The document discusses the history of Auschwitz-Birkenau, the largest Nazi concentration and extermination camp complex during World War II. It details how the city of Oswiecim, Poland was occupied by German forces in 1939 and incorporated into the Third Reich. During the war, Auschwitz consisted of the main camp along with subcamps including Auschwitz II-Birkenau and Auschwitz III-Monowitz. The camp held over 1 million victims, mostly Jews but also Poles and others. It was liberated by Soviet forces on January 27, 1945 but the camps remained in operation by the NKVD as prisoner camps until 1946. Auschwitz remains a symbol of the tragic mass destruction