Mauthausen by Robert H. Abzug Robert H. Abzug is a PhD Professor of History and American Studies in the University of California. In his famous publication "Inside the Vicious Heart: Americans and the Liberation of Nazi Concentration Camps," he described what had happened with the humanity and humans in the concentration camps which were set up by Nazis during the Second World War. The book covered several narrations by the eyewitnesses who were amongst the allied forces that participate in the liberation of such camps. All what they saw made the world shock and which were previously rumors now become a belief about the inhumane behavior of Germans with the prisoners of war. The Nazi-German government had set up several concentration camps of category I, II and III for their prisoners in different parts of the allied countries. Most class III camps were built in upper Austria, as it shares a common border with the Germany and other countries which include Czech Republic, Hungary, Slovakia, Slovenia, Italy, Switzerland and Liechtenstein. The capital of the state of upper Austria is Linz, which is located at about 19 miles south from the Austrian border with Czech Republic and is settled on the coastal area with the river of Danube. The city has always been the centre for social and political activities.

Mauthausen is a small town located at about 20km from the city of Linz. The name is derived from the ancient Roman and German language since the place became a toll station for the ships in the start of 11th...

Mauthausen become the site for the class III concentration camps in the Second World War, set up by Nazi Germany. Prior to that, a prisoner of war camp existed in the place during First World War where Russian and Italian prisoners were kept. During WWII, there have been several incidents mentioned in the history about the inhumane behavior of Nazis with the POWs. Abzug in his book wrote a separate chapter about the concentration camps at Mauthausen. He wrote that there were two concentration camps, the main Mauthausen-Gusen concentration camp and the KZ Gusen camp which are located very near to the city of Linz, only 25km and about 12km respectively. The camp looked like a fortress which consisted of a garrison for more than 10,000 soldiers, residences for the SS guards and prison complexes. The entire area of the camp consisted of four square miles. Although there were some other camps too set up by the Nazis over different places, yet the Mauthausen camp was one of the few class III camps specific for those who were never going to be released from the camp. That is why such prisoners were designated as "Return Undesirable" and hence many of them died during the prison as Nazis were used to exploit them both physically and mentally by means of brutal executions. It is estimated that around 195,000 people were imprisoned in the camp from 1938 to 1945 out of which around 150,000 prisoners died in the camp. Mauthausen had a reputation of "extermination through labour" since the prisoners were forced to do slave…