Naked females at their execution

Three naked women before they were shot at Janowska concentration camp, Poland. At first Janowska had no female inmates but after the massive 'actions' of 1942 a female barracks was established. Although female hair was removed at camps with gas chambers, Janowska and some smaller concentration camps skipped this procedure. Before prisoners were to be executed at 'The Sands' they were commanded to undress quickly. The 'death tango' would have been played at this time by the camp orchestra (sixty professional musicians). The brutal treatment of all the prisoners in Janowska left prisoners with little hope. They knew that death was inevitable. The human skulls in this image act as a reminder of the overwhelming sense of death's presence experienced by the prisoners.