We Need to Talk About the Auschwitz "Swimming Pools"

[@BrandonF]

Turns out my prediction was right. Bye-bye monetisation before the video even launched. Oh well, it makes me feel less bad about plugging my book and taking a sponsor! And speaking of sponsors, Sign up for Armchair History TV today and get access to 150+ exclusive videos, totally ad free! join.armchairhistory.tv/BrandonF They don't actively disincentivize important historical content!

[@ajaxjs]

We appreciate you, Brandon.

[@alexfonseca752]

You good bro.

[@ThommyofThenn]

This is maybe one of the most important times to fight against information being surpressed/forgotten. Humanity is already way too good at learning nothing from history without people actively trying to ignore parts of their own

[@Purple_694]

Rest in piece, for you shall be missed monetization.

[@greenmountainhistory7335]

Brandon the pro gamer as always. Talk about a demonetization speed run.

[@david95PL]

I actually work in Auschwitz as a guide, everybody asks what these are for. They have actually been used as a swimming pool when the red cross came checking(yes, the red cross was aware of the existance of camp Auschwitz, but not of the gassing, concentration camps as a place for prisoners we're quite accepted in europe at the time) . They let some kapo's swim in them to show how good the prisoners had it, but normally it was indeed just a fire water reservoir. The polish musicians were seen as part of the polish elite, just like military, politicians, poets, sport atlete's And so on. From the start the germans wanted to eradicate the polish elite as they could lead a polish resistance, that's how they ended up in the camp where they played in a real camp band that played when prosoners left the camp and came back so they would march in unisun, making them easier to count.

[@ThommyofThenn]

Kind of like "hey, everything is great here! Nothing weird going on here. We have pool party and BBQs every weekend!"

[@david95PL]

​@@ThommyofThennyeah they would even get prisoners from theresienstadt camp nearby Prague, because a lot of them were wealthy jews or those that fought for Germany in WW1 giving them extra privileges. These would be temporarily transported to Auschwitz as to show them how healthy they looked.

[@TheIrishvolunteer]

How did you get that job?

[@mcfs1701]

To my best knowledge - the swimming pool infrastructure was installed was installed after capos petitioned the second camp kommendant Liebehenschel for such amenity. It was never of open access. The context is crucial. BBC starts broadcasting about Auschwitz and mentions Höss the commendant by name. Himmler promotes him and takes him to Oranienburg and replaces him with a man whose orders or maybe motivations are to treat prisoners more 'humanly', improve camp conditions while not deactivating the gas chambers. That creates the climate where such initiatives can be arranged. Once Aktion Ungarn starts and Liebehenschel gets replaced by Baer in May 1944 - the swiminng pool ceases to be used as Baer sees it inappropriate. The pool is visivlble through one of the windows of the exhibition barrack 4 in Auschwitz I BTW.

[@ThommyofThenn]

@@david95PL I can imagine the awkward situations that would have caused. And to get such a job, I assume they have at least a master's in history or something similar. Then probably knowing the people who maintain the facility

[@HellbirdIV]

Saying "Auschwitz had a swimming pool" is a lot like saying "Auschwitz had a train station". It's clearly a correct fact on its face, but as a statement rather overlooks some _pretty important_ context about what said train station was used for.

[@edwarddeere4925]

Well the use of the train station is obvious, but the swimming pool is not.

[@williamchamberlain2263]

​@@edwarddeere4925well the use of the swimming pool by people _who were allowed to swim_ is pretty obvious to even the slowest people who have a slight observation about the nature of hierarchies and the use of privileges and rewards in controlling people - _unless_ they're also disingenuous in their argumentation because of their pre-existing prejudice against specific groups that they blame for the failings of themselves, their parents, their nation, and various other bits of identity politics that they prop up as a facade of character.

[@saloenjoyer3266]

@@edwarddeere4925the swimming pool was a water reservoir incase fires broke out. Later it was converted by the guards into a pool which was only used exclusively by the guards.

[@edwarddeere4925]

@@saloenjoyer3266 I know they said it was a reservoir because I’ve been there and they told me that it was a fire fighter’s reservoir, but it was odd because they denied that it was ever used as a swimming pool.

[@JohnDoe-uc4uu]

Its more like saying aushwitz had play houses and maternity wards for the inmates

[@alannatherson7721]

The most surprising thing in video was that Brandon F is a 40k fan and was the one ray of joy in this video.

[@BrandonF]

The Emperor Protects.

[@helwrecht1637]

@@BrandonFAve Imperator!

[@aaronbasham6554]

Oh good, I needed a new 40k person after arch went full missing the irony.

[@davidtuttle7556]

Dakka-dakka-dakka. Us Orkses need mores dakka.

[@robertjarman3703]

@@BrandonF Summon the elector-counts!

[@alansmithee8831]

Hello Brandon. I commented before that when I was a kid a Ukrainian neighbour had the number of a concentration camp prisoner visible on his arm. He was plagued with illness and would sit in my dad's garden, looking at the prize winning flowers, just feeling alive. My dad gave him a suit after he had a fall elsewhere, to keep him looking smart.

[@marthvader14]

How many digits did his number have?

[@alansmithee8831]

@@marthvader14 I am sorry to say I was a kid and found it something personal to him. I was not a nosy pesky kid like in Scooby-Doo, so could not say.

[@lucasmatiasdelaguilamacdon7798]

The weird thing I always hate so much about this is not only how it fosters anti-intellectualism, as if anything that comes out of a peer reviewed article or actual research is automatically “bad”, but how it also dehumanizes suffering so much. To me, a single person made to work against their will, no matter how lenient the captors or how benevolent the conditions, is one person too many.

[@vanivanov9571]

I honestly would've preferred not being exterminated, thank you. It would've been nice if it were true Yisra'el was only being made to work in factories and had swimming pools... that's the sort of treatment other peoples got. But Judea? No, it was special treatment. Let's not pretend everyone got the same treatment, and all suffering and cruelty is equal.

[@TheThingInMySink]

@@vanivanov9571 You're right, not everyone got the same treatment, but people OTHER than jews absolutely did get exterminated, especially gay people, mentally ill people etc. I would prefer, ESPECIALLY as a gay person who has gotten A LOT of death threats (and outright violence) directed towards me, that you didn't attempt erase their suffering.

[@seppo532]

@@vanivanov9571the Jews, the Roma, gay and bi men, and transsexuals were specifically targeted for the worst treatment. However, after the war, it was the gays who still had to serve out their sentences.

[@vanivanov9571]

​@@TheThingInMySink I said other peoples, didn't say all other peoples. French etc. were enslvd or occupied, Slavs suffered very badly. Srbs had a ghastly time....

[@DylanBennett-k3t]

@@TheThingInMySink i actually don't believe you have received many death threats or received violence for being gay. Study shows that for some reason in recent times the gay person is often heard making these same statements but they are always lying about it, exaggerating on epic proportions, attention seeking, wanting to be a victim, or the need to show people that you have it hard in exchange for sympathy and it's super freaking weird to me that y'all do this. I have known MANY MANY gay men and women and even the ones I've been friends with say this about there own. Y'all young bucks in this new generation just suck all the way around. I can't find a single damn thing I can use to relate to you, I hate talking to y'all drama queens and ffs I can't even barely work a job wih none of y'all sissy but hell the gays won't be caught dead working the types of jobs I work anyway. In 16 years I haven't met not a one gay man, I've met two butch dikes though. Look idgaf imma be honest and just say it, y'all young bucks ages 22 to 23 and down are hands down without a shadow of a doubt are the worst, laziest, rudest, double standard, zero work ethic, cry baby, and to make it all worse even if someone was to offer there assistance to you to show you how to do better and be better y'all can't take ANY negative criticism nor can y'all handle just the act of tryhbv. Crazy wild

[@skug9bob]

My immediate thought was "Ah, the camp guards got all sorts of perks."

[@singlemom6305]

Lmao they sure did

[@samuel10125]

That a valid instant conclusion.

[@ad_astra5]

It’s so weird seeing photos of the guards on holiday

[@snowangelnc]

Exactly. My immediate thought was "Ok, so there's a pool. Why would anybody assume it was for the prisoners?"

[@singlemom6305]

@@snowangelnc plenty of reasons. They had bakeries, brothels, etc

[@pootispenser5089]

I actually met a former member of the Auschwitz Orchestra during a Q&A evemt at School my History teacher had organized. She didn't have a choice but to join and play a cello that had been appropriated from somewhere (most likely stolen from a Holocaust victim) when the Camp Commandant learned about her skill. She didn't live the life of a cherished artist or something of the sort as some deniers might like to imagine, but in constant fear she might displease her wardens, thus losing her spot in the orchestra and the only thing that kept her from being sent to the gas chambers. Truly harrowing accounts.

[@TheGallantDrake]

Reminds me of a scene I read in a fantasy book about musicians kidnapped by the fae and forced to play until death... but the music was the best they'd ever played, or so the fae would argue. Heartless and grinning.

[@melvinbrotherofthejoker436]

Lol

[@NS_Voice]

Why not just sarin or tabun nerve gas? The germans had a reserve of it. Why use a pesticide unless the goal was to kill insects?

[@eugeneoliveros5814]

KZbin punishes creators for talking about this subject and yet we act surprised that more and more young people deny that it happened

[@CameronMcCourtney]

Jews had no right to do anything on German soil anyway its not their homeland they are not even European.

[@MarcoCaprini-do3dq]

​@@CameronMcCourtneyHave you ever heard of the Jewish diaspora?

[@DerSaa]

What? 😂 YOU feel punished?! Ask alternative thinkers how THEY are punished!

[@duckpotat9818]

Probably because the algorithm can’t identify educational information and misinformation. I wish KZbin would manually review videos from established channels and ‘approve’ them. Although the concern of those weirdos gathering in the comments still remains but that’s easy-ish to get around.

[@DontViNegar]

⁠@@duckpotat9818I also wish to give a mega corpo the hammer to beat me with just because feefees

[@martinbruhn5274]

There is a weird thing about the Holocaust, when it comes to the question of "did ordinary Germans know what was going on in concentration camps". The best answer one can give to that is both absolutely yes AND kind of sort of no? The first concentration camp was in Dachau near Munich, this was before the Holocaust really began and the first prisoners there were political prisoners. Socialists, communists, social democrats, people of the christian social and christian liberal democratic movement. The regime didn't hide the fact, that they opened a concentration camp, they advertised it. And while Dachau wasn't an extermination camp and never became one (although many people did die they, but not the mind boggling masses of Auschwitz), the regime in their advertisement gave a false picture of an institution, that was sort of like a summer camp, but with strict discipline and labor to "reform" people. But the thing was, concentration camps were really widely spread within Germany, there is actually in my own hometown, in the black forest, a former outpost of the concentration camp of the Struthof camp, that was located in Alsace, not the extermination camps though. And at site, nothing was hidden. People could see first hand the beating, the torturing, the executions, the dead bodies and the portrayal of the regime could easily be identified by anyone wo wanted as propaganda. People also knew, that Jews were sent east and then never heard from again. Just what is happening to them? Don't think about it. So, a lot of people lived in a sense of denial, where they both knew the truth and didn't at the same time. I think, that is perhaps what it truly means to live in a totalitarian dictatorship, to accept a different reality, even as your own eyes and obvious reasoning would tell you otherwise. P.S.: The outpost of a the concentration camp in my hometown (I say it like that, because people don't realise that concentration camps were a really widely branched network and the one in my hometown never held more than around 100 prisoners) was so little hidden, the inmates walked through the center of town every morning to get to their work by foot and anybody could see the pitty, starved, beaten state they were in.

[@darthplagueis13]

Well, the answer to that is depressingly simple: Most people didn't care to think about what was happening to the camp inmates. There was a war going on and they had a lot more pressing issues, such as worrying about family members who had been drafted or allied bombers flying overhead, or dealing with food scarcities. The fate of a bunch of people who they had been told were all traitors anyways just wasn't very high on peoples priority lists.

[@phantomstrangermedia]

Very true. The female prisoners at one camp were required to walk for miles (through several villages) to reach a Siemens plant that was actually opposite the camp, but on the opposite side of a river. The inmates recalled that many people never lost their appetite for abusing them as they made their daily marches. Yet, when the Americans took over that district, the most senior local mayor stated that that he was shocked to hear that there was a concentration camp in the vicinity.

[@valentinmitterbauer4196]

Some knew, some knew but pretended they did not, some looked the other way, some simply did not want to know. The regime knew very well that what they did was bad publicity, you can read news articles from that time that called out "lies about what is happening in the KZ". My grandpa vehemently denies that anybody knew, but i fear that's only his own perception, because he was a child back then, so of course he did not know, but that doesn't mean that the adults did as well.

[@phantomstrangermedia]

@@valentinmitterbauer4196 I had a German aunt (by marriage) who (while never mentioning the Holocaust) stolidly maintained that the Germans didn’t like or support Hitler & that he was even hated by the majority of the population. I was an unpleasant youth & to my later shame, I would slyly tease her by asking how Hitler managed to keep the war going for 6 years when he apparently only had five or six people on his side. I guess I thought I was very smart; if I had actually been older & a bit wiser, I might have used the time to ask about her experiences & gained more than a few cheap jokes. Many German companies used concentration camp inmates & paid the government a set fee for each worker. Regular employees worked as supervisors, so it seems unlikely that even the ‘secret’ of this slave labour programme could fail to go home with the managers & foremen & circulate beyond their families.

[@samuelbarber6177]

@@darthplagueis13I’m not an expert but it seems comparable to how we hear horror stories of what animals go through when they’re slaughtered. I’d say the majority of people probably do know about the terrible conditions that a lot of animals live under, but when confronted with it they think: “that sucks” and move on with their day, not thinking about it. It’s only on a case by case basis how much a person actually knows in the nitty gritty. Whether they believe all farms are nice, they get some kind of enjoyment out of it, or just plain don’t care. The end is the same.

[@andieslandies]

I have enjoyed a number of your other videos, Brandon, but you have my profound gratitude and admiration for making this one! For any adult interested in understanding more about the complexity of the Holocaust, and the disturbing depths that ideology can plumb, I highly recommend a book entitled "The Good Old Days: The Holocaust as Seen by Its Perpetrators and Bystanders".

[@mojungle3054]

*Normal person has a controversial question* Twitter leftist: "I'm not here to educate you" Groyperfart8869: "yeah bro, how much time do you have? Here's a bitchute link"

[@bennygoodmanisgod]

They have all the time in the world because the oldest groyper still has yet to turn 16 (or leave their bedroom that they haven’t cleaned in months)

[@BaronVonQuiply]

The thing is, if you have to do the job of educating someone because they didn't get a anything out of 13 years of school, then you're never going to get them to understand the answer. It's like moonies, If I have to explain that there is no crystal dome over the flat earth, then delta-V isn't going to explain anything at all to you

[@KatzerFamily]

@@BaronVonQuiply It is how learning works. You ask questions and try to get answers to things you have never heard the answer to. There are many parts of history that were never taught to many people, that doesn't mean they are too stupid to receive the information, just that they have not been exposed to it yet.

[@dandre3K]

@@BaronVonQuiplyOne question == don’t know anything == conspiracy theorist… you’re talking just to hear yourself 😂

[@BaronVonQuiply]

@ k, good luck with that

[@Fenris86]

My old workplace had a "swimming pool" looking a lot like that, except it is a "Feuerlöschteich" (literally "fire-extinguishing-lake").

[@eddiehanley4258]

I went to Dachau a few years ago, and people forget that these were massive places like cities that had all different sections to them

[@ThommyofThenn]

They had to be for that amount of capacity

[@HenryFordOfficial]

Dachau was completely build from the ground up decades after WWII, did you even read any of the signs there? It's a museum, not a concentration camp

[@borjaslamic]

​@@ThommyofThenn Yet they still ended up overstuffed, people shoved in bunkbeds like sardines in a can.

[@charlesjermyn5001]

Some peoples tend to forget that, Auschwitz was a hell... for the inmates but the nazis had no wish to share their daily routine: in this camp, there was a club, there was a dancing, there was a theater...life was quiet nice for them. But some must be really dumb or of bad faith to claim that the inmates had any kind of access to them (beside cleaning them). It's like the notorious "Arbeit march frei" (work sent free) sign in the entrance: it wasn't a good will message from the nazis, it wasn't even cynisism... it was just not for the Jews, the camp existed before the Holocaust, it was a concentration camp destined to political prisoners before. "The" camp wasn't one camp, it was a dozen, there were factories, low security sectors (for common criminals), barracks, officers quarters, civilian working at the camp daily, cantines, training fields for the 3000 German soldiers, hospitals...

[@aribantala]

"Some people are really dumb or bad faith to claim that the inmates uses them [The facilities] Besides cleaning them" It isn't ignorance or stupidity, it's the answer for those who has a mentality of a Slaver or those who sympathise with them. It has been repeatedly seen that people like these will put forward that "Hey, these people that are in bondage are providing for their masters, therefore they can enter these place easily and have access to use them" From the Lost Cause Argument of "Slaves were treated well" To the modern "Prison inmates are having basic semblance of healthcare and food" These people have no sympathy, no connection with the people they held bondage

[@thurbine2411]

The holocaust started before this although I don’t remember if the Wannsee conference had happened before they started building it.

[@charlesjermyn5001]

@@thurbine2411 Yep Wansee Jan 1942, the camp building 1940 and the most notorious Auchwitz II (Birkenau) was built in 1941 (first it was a concentration camp then convert into a death camp)

[@darthplagueis13]

Little correction there about the quote on the gate. It was "Arbeit macht frei" which translates to "Work makes (you) free" or "Work is liberating".

[@thurbine2411]

@@charlesjermyn5001 Yep But the holocaust started before 1940 still

[@brabhamF1]

You know how we know the holocaust was real and have exact numbers? Because the Nazis kept close to perfect records. For about 80% of people that died in the holocaust we have a place and date for their deaths. I remember a teacher once said: “Ofc we weren’t tge only ones that committed mass genocide on this scale. We weren’t even close to the most brutal, or had the most deaths, but we wrote it all down meticulously so that anyone can prove it, because our names, our signatures and our notes are all there.” I think that is partially what makes the holocaust so much more horrifying, the pride in the execution of it all.

[@Norrsky]

"people don't deny slavery existed" bro never went to Florida

[@TheGallantDrake]

Oof.

[@Shrapnel82]

Why do you think he didn't go to a state where slavery is taught?

[@Schizohandlers]

Wtf going on in Florida 😂

[@asuperstraightpureblood]

I've never met a denier here. I call bs

[@JaffaGaffa]

@@asuperstraightpureblood Everyone knows it's a false. It's more of a Biden bro/democrat lie, they are trying to create a meme. It's quite odd.

[@DemocraticConfederalist33]

I feel like a lot of people forget that Auschwitz wasn't just for the victims. There were also staff that had their own accommodations, and between carrying out one of the worst genocides in history, lived relatively normal lives.

[@davymckeown4577]

I had the misfortune to work alongside a Holocaust denier and predictably the "swimming pool" at Auschwitz was something he mentioned. I was at that time unaware that a body of water contained in a man-made hole in the ground existed at any of the camps but guessed that these wouldn't be used as recreational facilities by the inmates. I presumed they were "static water tanks" as the Army Apprentice College at Arborfield, where I began my basic training in 1976 had several such structures around the camp. The accommodation, which consisted of corrugated steel and timber huts were prone to catching fire, the tanks provided a source of water with which we could fight these fires. The huts at Auschwitz were also made of wood, it makes sense. I once visited Terezin, outside Prague and according to my guide, it did have a swimming pool, for the use of the guards. The commandant said they needed the water to fight fires but the "small" fortress was surrounded by a water-filled moat. As you're probably aware, the "large" fortress is where the Nazis conned the Swiss Red Cross into believing the lies about how well they were taking care of the "displaced". Unfortunately conspiracy theorists, including Holocaust deniers ignore or discount any evidence that contradicts what they already believe. I commend you for at least trying to educate the more gullible amongst us.

[@Little.R]

I would find it to be a normal thing for someone to utilize the nearest body of water to fight fires, however fires were not the problem of the time but rather the spread of typhoid fever. Additionally one must notice that the concrete pillars at the end of the long pool were pretty common for the time, now you see pools with swim lanes and perches made of plastic and metal bars. At the time it was probably a lot cheaper to make them out of concrete. One must conclude that going outside and experiencing different facets of life would lead you to conclusions that aren't fed to you from some internet sensation on KZbin or Reddit.

[@getajobmate1281]

1:21 "Why is slavery wrong? None of you can answer this." DAMN IT he got me! I was bluffing this whole time... When it comes down to it, I can't think of a single reason why slavery is wrong. I will have to do some soul searching.

[@SenorZorros]

Economically speaking it's highly inefficient because slaves aren't motivated to add value, only to avoid violence. That's also why slavery based agricultural societies like the us south but also Poland in the 15th to 18th century tends to lead to stagnation and in the end the downfall in respectively the US civil war and the partition of Poland. Oh, and the whole "forcing people to do things against their will is bad because it reduces global happiness" argument of course.

[@hafizihilmibinabdulhalim1004]

Said by white person of course (AKA the only race who were never enslaved or colonized)

[@baneofbanes]

Who ever thinks slavery is wrong is always free to become a slave themselves any time they want.

[@baneofbanes]

⁠​⁠@@hafizihilmibinabdulhalim1004the word slave comes from Slav. Whites have been slaves throughout history, just not as recently.

[@hafizihilmibinabdulhalim1004]

White person: Why slavery is wrong?? Me: Let me ask you, do you want to be a slave? White person: Of course not Me: EXACTLY!! Nobody wants to be slave, that's why it's wrong.

[@thomasbeach905]

The testimony and photos by the GI’s who liberated the camps is absolutely chilling. These soldiers had no particular agenda to push, so one should not dismiss what they wrote and photographed.

[@excon224]

it's called typhus and allies bombing supply lines

[@Some_Average_Joe]

One of the things that always got me about the Holocaust was that the Nazis were concerned with the psychological toll on the death camp guards. How it was turning otherwise mentally stable Germans mostly into psychologically broken men, but also a sizeable number of irredeemable psychopaths. Not because they were worried about the welfare of the guards themselves of course, they were worried they wouldn't get the job done. So they would rotate the guards out every few weeks to recover mentally, and then put them back to work afterward. They were intentionally creating monsters, even by their own twisted standards, who would be living among German society after the war. And they were fine with it.

[@alanpennie]

Everyone who can bear to should read Browning's Ordinary Men. Shooting people at point blank range was revolting. I've seen it argued that death by gassing was introduced not because it was "more efficient" but because it was much less distressing for the killers.

[@Some_Average_Joe]

@@alanpennie I can believe that

[@wayneantoniazzi2706]

@@alanpennie It's true. As I mentioned in another comment members of SS Einsatzgruppen were having nervous breakdowns from shooting people at point-blank range, and people who couldn't shoot back like other soldiers could to boot. It wasn't what those adventure-seeking young German men joined up for. So yes, another way had to be found and that other way was death camps.

[@jl9952]

Cool story bro. Is that why young women and girls of Auschwits staff photos seem to be laughing innocently full with joy of life?

[@FirstLast-rw3gd]

Thanks!

[@BrandonF]

Thank you, that's very generous!

[@ModernwarfareMr3]

This perfectly describes how I fell into the Lost Cause Myth of the Civil War. Thank you Atun Shei and all other history content creators for exposing how easily history can be used as a medium to spread and evil message

[@singlemom6305]

It's like the good guys won every single time!

[@oatdilemma6395]

Were confederates traitors?

[@ModernwarfareMr3]

@@oatdilemma6395 Short answer: Yes Long answer: It’s complicated but still yes

[@oatdilemma6395]

@@ModernwarfareMr3 Doesn't that make Americans traitors to Great Britain?

[@BrandonF]

@Oatdilemma6395 Yes. By definition they were.

[@ReconmissionFFWR]

Unfortunately a lot of conspiracy theorists will still ignore and not believe what you are saying and just chalk it up to “forged evidence”

[@baneofbanes]

What’s ironic is that “evidence” for conspiracy theories is actually forged. Like with Holocaust denialism the “evidence” is often literal Nazi propaganda.

[@SHAd0Eheart]

It’s like Grandma always said “you don’t build yer swimmin’ hole next to the electric barbwire fences!”

[@nomisunrider6472]

The idea that the people who worked at this camp were so utterly desensitized to the horror of what they were doing that they would actively compete to be the ones who murdered innocent people because it gave them extra rations is a grim reminder of the horrifying things that ordinary people can do to each other. They sold their souls for 5 cigarettes and a fifth of a liter of schnapps, and then went back the next day to do it again.

[@Andystuff800]

You should check out the film The Grey Zone, about one of those groups. Possible the best holocaust film ever made.

[@Andystuff800]

You should check out the film The Grey Zone, about one of those groups. Possible the best holocaust film ever made.

[@Andystuff800]

You should check out the film The Grey Zone, about one of those groups. Possible the best holocaust film ever made.

[@Andystuff800]

You should check out the film The Grey Zone, about one of those groups. Possible the best holocaust film ever made. Apologies if I sent this multiple times, the youtube mobile website isn't working too great.

[@darthplagueis13]

It's easy to underestimate how quickly a human being can be desensitized by such things. I once heard an anecdote about how it wasn't uncommon for new hires at these camps to question whether they were cut out for the job or wanting to leave after their first few days. Typically, they were then told that it normally wasn't that bad and asked to at least stick around for just one month and if they then still didn't want to work there anymore, they could ask to be let go and noone would judge them. When that month was over, noone would care to leave anymore. Not because it was a particularily good place to work in, but because a month was enough to dull them, because the human brain would rather shut down its sense of empathy than let itself get driven mad by it.

[@jeice13]

Why would someone assume these are fake instead of that they were for the guards? Both may be wrong but the prisoners werent allowed to use them seems more obvious than doctored photos

[@FatcatandFriends]

I am so absolutely HORRIFIED by so many of the comments here. I did not understand how REAL the denial was/ IS!!

[@gryphonbotha1880]

Brandon, you're an absolute gem. I'm no historian, but your work in helping others understand your field, and not just specific events, is a huge boon to the public.

[@dawoifee]

I was at a house party of a friend and a Neo Nazi was also there as a guest. We discussed among many things the Shoah as well. His argument was that the Gas Chambers weren't Airtight so they could not have been possible been used as Gas Chambers. Some time before at the same evening he also was praising germane Engineering and worksmenship, so I pointed out that not making airtight gas chambers contradicts this claim. He didn't get it. Also, while I'm not a chemist or a physisist I also told him, that Gas chambers don't have to be 100% airtight wo fullfill it's purpose. It just leads to inefficient use of Gas. As a kid in School we visited the Murder facility in Hartheim where the Nazis murdered handicapped people. It is just terrible to imagine what was done there.

[@wayneantoniazzi2706]

Holocaust deniers. A British historian who's name escapes me now made a pretty good assesment of how such things happen. First, a person has to disbelieve that mass murder on such a scale was even do-able. Second, they have to disbelieve that a modern, sophisticated, well-educated, and civilized people like the Germans were even capable of that kind of mass insanity. Once those two conditions are satisfied then Holocaust denial becomes easy. Unfortunately it just may become even easier as the events of WW2 recede further and further into the past, and seemingly with greater velocity with each passing year, and as the living witnesses pass away. Growing up in the Greater New York area in the 1960s and 1970s as I did (northern New Jersey) Holocaust survivors were very much in evidence. They were easy to spot during the summer months when men wore short-sleeved shirts and women short-sleeved dresses. Those tattoos on the forearms jumped right out at you. And let me tell you the sight of those tattoos made your blood run cold, not over the person themselves of course but just thinking of the horrors they witnessed and survived. My wife's uncle was one of Patton's tankers who liberated one of what they called "horror camps" and the horror stuck with him the rest of his life. And one group of people more than any other should quiet the Holocaust deniers more than anyone else, the perpetrators themselves. At the various war crimes trials they had the excuses of "I had nothing to do with it!" or "I knew nothing about it!" or the ultimate and most famous excuse, "I was only following orders!" NONE-OF-THEM said "It never happened!" A good, thought provoking video Brandon! Thanks for posting it.

[@wayneantoniazzi2706]

Two more things. Remember what I said about events receding into the past? Here's something to think about. We in the 2020's are eighty years removed from the events of WW2, which is EXACTLY the amount of years the people living in the WW2 era were removed from the American Civil War. Eighty years. Isn't that something. One thing to add about the Auschwitz pools, water reservoirs really. Prior to the German occupation the Auschwitz facility, called Oswiechiem by the Poles, was a Polish Army cavalry station and training facility. Much of the permanent facilities such as those substantially built brick buildings and almost certainly the reservoirs were already there. A perfectly good complex the Germans took over post-invasion in 1939.

[@samuelbarber6177]

Just a minor point, but on yours about the events of the Second World War receding into the past, this is why I think studying history is so important. The more one learns about it, the more one realises that World War 2, World War 1, even the American Civil War weren’t that long ago, really. WW2 was eighty years ago, that’s what, only a blip of the amount of time that humanity’s been here? I know multiple people who were alive at the time (admittedly young then and old now). And yet, people seem to find it so easy to pretend as if it was a billion years ago, like it’s the Roman Empire or the Stone Age. Even worse for the previous holder of the title of ‘Great War’. I don’t actually have a point here, it’s just something I’ve realised.

[@wayneantoniazzi2706]

@@samuelbarber6177 You made some good points! "People pretnending as if it was a billion years ago." Now that's partially human nature and part psychological. If you lived through and event it wall always "Seem like yesterday!" to you but for those younger who didn't it will always be ancient history. I remember the JFK assassination as if it were yesterday. To Millenials and Gen Z folks it's ancient history and they could care less.

[@wayneantoniazzi2706]

@@samuelbarber6177 It's human nature really. If you lived through a major event it will always seem "Just like yesterday!" but if you were born after the fact then that major event might as well be ancient history. For the average person anyway, for the student of history not so much.

[@satiricgames2129]

Hello I'm a Jew and I grew up with a holocaust survivor she survived Auschwitz I remember being a kid and always sitting there and Hannah was legally blind by the time I remember like seeing her but she the numbers always always always stood out to me as stark as something I didn't understand at the time like I'm talking about it like a 6-year-old we have Passover and stuff like that but yeah

[@defnotthekgb8362]

I just want to say thank you for covering these topics in such a serious, and accurate way and helping to combat denialism and anti-intellectualism. As someone who had family die in these camps, people like you fighting to actually educate people(especially in such a nuanced, and engaging way!) about these events means a lot. It is insane that it has not even been a century, and people are still alive who experienced it, that some can deny these events happened is just deplorable. Your channel, along with many others really are such an important part of of working against pseudo-history and pseudoscience as a whole. Thank you for doing what you do.

[@BrandonF]

I'm glad you think so, thank you!

[@valiant971]

Keep it up Brandon. This is why history should be discussed. It was likely a computer that made the decision to demonetise this video.

[@InternetDarkLord]

Spartacus Olson has the same problem on the WW2 Channel. He keeps getting censored by the Almighty Algorithm.

[@waltch5711]

can you do a video on the "wooden door" argument?

[@AHersheyHere]

Especially when you consider how the Nazis valued propaganda. You show off a "swimming pool" and activity fields to other nations, these are "camps". It's being a simple reservoir, passes Ackam's razor.

[@reallifeautismsports]

Ackams razor wire

[@jamesgreen5298]

I love how the answer can be boiled down to "Bored soldiers haven't changed, that is to say, that bored soldiers do weird shit."

[@physicshuman9808]

10:52 And that is why sometimes, when you ask such people trying to lie to you, or misrepresent something, ask, “okay, what is the context of this event in times close to it?”, they will mock you or get defensive or more, anything but the context, instead of going on their usual game.

[@StratfordWingRider]

The Holocaust and its events are something we should never stop talking about. It’s uncomfortable, it’s confronting, but it should be. Current events show we aren’t learning enough about these horrific things. I admire this channel for its topics.

[@RM-xr8lq]

well its not like westerners are going to admit to their own more recent atrocities, events from nearly 100 years ago are a good distraction. maybe in a few decades when more of their war criminals expire

[@baneofbanes]

@@RM-xr8lqthe Holocaust is still within living memory.

[@Kirtahl]

Bravo man, a necessary discussion.

[@davidtuttle7556]

In 2018 i had the opportunity to cross The Pond and travel through Europe. As I traveled through Austria, Germany, the Czech Republic, and down the Danube all the way to Romania, one of the things that struck me was the scale of the Holocost and the incredible organization and commitment to it by the NAZI regime. I toured Terezin (Theresienstadt Ghetto and conxentration camp.)

[@strategicgamingwithaacorns2874]

I've read _Ordinary Men_ by Christopher Browning. The men of Reserve Police Battalion 101, who carried out on-site mass murders in Poland, were average joes who carried out orders to mass-murder civilians; many of them, even the Officers, became _physically sick_ after each killing, because of how badly committing such acts troubled their consciences. If the men of Reserve Police Battalion 101 were getting ill because of guilty consciences, I wouldn't be surprised if the SS decided to preserve the sanity of the death-camp guards by giving them luxuries such as a swimming pool or a soccer camp.

[@wayneantoniazzi2706]

A very interesting point you brought up. One of the main reasons for the establishment of the death camps were the nervous breakdowns being suffered by members of the SS Einsatzgruppen. In a way I can understand that, most likely many, if not all of those young SS men joined up thinking they were going to be members of an elite military force and then found themselves mass-murderers. Instead of fighting they were rounding up and gunning down Jews and other "undesireables" in the occupied areas of Eastern Europe. Himmler himself recognized this and so established the death camps as a better way of doing things. It boggles the mind.

[@strategicgamingwithaacorns2874]

@@wayneantoniazzi2706 I have the feeling that most Holocaust denialists are either sociopaths, or are so distanced from the psychological gravity of killing someone that they can't understand how committing a murder can traumatize the murderer.

[@wayneantoniazzi2706]

@@strategicgamingwithaacorns2874 Some good points there. I also think some are so entranced by the majesty and theatricality of Nazi propaganda they can't see the rot beneath the surface. The thing is, much of Goebbel's propaganda was so well done a lot of it still works.

[@baneofbanes]

Worst part is that they kept going even as they knew it was wrong.

[@baneofbanes]

⁠@@strategicgamingwithaacorns2874they’re fascists in a time when the crime of the fascists are well known and their ideals are no longer acceptable. They’re fundamentally people who believe in their racial superiority and might makes right, never mind the fact that the Nazis were crushed.

[@laserdiscisawesome1263]

When i was younger and edgy, I would always see the “pool” and soccer field but as I grew older and saw them I would wonder what the pool was and I thought to myself that “maybe the field was just for the guards, they practically lived there”

[@HobDobson]

If anything, the facade of humanity in the face of its absence renders the true horror that much worse.

[@sneedchuckington]

Ay tone, how come dey gots swimmin pools an orchestras if we're just gonna whack em?

[@llewelynshingler2173]

The orchestra was for the upper management.

[@sneedchuckington]

@@llewelynshingler2173 I know. Memes aside, I think Brandon's argument in this video is spot on and I've used it a few times since myself.

[@pauloandrade3131]

Brandon, I hope you see this. I love the way you present history, especially the more controversial and difficult topics like this one. You always show a lot of respect for those who suffered while displaying genuine empathy as well. I wish there were more people who showed the same care when discussing this stuff.

[@waltonsmith7210]

The whole idea behind historical videos being demonetized due to not being "advertiser friendly" is so irrational and arbitrary and stupid. The logic behind it utterly baffles me.

[@BrexitBritannia]

What a fantasticly fascinating upload, and appreciate the effort made into explaining the impartial historical facts and how some may misinterpret them, and it's very disappointing that KZbin disagree. Nonetheless, you have a new subscriber here, peace and love from Liverpool ❤️👍

[@FirstLast-rw3gd]

Brandon Excellent job!

[@tFighterPilot]

You know what I like? Videos that get straight to the point. At least you had the decency to put on the time codes.

[@davidhook1682]

An open mind is terribly important, but yes I am grateful that this video reminds all of us, it is very important to not to let your brains fall out in maintaining one.

[@aaronduvall1075]

Why were there pools in Auschwitz? Answer: series of water reservoirs were installed for the purpose of fighting fires. These were just large pool-like structures with hoses. Auschwitz was a big camp- an insanely big camp. There were around 8,000 to 9,000 guards there at all times. I mean this is the population of a small town. So like any small town, there were things to do so that the Guards could have some fun in their downtime. Eventually, some diving boards were added to the reservoir so that Guards could go swimming. Prisoners, especially Jews, were never let anywhere near these makeshift swimming pools. This was also very documented by their own Staff at the time (typical germans) Deniers have a pattern that’s pretty easy to notice. I call it the CMOR system Cherry-pick: There were pools at Auschwitz Misinterpret: The pools were for prisoners Overblow it: This means prisoners were treated well at Auschwitz Remove from context: Ignores the crematoriums, gas chambers, witness accounts, and evidence of genocide.

[@ChristheRedcoat]

Those comments at the start... yikes.

[@BrandonF]

Oh, I didn't post half of the stuff I found...

[@Zippsterman]

@@BrandonF It sucks that you have to deal with that BS. Thankfully you're well-spoken and intelligent enough to see through it and make great videos like this. Keep it up, we're not all assholes.

[@godoforder1828]

"Yikes" Oh yeah the cuck squirms in cringe

[@baneofbanes]

@@godoforder1828only cucks here are the Nazi simps, that’s including you.

[@mayachico9766]

You shouldn't delete comments, even the ones that don't agree with you. Truth shouldn't fear criticizim....​@@BrandonF

[@Gangleri333]

Hey Brandon 😊 Thank you for another well made and highly interesting video! 👍 Greetings from Bavaria

[@thomilo44]

I want to listen to this man talk forever.

[@dylankornberg4892]

Petition to officially rename petroleum to “go go dead-Dino juice.” In all seriousness though, great stuff as usual. I really like your analogy about the ability to be hoodwinked by people not just more knowledgeable about a particular subject matter but about an entire discipline. I too could probably be tricked by an unscrupulous mechanic (in fact I probably have been) than a dealer in pseudo-history.

[@TheMissDebyluv]

it is so stupid to believe that just because there were pools that the ppl were treated well. There's was a pool in your highschool yet everyone still bullied you there everyday.

[@asdf9890]

Yeah, and the pool doesn’t necessarily have to be for swimming.

[@playdohsrepublic3562]

@@asdf9890 Yeah, it was a fire-extinguishing lake the the guards could swim in when the red cross was there visiting. DUH!!

[@justdags6611]

I am happy to be a patron to you keep bringing up this stuff

[@BrandonF]

And I appreciate the support- thank you!

[@cascadianrangers728]

With how giant Auschwitz was, im surprised it only had one pool

[@Disgruntled.]

Your videos on this and other disturbing topics like transatlantic slavery are incredibly important. Much as we may not want to admit it, there is a very stubstantial (and seemingly growing) part of the history community that at best is ambivalent to this historical suffering. At worst they deny or outright celebrate it. Addressing subjects like this seriously and crucially within their wider context is very valuable for actually getting a good understanding of history, and hopefully not repeating its mistakes.

[@murrayscott9546]

I don't think that I could go to Aushwitz without a guide, a companion animal anda cardiologist.

[@Philip271828]

"The trouble with having an open mind, of course, is that people will insist on coming along and trying to put things in it." Pratchett.

[@ryanparker4996]

You mean like Elie Weisel and his stupid book?

[@baneofbanes]

@@ryanparker4996who’s that?

[@ryanparker4996]

@@baneofbanes my brother is Christ this is the internet. The answers await you.

[@baneofbanes]

@@ryanparker4996 he’s a Holocaust survivor. You’re just a neo-Nazi.

[@MrZauberelefant]

​@@ryanparker4996aren't you the denialist that defends David Irving elsewhere here? And you're talking about research?

[@horatiusromanus]

The question that I always as a Holocaust denier is, why, when in court for their lives, did none of them say, "It never happened." Why was the defense, "We were following orders,"?

[@DemocraticConfederalist33]

Because denying it at that point would be a fool's errand. The evidence was indisputable, so denying it at that point would be idiotic

[@BioChemistryWizard]

Everyone who said "We were following orders" were imprisoned at Nuremberg. There were actually many many officers who escaped to Spain and Argentina that say it never happened.

[@ProfessionalScofflaw]

I believe some tried. Can't remember who. I do know that Goering was a smug bastard about it, the fatass.

[@horatiusromanus]

@@BioChemistryWizard Source: trust me bro.

[@BioChemistryWizard]

@@horatiusromanus Léon Degrelle. Otto Ernst Remer, just for starters. Its not my job to educate you. "They didnt deny it", is just a flat out lie

[@SFStransit]

I don’t entertain the idea of giving denialists a foot in the door even if they are accidentally right because all that does is embolden them to make more insane claims. If you can sometimes be accidentally right, you can always be always be purposefully wrong.

[@ryanparker4996]

Oh yeah? What about the Wooden doors

[@baneofbanes]

@@ryanparker4996what about them? A room doesn’t need to be airtight to gas people, otherwise no one would’ve ever died from age attacks in WW1. On top of that the guards wore protective equipment when they used the gas including gas masks.

[@baneofbanes]

@@ryanparker4996what about them? You don’t need an air right room to gas someone, otherwise no one would’ve died in gas attacks during WW1.

[@BrunetteBabePS3]

Ironic .. lol

[@Gokkee]

I watched enough movies to know that armies of thousands, even tens of thousands, don't need a logistical system because every man can just get their daily calories from.... somewhere 😂

[@wayneantoniazzi2706]

Kind of like the rifles and machine guns that NEVER run out of ammunition because it just appears out of thin air? Trust me, somebody's got to carry all that stuff and that somebody is YOU if you're in an infantry platoon!

[@justinbieber8028]

This is a great video that deserves a lot more views.

[@ptonpc]

The more I know people, the more I look forward to Skynet.

[@ThommyofThenn]

Right. It's like how can we be so dumb and not learn from anything

[@ezragrossinger8637]

But... what DO they say about wrestling with a pig?

[@iexist1300]

I want to know that as well

[@BrandonF]

"You'll both get dirty but the pig will enjoy it"

[@RedLucarian]

Good on you for making an effort to fight the misinformation and propaganda that Neo-Nazis spew about the holocaust. Much respect

[@satiricgames2129]

It's not just them now though it's Islam is also part of it they're trying to erase our history at the current present time

[@wildviper]

Great video. I am making a similar one soon debunking denialists and apologists

[@will2003michael2003]

Great video, I remember my great uncle telling me the story of his core entering Dachau, rail car full of bodies, the German shepherds feasting on the dead really got to him. I never doubt for a moment what they saw.

[@MetaSynForYourSoul]

I think a large part of the problem is we've stopped teaching people how to argue in primary education. Courses in popular arguments and their structure would I think help phase out these sorts of ridiculous ideas. And it really is something that I think should be taught again, along with better history. Cuz once you know how to argue you can at least recognize these rhetorical tricks for what they are. And allot of these denialist narratives rely on such tricks to propagate. My main defense against falling down any holes: If the viewpoint is from your opposition, make sure you check it. If it's from your allies, check it twice.

[@jloiben12]

It really isn’t that hard to understand. Auschwitz was a massive complex. There wasn’t just the extermination camp. The history of Auschwitz, like how it started and changed over time, is absolutely fascinating

[@alanpennie]

Most people aren't really aware of the details of The Holocaust, and it's hard to blame them for not wanting to read up on something so horrible.

[@jloiben12]

@@alanpennie If you are saying things like “Auschwitz wasn’t so bad,” or anything like that, this is absolutely something you should know. Intentionally being dishonest is not a defense

[@baneofbanes]

@@alanpenniething is racists prey on that lack of knowledge to try and say that it never happened. Hence why it is so important that we teach it.

[@andres-vi1uy]

I once heard the polish minister killed himself in front of the brittish goverment to bring attention to what was happening. So everyone knew what was happening, even while it was happening

[@fafolaw]

It's terrifying that holocaust denial is spreading so much, thank you for making this video.

[@Ssarevok]

Great video, thanks! Also, I suddenly felt really old when you mentioned 9/11 being in high school text books... I guess it makes sense, but wow... I was IN high school when that happened. :o

[@neurofiedyamato8763]

A lot of propaganda uses the same tactics as conspiracy theorist. Its newr impossible to convince them after they have been entrenched. Its i porta t to teach them before they encounter such propaganda but there are so many information on so many topics its impossible. Bad actors will always find areas to exploit.

[@aedes947]

That's why this kind of rhetoric needs to be criminalized and result in harsh punishments. It's impossible to fight it only with words

[@PattyOflan88]

​@@aedes947 lmao "guys it's so real and we have so much evidence that if you question it, you go to jail!" That's how dumb you sound

[@johannageisel5390]

Thanks for this information. I'm German, so I learned quite a lot about the Holocaust, but I have no idea about all the details. Never heard before that there was a swimming pool at Auschwitz, though if somebody had told me, I would have suspected it was for the Nazi officers stationed at the camp and their families.

[@alexanderchippel]

"Why would a summertime luxury exist in a military facility that was repurposed into a concentration camp?"

[@phantomstrangermedia]

This video ignores thousands of post cards sent home by inmates (they were allowed to write briefly to relatives fairly regularly). The inmates had sports facilities, theatres, cinemas & a canteen where extra food could be purchased with the ‘script’ money issued in return for work. ‘Script’ could also be used at the camp brothels. The swimming pools were used for swimming, but were not closed when the tide of war turned against the Nazis because they were designated as water resources for fire fighting. Of course, these basic facts do not undo the criminal wrongness of imprisoning many thousands of people in gross & demeaning conditions, forcing them to labour & setting up circumstances which led to an insane number of lives lost - but it is disingenuous to simply portray every factor, event or point of organisation without considering that even Nazis might occasionally try the carrot instead of the stick. After the war, ‘eye witnesses’ testified that millions of people were killed with gigantic mechanical beating machines, put on huge conveyor belts & moved to enormous electrical shock chambers or even massacred with the aid of a small nuclear device that wiped out whole communities. All obviously nonsensical - just like the utterances of the opposite variety of fanatics who tell us that concentration camps were like vacation spots. We can never know the truth until ordinary people can ask questions & thrash out answers without being jailed or vilified.

[@trance7443]

@@phantomstrangermedia the fuck are you saying?!?

[@phantomstrangermedia]

@@trance7443 Try reading it in short steps & thinking. No right minded person should attempt to minimise the wrongness of setting up concentration camps, but putting people in jail if they ask questions about the facts is not really much better.

[@SenorZorros]

@@phantomstrangermedia people were forced to write postcards indicating everything was fine before they were murdered like a cliche kidnapping plot and the brothels were mostly visited by the camp guards and staffed by prisoners who were in effect raped. The "sports facillities" were a random field and the theatres were underground and cracked down on. The script was there for POWs and criminals. All things you mention are not true or irrelevant. Auschwitz was three camps not one and even in Auschwitz II-Birkenau you had not just Jews but also Roma, POWs and petty criminals. Everything you name are those exact contextless factoids Brandon warns against.

[@killerlork]

​@@phantomstrangermediano, they had a valid question: what are you trying to say? When has someone ever been locked up for simply asking questions about the holocaust?

[@teecefamilykent]

Brilliant video sir.

[@SHAd0Eheart]

Somewhere a there is an auto-mechanic/history buff twirling their mustache and laughing diabolically. 😈👨‍🔧🏧

[@Zman44444]

I greatly appreciate your work Brandon.

[@TexasTrosper]

Take a look in Texas textbooks where slaves are referred to as “workers”

[@nar2cc]

Never have I sat through and listened too such a genuine and honest sounding sponsorship, well done.

[@ShadowDragon1848]

An hour and there are no "The Nazis were left wing" comments from libertarians?

[@melog17]

Most of the right-wing "libertarians" were probably scared off already by the length of the video and use of primary sources.

[@wayneantoniazzi2706]

Let me say this much. Watch the Goebbels propaganda film "Titanic." Not only is it anti-British it's also anti-capitalist. Read the Goebbel's diary if you get a chance. One little push and Little Joe would have been a communist. Read the Nazi Party manifesto as well. You'll be suprised. Then YOU tell ME what side of the spectrum the National Socialists were on. One last thought. Right-wingers don't have a monopoly on militarism. OK, I'm done.

[@singlemom6305]

Loads of hidden replies, some things are forbidden to be discussed

[@shrouddreamer]

​@@wayneantoniazzi2706 The anti-capitalism of the NS-Regime was just disguised antisemitism. The expropriations that did occur mostly happened to the Jewish population, the exception being political opponents. And while there were companies which got nationalised, or were newly founded state owned, most companies didn't share this fate. The economy was used to achieve the goals of Nazi-Ideology, establishing a German hegemony in Europe, nothing else. Any use of "socialism" was to ensure public approval as means to an end, not because of ideology. We really should leave the left-right model in the past. It wasn't really their "socialism" that made the Nazis terrible, was it? Political views don't fit well on a one-dimensional scale, especially as the definition of "right" and "left" changed over the decades. AFAIK, those terms originated from the French Revolution, where the royalists were seated on the right and the republicans on the left. Economic beliefs played no role in this.

[@wayneantoniazzi2706]

@@singlemom6305 You know, I left whaI thought was a non-controversial reply and it's gone. I suppose a discussion over whether the National (ahem) Socialists were right-wing or left-wing is a rabbit hole Brandon doesn't want us to go down. Hey, his channel, his rules. I'm OK with that.

[@bethelhanley5439]

The mere fact that you learned about 9/11 at school makes me feel old.

[@BrandonF]

The fact there are adults who don't even remember it, or weren't even born yet for that matter, is what makes me feel old!

[@JB-xd1fo]

How would you camp in a soviet reenactment per say? perhaps with a plasch palatka?

[@KameradVonTurnip]

I always assumed the swimming pool was left over from when camp A was a Polish military barracks. Being swimming was a popular form of athletic activity at the time. A remember a Polish soldier called it the urine pond and they'd throw failures into it. Which was likely a joke about pools and urine. So I assumed that was the pool's origin dating back well before occupation.

[@baneofbanes]

From the sounds of it the pool was probably mutli purpose, serving as both a pool but also as water redo our for fires. Don’t know about elsewhere but here in the states fire helicopters will use pool water to help put out forest fires, so makes sense.

[@briarswt]

“They’re missing the mountain of corpses for the smiling guard at the base”. Ooffff

[@youngimperialistmkii]

Thank you for continuing to cover this dark, but important history. After watching Time Ghost's War against humanity series. I can't hear what Holocaust denialists have to say. Without becoming furious.

[@gallagjg]

I work in counter disinformation… this is an incredible piece of work you’ve put out… I hope you put it out again under a topic that will not be censored on KZbin.

[@danielomar9712]

Oh god , i remember seeing this conspiracy years ago when a group of far right guys were doing a podcast , joking about how "This death camp was all a lie and it was just a fun place for germans to relax !"

[@StolenPw]

This was a great video Brandon. You got a lot of respect from me with this one. Hope to see you in your fursuit at the next battle reenactment. 🐺 The non fur suit in this video looks great on you by the way. Wonderful coat.

[@ursoul1870]

I have heard of the pool before allays vaguely, it's had me wondering for years .

[@invisibleman4827]

Yeah, I kind of assumed that they weren't actually swimming pools but were used for some other more sinister reason.

[@samc9133]

​@@invisibleman4827 I suppose "in order to keep an extermination camp running" counts as sinister reason enough, eh? 😅

[@edwarddeere4925]

@@invisibleman4827no is actually swimming pool. There are ladders and there is a diving board.

[@invisibleman4827]

@samc9133 Probably, but it seems like an out-of-place thing to have in a CC, so I thought it was a storage area for zyklon b or something

[@ryanparker4996]

Whats sinister about water you hysterical moron

[@mdcade10]

When I heard of pools, I always thought it was for pool for the guards and their family, never thought about reservoir pool. Great job.

[@soooooomething]

Good video. I wish it were better tuned so I'm just gonna comment on the content: "Denialism" and "How Lies Spread" was kinda repackaging the same couple arguments, could have made it briefer and cut the whole video down to 10 minutes. "What Was.." is the interesting reveal, but it's lacking in concrete points and feels more handwaved. I'd like to see the quote from Elie Wiesel or sources that discuss the pool's use as a reservoir. You seem to hint that it could have been used as a pool from a quote about it being hot in august, but that distracts from the fundamental point: it's a water reservoir. Perhaps the reveal could go earlier, then the meaning is dissected later? It feels like we're left hanging for a good 10 minutes until you finally get to the point.

[@ryanparker4996]

Imagine thinking Elie Weisels cartoon nightmares are a valuable source of historical fact. Have you read Night? Its fucking fiction

[@beardlessodin945]

Excellent video.

[@shawncarson4109]

Even if there was a pool or a pitch, why would that make the Holocaust any less horrible? I just don't see how that "fact" would make some point in the view of a denialist.

[@Nutter-l3s]

Great video! Thank you for making it. Hopefully it help some people.

[@darthplagueis13]

I think part of the issue starts with how a lot of popular media around the world (though not necessarily in Germany) likes to use Nazis as simple, disposable villain figures. It's understandable, few things in history were so unambiguously evil as the Nazi regime, but I feel like it promotes a problematic kind of magical thinking. A real historical group is being reduced to the level of cartoon villains, but doing so promotes thinking about them in the wrong way. Half of the holocausts logistics don't make sense if you allow yourself to think of the perpetrators as just evil minions, rather than humans, because evil minions don't have needs. Organizing mass enslavement and executions on this scale is a very complex task, it requires a lot of staff and it requires a lot of moral support for the staff lest they buckle. Keeping the wardens in good spirits was a higher priority than keeping the inmates alive and if that doesn't explain a lot about the lay-out of these facilities, I don't know what does.