I imagine they were “kapos,” a term which I first came across in Spiegelman’s legendary Maus. It was an upper position (often filled by non Jews) amongst prisoners who oversaw other prisoners, and my sense is that it was pretty ordinary for them to lord their petty little bit of power over Jews at these concentration camps.
Some examples:
https://www.google.com/search?q="maus"+"kapo"&udm=2
@Infernal_pizza@lemmy.world @lemmy.world
Wow I can’t believe I’ve never heard of that before. I suppose it shouldn’t surprise me but I find it baffling that even when suffering under the worst conditions imaginable some people still found a way to make it worse for others
Exactly my thought, altho TBF I think the situation had some complexities to it. For example, as prisoners slated to eventually be exterminated themselves, the kapos lived in fear just like the others, and it’s not surprising to me that some would be abusive where they could. (“shit rolls downhill” and all that)
Also, the better and more ruthless you were as a kapo, likely the better the Nazi guards liked you and gave you special perks, like your own room, better food, and a longer stay of death.
I’d strongly recommend reading Maus if you can. It’s the greatest graphic novel of all time IMO.
Yeah I replied to you before I saw the parent comment with the court documents. Obviously what they did was wrong, and I like to think I’d have acted differently, but would I actually if I’d already spent years in a concentration camp like they did? I can’t even imagine what that does to you mentally. Just because what they did was wrong doesn’t mean they weren’t also victims themselves, but then that also doesn’t completely excuse it.
I’m not usually a graphic novel fan but I might check out Maus at some point if it’s that good