit. I think that the producers and directors of this documentary had wanted to walk us step by step, without attempting to let us presume anything. Personal judgment at the end, therefore, is genuine. I believe it is by way of honouring this dark saga of human tragedy most properly. it is too large an issue to be pre-cooked. It must be knowledgeably and decently presented to the audience, and let that audience figure out themselves. This documentary feature has accomplished that task. People who watch would have the memories with them for life. I grew up all my life in Asia. Far away from Hell of Auschwitz and other death camps a million miles apart. Yet, I feel the feeling. I feel the historical task to do whatever I can about it. Yes, I share.

The documentary impressed me, it has a different approach from others that I have watched. It described a detailed physical and a social situations of the camp. In the end of each chapter, you can understand a little more deeply what it had represented for the Jewish people, the foreigners, the families, the Nazis, all the horror and the distorted ideas that make all these things happened. For the people who experienced it and all the political involved, all the consequences for all nations involved and the thoughts of "Nazi", in the final I was sad and I think the history have a power to educate ourselves to be a better person, not repeat the atrocities, the ideal to exterminated a race is outrageous, we are not God and we can't decide the their destiny.

Too much dramatized scenes for my taste, but otherwise this is another well-made BBC documentary about the Holocaust in general and death camp Auschwitz in particular.

The series' director's resistance to tug the viewers' heart strings and him resorting to a matter-of-fact approach instead is welcome, just as it is the case with the wealth of informative interviews both with former Nazis and camp survivors.

Some more insight and less actors impersonating Nazi officials and this six-parter would've been a truly great program. Still highly recommended.

7 out of 10

The first time, at least, these Camps had been used, by the Spanish, was during the Third Cuban War of Independence, leading to the Spanish - American War (around late 1898). The Americans also used them for the Philippine - American War. It was only the mass scale by the British, in South Africa, that it was thought that they had started them. Ironically set up during the Second Boer War, (October 1899 to May 1902), in South Africa, to house refugees, whose homes and lands had been destroyed by the British. This was done under the name of the "Scorched Earth Policy", done as a military tactic, to destroy anything that might be of use to "the enemy", once rounded up, they would be easier to control, no doubt. It is also rumoured, that the British would shoot prisoners in the kneecap, to prevent any escape.

We have to remember that the people in these Camps were mostly civilians, so, they could not be classed as P.O.W.s, (Prisoners of War, i.e., Soldiers). These unfortunate casualties of War were placed in a camp to concentrate their numbers, and as said before, to control. Conditions in these Camps were terrible; disease and hunger were the order of the day.

A Concentration Camp is not the same as Extermination Camp, or Death Camp. This was to come later, as Nazi Concentration Camps.

Known as Konzentrationslager, or simply KZ, pronounced as Kah-Tzet, this initial, with a number following, tattooed on the forearm of the Prisoners. KZ is the abbreviation of Konzentrationslager. Hence, the prisoner would have tattooed KZ711966, for example, to show they were a prisoner of the Concentration Camp. Their own Identity number.

The Nazi Party, also known as NSDAP, or to give it's full title, The National Socialist German Workers' Party, first came into existence on March 7th 1918, by Anton Drexlar. This party, from Munich, was to be called The Free Committee for a German Workers' Peace. The name was changed shortly after to the German Workers' Party, this flourished to what is now known as the NSDAP. The bittersweet irony is that German army intelligence sent in a spy to look into the NSDAP, Adolf Hitler; he was so impressed, that he joined proper. It was to be February 24th, 1920, that the Nazi Party was born, after the name NSDAP was given as its new and proper title.

Since 1920 and up to the end of the second World War, Hitler had gained popularity and power, power on the promise of a free Germany, free of Non Nationals, for example, and free of the Jewish wealth and power, which they had used to their (the Jews) own advantage for gaining this wealth. It would seem that the Jews would bare the brunt of the xenophobia, paranoia, jealousy and blame. Blame for a Germany still counting the cost for losing the First World War (1914 - 1918).

There is a name for State Sponsored Genocide: Holocaust. The systematic extinction and precaution of one or more Race, such as Jews, Homosexuals, Jehovah Witnesses, Gypsies to name a few, but in greater numbers, a few totalled around six to seven million in just six years or so. Ethnic Cleansing at its most destructive.

The most destructive of these Death Camps was a place some 60km Southwest of Krakow, Poland. This was camp number two, Auschwitz. Having three camps here, the number two camp was to be the Camp of mass murder. In the end, around one million Jews were murdered here, along with an estimated 75,000 Poles and 20,000 Roma People.

The British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) has done an excellent job of bringing us a truly magnificent portrait of the Pre History and magnitude of Auschwitz. With amazing CGI that allows us to see how Auschwitz looked like, when in complete working order. This Documented History shows the viewer why the camp was needed. We hear from the survivors off this Death Camp, also from the ex Nazis, who, some, still have no qualms of their actions; they say they were only following orders. Yes, this does really bring home the truths of this dreadful atrocity, the suffering of the many and the blind hatred of the evil that was Auschwitz, the Nazis and their Final Solution.

This is History Documentation at it's best, to see and finally to get to understand how this evil place came about, and the evil that drove it.

My parents are German. They emigrated to Canada in 1950. My mother has always denied knowledge of the Holocaust. My father died too young for me to know what he thought- but he was a kindly man and I believe he would have acknowledged the crime. As a dual German-Canadian citizen, I am proud that Germany has recognized the atrocity and made it a crime to deny it. Now, I challenge other nations to admit the same crimes. Canada and the United States against their native cultures. The United States about black slavery. South Africa and Germany have pointed the way. History should not be denied. This is the lesson the survivors of Auschwitz would have wanted us to learn. One cannot watch this film without being moved, both by the cruelty and greed of the oppressors and by the kindness and self sacrifice of those who aided the oppressed.

This series of films is a masterpiece. It's as simple at that. How one has been able to make an in depth and gruesomely precise dramatized film on such a black hole in human history is beyond me. But they have succeeded. The film is very precise, very direct, and, very honest. It tells the story of human beings at their worst. Sometimes one may want to stop the film, knowing what is going to come next, but something forces you to go on. It's like a powerful magnet, you can not stop watching. What makes this film worth while, is the way it has been built up for the viewer. It explains in clear precise words and pictures what had to be done in the Nazi state if you belonged to the chain of command in the SS organization. Most people don't realize it today, but many SS higher commanders where academically schooled in private life. Some where lawyers or doctors, others where economists or engineers. These men were intellectuals. The shocking trues is, that the SS was an intellectual elite bent into a warped idea of supremacy with no holds barred. This film makes you look at these cold hard facts. How in peacetime respectable men, became in wartime beasts and cold blooded murders. This film tells us something about...ourselves.

Sat through this entire 3-4 hours BBC documentary with 3D graphics to fully understand " the holocaust " horror . This masterpiece of fact compilation that is absolutely neutral , goes into every angle of subject visualization and authenticity has changed me forever . A must see for everyone to understand how thin are the lines that we draw , how delicate is the balance of peace and most importantly how the most intelligent , cultured humans can metamorphose to utter cruel worthless beasts , so that never ever something like this can happen here again !!!Amazing narratives , real photographs and visualization .Children should see this , do not prevent them from seeing the truth by raising some rating standards !!!

To all of those holocaust deniers, this is something that needs to be seen to be believed, because this is too horrific to be made up. This excellently done & narrated by Oscar winning actress Linda Hunt is probably the most definitive documentary ever done on Auschwitz-Birkenau. This 6 part series gives some information on what we do know & personal stories that most of us don't as well from both the so-called "inmates" as well as those that worked there. One begs the question of what happened to those that worked there & how they justified what they did. Even if you know a lot about the concentration camps such as Treblinka & Sobibor, there is still a lot of new things shown in this program. If you don't have any knowledge at all then this program is also for you. It seems hard to believe that people would just massacre another because of their differences, but even more surprising is how systematic and matter of factly they did the wiping out of those determined "undesirables." This is a must watch for those interested in History & to those who want to understand just what had happened & make sure it never happens again. No I'm not Jewish, Muslim or religious. I study World War II history & cannot fathom for the life of me the extremes of religion, hatred or the absolute belief in anything w/out REAL proof. The deniers are unfortunately usually uneducated and do not really understand anything about history & if asked deep thinking questions about all of the so-called "FAKE" evidence cannot possibly answer all of the questions or explain away all of evidence from films, documents, pictures, books, personal stories, the camps, the graves, and the list goes on and on. The so-called conspiracy of all of this being faked is completely absurd & extremely ignorant. I challenge any to explain away all of this excellent series. Supremely done & the fact that their is so much proof about what happened is truly what astonishes me that it all is a lie. If it is a lie, it's the best most complicated lie ever told & completely utterly impossible. Too bad the holocaust deniers won't even watch this.

I really don't want to review this documentary, as all is well known about Auschwitz and the atrocities that took place there. This TV series portrays this perfectly and terrifyingly accurate. The main reason I'm writing this review is because I cant contain my anger over how they can sit and interview a Nazi SS member who in his own words shot and killed Jews and his only concern while doing it was to "aim carefully"? How is this German animal not executed, or at least imprisoned for the rest of his filthy life? How can he sit in his healthy old age in the comfort of his own home and say with no sign of remorse "I shot and killed Jews"? It really baffles me, and I hope the organizations that bring Nazi criminals to justice bring down this disgusting self confessed murderer of innocent men, women and children.

Not for the feint of heart . . . it's such a sad chapter in human history. But this 6 disc series definitely is thorough and comprehensive.

Highly recommended for those who want to know all the ins and outs of Auschwitz. From its inception to its ultimate destruction . . . and how the Nazis created efficient murder factories.

Not only does it interview survivors, but also some of the SS guards. There are first hand accounts of seemingly every aspect of this concentration camp. Well made and worth watching . . .

There's a little recap at the end of each Disc where a moderator discusses some issues with various academic types -- and it didn't really add too much to the series as a whole. Seems like a good educational tool for high school students, etc.

This is a very informative series, which presents the facts. It is the series that Oskar Gröning gave his interview that led to his prosecution, even though he had been told decades before he would not be. There's another interview with a man, Morris Venezia who openly admits murdering a fellow prisoner. In his words, "it was nothing". If justice is to mean anything surely he should have been prosecuted and should be if he is still alive? Just because one was SS and the other Jewish, their culpability is not affected.