Inside the Vicious Heart: Mauthausen and Nazi Camp Atrocities

Introduction to Abzug's Work

Robert H. Abzug is a professor of History and American Studies who earned his PhD and has published extensively on American responses to the Holocaust. In his notable work Inside the Vicious Heart: Americans and the Liberation of Nazi Concentration Camps, Abzug describes what happened to humanity — and to individual human beings — inside the concentration camps established by the Nazis during the Second World War. The book compiles eyewitness narratives from members of the Allied forces who participated in the liberation of these camps. What they encountered shocked the world: events previously dismissed as rumors were now confirmed as undeniable evidence of German inhumanity toward prisoners of war.

The Nazi German government established several concentration camps, classified as Category I, II, and III, in various parts of occupied and allied territories. Most Category III camps were located in upper Austria, a region that shares borders with Germany, the Czech Republic, Hungary, Slovakia, Slovenia, Italy, Switzerland, and Liechtenstein. The capital of upper Austria is Linz, situated approximately 19 miles south of the Austrian border with the Czech Republic along the Danube River. Linz has historically been a center of social and political activity in the region.

Mauthausen: History and Setting

Mauthausen is a small town located approximately 20 kilometers from the city of Linz. Its name derives from ancient Roman and German roots, as the site served as a toll station for river ships beginning in the early eleventh century. Mauthausen became the site of a Category III concentration camp during the Second World War, established by Nazi Germany. Prior to that, a prisoner-of-war camp had existed there during the First World War, where Russian and Italian prisoners were held.

In his book, Abzug devoted a separate chapter to the concentration camps at Mauthausen. He describes two main installations: the Mauthausen-Gusen concentration camp and the KZ Gusen camp, located approximately 25 kilometers and 12 kilometers from Linz respectively. The main camp resembled a fortress, containing a garrison capable of housing more than 10,000 soldiers, residences for SS guards, and extensive prison complexes. The entire camp complex covered roughly four square miles.

Although the Nazis established other camps throughout occupied Europe, Mauthausen was among the few Category III camps specifically designated for prisoners who were never to be released. Prisoners there were labeled "Rückkehr Unerwünscht" — "Return Undesirable" — a classification that effectively condemned them to death. It is estimated that approximately 195,000 people were imprisoned at Mauthausen between 1938 and 1945, of whom around 150,000 died within the camp.

Camp Structure and the 'Return Undesirable' Classification

Mauthausen became notorious for its policy of "extermination through labour." Prisoners were forced into slave labor for the Nazi military and were compelled to carry heavy granite blocks up a steep stairway of 186 steps from the camp quarry — a passage that became known as the "Stairway of Death." Many prisoners perished under this brutal regime of forced labor. Because the prisoners were classified as never to be released, the Nazi authorities formally charged them with serious crimes and explicitly denied them any hope of freedom. Those they labeled "criminals" were subjected to strict punishments and unrelenting hard labor.

The prisoner population was drawn from a wide range of backgrounds. It included social workers, educators, volunteers, and prominent individuals from countries opposed to Nazism. Regardless of their background, all prisoners received the same brutal treatment. Forced labor shifts lasted twelve hours, beginning at 4:45 a.m. in summer and 5:15 a.m. in winter, with a one-hour break at noon.

Conclusion: Judgment on Nazi Inhumanity

There is no doubt that whatever the Nazis did to prisoners of war was extremely shameful. By doing so, they not only erased their own legacy but earned a permanent name for cruelty and ruthlessness as a government. They violated human rights on a massive scale, intentionally killing thousands of people through brutal means. It can reasonably be argued that the moral weight of these crimes contributed to the ultimate defeat of the Nazi regime, and that Adolf Hitler's suicide was itself a consequence of the guilt that could no longer be escaped.