When an Allied photo-reconnaissance plane flew over southern Poland in the summer of 1944, it took extraordinary and horrifying images of the Nazi's most evil extermination camp of all; Auschwitz.

From these aerial photos it's possible to see in detail how the SS organised their factory of death, in which 12,000 people were being murdered daily. The gas chambers and the crematoria are clearly visible. In one of the photos, a train has just arrived and the SS guards are separating the fit-looking new inmates from the young, old and infirm who were destined to be gassed and burned immediately.

In another photo, smoke is seen rising from open pits being used to burn bodies the crematoria couldn't cope with. But the photos were not analysed at the time - simply filed away.

Using these photos as a unique starting point, Auschwitz - the Forgotten Evidence takes an entirely new look at the Holocaust by asking: 'What did the Allies know about the Nazi extermination camp?' 'When did they find out about it?' And, most importantly, 'What could they have done to stop the killing?' When Prime Minister Churchill heard about Auschwitz, he was appalled. He called it 'probably the greatest and most horrible crime ever committed in the whole history of the world' and implored the RAF to bomb the camp or the railway lines leading up to it. But this was never done.

This film explores all the arguments around the practical difficulties of bombing Auschwitz but asks if the Allies should not have done something to stop the killing? Using a combination of interviews with survivors from Auschwitz, and contributions from expert historians, Auschwitz - the Forgotten Evidence takes a new view of one of the greatest crimes in history.

Sources:
video.google.com
www.history.ca