October 14, 1943
Prisoners Revolt at Sobibor
Historical context
On this day, October 14, 1943, prisoners at Sobibor killed members of the SS staff and about 300 broke out of the camp.
Archive record
Read the event, then follow its documented sources and archive threads.
- Date
- October 14, 1943
- Verified sources
- 1
- Archive threads
- 5
On this day, prisoners at the Sobibor killing center revolted. Leon Feldhendler and the Soviet prisoner of war Alexander Pechersky led the plan. USHMM records that the prisoners killed 11 members of the SS staff, including deputy commandant Johann Niemann, and that the revolt was set for a day when the commandant and several other officials were away.
About 300 prisoners broke through the fence and the minefield. Most were hunted down. About 50 survived the war. Transports into Sobibor had slowed in the summer of 1943, and the prisoners expected the camp to be dismantled and themselves to be killed. The SS closed and dismantled Sobibor after the uprising.
Research trail
Sources and further reading
- Sobibor Uprising · United States Holocaust Memorial Museum · Holocaust Encyclopedia View source
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