Sonderkommandos were prisoners in Nazi death camps tasked with assisting in the mass murder of other prisoners in exchange for better treatment and a slightly extended lifespan of 6-8 months. Their duties included removing corpses from gas chambers, sorting through victims' belongings, and operating crematoriums and bone crushing machines. While granted some privileges over regular prisoners, Sonderkommandos were ultimately still victims who faced a short lifespan before being murdered themselves. A few survivors later wrote about their traumatic experiences.