Auschwitz Timeline
1940

April 27 - With World War II underway since the previous September, Nazi general Heinrich Himmler orders the building of a concentration cmap at Auschwitz.

April-June - Germany controls Denmark, Norway, Belguim, Holland and France. Jews and gypsies are deported from Germany to Poland.

1941

March 1 - Himmler inspects Auschwitz and orders the building of Auschwitz II - also known as Birkenau.

June 22 - Germany attacks the Soviet Union and mass slaughter of Polish citizens by the Nazis occurs.

July 31 - Nazi Marshall Goring signs the order which led to the attempted genocide of Jews in Europe.

1942

February 15 - The first trainloads of Jews are killed inAusschwitz using the gas Zyklone B.

March 20 - The Auschwitz gas chambers are used for the first time and Polish Jews are the first to be murdered.

May 4 - Auschwitz prisoners not fit to work are sent to the gas chambers.

July 4 - For the first time, newly arriving prisoners at Auschwitz are sent immediately to the gas chamber if they cannot work.

July 15 - The first Dutch Jews arrive at Auschwitz.

November 26 - The first Norweign Jews arrive at Auschwitz.

1944

March 19 - The first Hungarian Jews arrive at Auschwitz and 400,000 will arive in a seven-week period.

June - With Nazi fortunes on the decline, extermination of Jews accelerates. It is estimated that as many as 9,000 murders occur each day.

November 25 - Himmler orders the Auschwitz camps to be destroyed.

1945

January 27 - The Soviet Army reaches Auschwitz. A few thousand surviving prisoners greet them.