Mauthausen Liberation: When Prisoners Took Revenge on Their Nazi Guards

Mauthausen was one of the most brutal concentration camps operated by Nazi Germany during World War II. Established in Austria in 1938 after the Anschluss, the camp became a central site of forced labor, starvation, torture, and mass murder within the Nazi camp system.Located near Linz, Mauthausen was designated a Category III concentration camp, reserved for prisoners whom the Nazi regime considered its most dangerous enemies. Together with its network of subcamps, including Gusen, it held Jews, Poles, Soviet prisoners of war, political opponents, Spanish Republicans, and inmates from across occupied Europe.The camp became infamous for its granite quarries and the notorious “Stairs of Death,” where prisoners were forced to carry heavy stone blocks up 186 steep steps. Exhaustion, beatings, and deliberate abuse by SS guards caused countless deaths.This documentary examines life inside Mauthausen, including forced labor, starvation, executions, medical experiments, and the role of camp officials such as Franz Ziereis, Eduard Krebsbach, and Aribert Heim. It also explores the efforts of Spanish prisoner Francisco Boix, whose hidden photographs later provided crucial evidence of Nazi crimes.As Allied forces approached in 1945, conditions inside the camp deteriorated further, resulting in thousands of additional deaths. Following liberation by the U.S. Army in May 1945, surviving prisoners confronted some of their former tormentors, bringing a dramatic end to one of the most notorious concentration camps of the Third Reich.This documentary explores the history of Mauthausen, the experiences of its prisoners, the atrocities committed within its walls, and the legacy of one of Nazi Germany's deadliest camps.This episode is part of the series The Forgotten Massacres of Defenseless Soldiers in WWII.Watch the full documentary and explore hundreds of historical films at:WorldHistory.tv