Auschwitz, The Nazis and the Final Solution

Fifth part in the BBC 6-part documentary series; ‘Murder and Intrigue’ explores the web of international politics spun during the last nine months of 1944. By that spring, the Allies knew about Auschwitz and had the military capability to bomb it. Yet despite the pleas of Jewish leaders, the British and Americans decided not to bomb the railways or gas chambers. During the spring and summer, hundreds of thousands of Hungarian Jews were deported to Auschwitz at a time when the killing machinery had been honed to perfection. That autumn saw a significant act of resistance in Auschwitz, when a group of Jewish prisoners revolted. Before their deaths, some secretly wrote about their experiences. In the final segment, Linda Ellerbee talks with Gail Smith and Jerry Fowler.