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Auschwitz: An SS officer’s photo album

In 2007, an abandoned photo album revealed the chilling normality of life at the Nazi concentration camp, Auschwitz. Among those pictured is Josef Mengele, the Angel of Death.

In 2007, an abandoned photo album revealed the chilling normality of life at the Nazis’ most notorious concentration camp, Auschwitz.

The 116 black-and-white images had been sent to the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum, in Washington DC, to be considered for their archives.

In the photographs, SS officers are seen laughing, singing and celebrating, while a short distance away hundreds of thousands of people, mainly Jews, are being murdered.

Among those pictured are Rudolf Höss, the camp commandant, and German doctor, Josef Mengele, known as the Angel of Death.

Archivist Rebecca Erbelding tells Jane Wilkinson that the photos are an important reminder of how casually those running Auschwitz approached their work.

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Release date:

10 minutes

On radio

Tue 25 Aug 2026 07:50GMT

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  • Tue 25 Aug 2026 07:50GMT
  • Tue 25 Aug 2026 11:50GMT
  • Tue 25 Aug 2026 17:50GMT
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  • Wed 26 Aug 2026 02:50GMT

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