"On Auschwitz" (47): Functionary prisoners at Auschwitz

In the German concentration camps, including Auschwitz, there was
a group of so-called ‘functionary’ prisoners, responsible for
supervising other prisoners.  They were mainly in charge of
supervising the work units, keeping order in the blocks or
barracks, but also distributing food among the prisoners.


Being a lageraeltester, a block leader, or a kapo meant almost
unlimited power over the prisoners. Sometimes the functionary
prisoner became the master of life and death.


Dr. Piotr Setkiewicz, the head of the Auschwitz Muzeum Research
Centre, talks about the complex history of this group of
prisoners at Auschwitz.