had to be laid out for the last roll call outside the barracks and taken to the crematorium after the number had been crossed off the register. It was strictly prohibited to dump bodies in disarray within the camp, as this could have led to chaos in the records and posed an epidemiological risk.
The portrayal of SS men shooting prisoners for any reason is exaggerated in both the book and the TV series. Although there may have been isolated incidents of such, they were not indicative of habitual conduct, contrary to what the series implies. In episode 2, an SS officer remorselessly shoots a female prisoner who falls from the truck and injures her leg. Similarly, in episode 4, he takes the life of a female prisoner who tries to bribe a female block leader into sharing information about the whereabouts of her sister. Not just the SS man's behavior, but the entire scene seems quite ridiculous. It is not only puzzling where the prisoner got the money from but also why she brazenly brandishes it in front of the block leader, seemingly oblivious to the presence of SS officers nearby. However, returning to the crux of the matter, the belief that SS officers shot prisoners incessantly for even the slightest or no apparent reason is a stereotype. This exaggeration originates from the popular perception of the camp's realities but deviates from historical accuracy.
Paradoxically, while the series depicts instances of the SS crew using weapons without justification, it also portrays a situation where they were obligated to shoot but ultimately failed to do so. In episode 2, we witness a group of prisoners marching to or from work when suddenly, one breaks away from the line and starts running towards an open field. Since he says a moment earlier that he has had enough ('I'm done'), the viewer guesses that, under the influence of a nervous breakdown, this prisoner wants to commit suicide in this way (he knows he will be shot). The escorting guard commando rapidly rushes to chase the fugitive, leaving the remaining prisoners virtually unattended. Upon apprehension, they clobber the fugitive with batons and drag the individual back into line. Common sense alone suggests that, in a similar case, the SS men could not, in pursuit of one fugitive, move away from the rest of the escorted commando, thus creating favourable conditions for the others to follow the fugitive. Conversely, the guards were duty-bound to use firearms. A specialised instruction was implemented to govern the actions of sentries assigned to concentration camps. This directive employed visual aids to clearly illustrate the expected and unacceptable behaviour of SS men, employing a simple "good-bad" contrast. This approach ensured that even guards with lower intellectual capabilities could grasp the intended message.
All the serialised scenes involving Stefan Baretzki at night in the camp (within the perimeter fence or in the barracks) are entirely unrealistic. At night, the camp streets were essentially empty. Prisoners did not leave their blocks (they used buckets placed in the corners of the barracks for physiological needs), and the guards stationed on the watchtowers had the authority to open fire if they observed increased movement between the barracks. Therefore, as a rule, SS men did not enter the camp area after dark, and their possible presence (only justifiable in cases mandated by official orders) was indicated by a red lamp installed on the fence. Meanwhile, in episode 2, a drunken Baretzki comes to the women's camp at at night at his own initiative, calls Gita out of the barracks, and, after talking to her for a while, starts molesting her. After realising that Gita is unwell, he walks away and staggers to Lali's barracks, where he eventually falls onto the muddy ground. Lali takes the SS man to his room, where Baretzki stays (apparently until morning). Nothing in this sequence of events is authentic. An SS man was not allowed to enter the camp outside duty hours. Moreover, he would have been prohibited from entering if he appeared visibly intoxicated. Also, Baretzki's presence in the women's camp was unfeasible due to the presence of female supervisors and the established restriction on SS men entering without a legitimate reason. According to an order from the commandant , only eight SS men holding senior positions were allowed to enter the women's camp, including the camp manager, the head of the political department and the chief doctor. Furthermore, the depiction that Baretzki spends the night in the prisoner barracks is highly unlikely. Upon completing his duty, he was obligated to return to the barracks and could only leave with official authorisation.
The series' creators were probably keen to show the complicated, pathological relationship between Baretzki and Lali. In reality, however, the portrayal of the relationship between a prisoner and an SS man in this manner is not accurate.
The serial Baretzki consistently accompanies Lali during his daily tasks, indicating that he held the position of Kommandoführer, or supervisor, within the working group that Lali was a part of (the tattooists were members of the commando responsible for registering newcomers, the so-called Aufnahmekommando). Contrarily, camp documents indicate that SS-Rottenführer Stefan Baretzki served as Blockführer (first in the main camp and then in Birkenau); this is also how Lali addresses him, including in episode 1, in the scene where Baretzki meets him as the new tattooist. These functions are mutually exclusive - the Blockführer was in charge of the prisoner block, while the Kommandoführer supervised the work commando during its working hours but was not allowed to enter the housing barracks afterwards. Meanwhile, the series portrays Baretzki as constantly by Lali's side, sometimes it may seem that even around the clock, both at the workplace and within the barracks. The viewer may even get the impression that this guard is responsible for solely supervising this single prisoner. There are numerous scenes in which Baretzki escorts exclusively Lali - although it looks more like he is paving his way through the camp. In nearly every instance, Baretzki (along with the other SS men in similar scenes) consistently walks a few paces ahead of Lali with no control over what is happening behind him. Thus, in the serialised image, it is plausible that unnoticed, Gita runs up to Lali, who is walking between the storage barracks. They hastily shake hands, and look deeply into each other's eyes, and before Baretzki has time to turn around and notice what is happening, Gita is dragged away by fellow women prisoners (this is one of the first camp scenes of the series). Of course, it is not entirely impossible