Upon arrival the people sent to the concentration camp where they would be sent to the left line or right line to determine their fate.
Left Line...
Most women, children and older men or anyone who looked unfit or unhealthy were sent to the left line which meant immediate death. People who were sent to the left were never told or never really aware that they were chosen for death. Nazis told them that they needed showers to work. Little did they know that the "shower" was a gas chamber. The Nazis even went so far to install fake shower heads on the walls. After everyone was in there some were aware of their fate, while others were not. Nazis then poured Zyklon-B pellets into an opening. Zyklon-B pellets turned into poison gas once it was in contact with air. Then all the victims realized it was not a shower. If there was any survivors they were then shot. Once everything was clear, prisoners removed bodies and searched them for gold. After that they were put into the crematoria.
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Right Line...
Most young men and others that looked strong were sent to the right. Their fate was to become prisoners for the time being. Their clothes and any other personal belongings were taken. Their hair was then shaved completely off, they were given striped outfits and a pair of shoes. The shoes and clothes were often the wrong size. They were then registered and were given a tattoo on their arm with numbers and then they were taken to forced labor. The housing for forced laborers was not pleasant. Three prisoners shared one wooden bunk and the toilets were buckets which were often overflown. They had scarce amounts of food which contained a bowl of soup and a piece of bread. The small amounts of food were both meant to keep the prisoners working and starve them to death.
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