Furthermore, the events in Dr (Horst - the name is not mentioned in the series) Schumann's laboratory are inauthentic and utterly incomprehensible (episode 3). Based on the chronology, it should be 1943 (the event take place shortly after Roma prisoner arrive at the camp, and the Zigeunerlager was established in February 1943). We see naked women lying on beds as Lali enters the barracks. Some of them are tied (why?). There, Lali tattoos a group of female prisoners in striped uniforms, and from Baretzki's words it is clear that they are patients of the hospital. In this episode, it is already unrealistic that Lali comes to the barracks at night and that an SS doctor is present at the time.
In the scene, Lali is depicted attempting to request medication from a female inmate, acting as a nurse within the barracks, to treat the ailing Gita. A critical oversight in the costume design is evident here, as the woman can be observed wearing a red cross armband on her arm, contrary to the standard insignia worn by prison medical staff. Moreover, this particular prisoner possesses a camp number beginning with the letter A-numbering within this series, which began in 1944.
Nonetheless, the most doubtful motif revolves around a peculiar agreement between Lali and Schumann. The doctor promises to give Lali the necessary medicine, but only on the condition that he does him a favour. In the next scene, we see Lali carrying the weak and sick prisoners out in front of the barracks. In the morning, he discovers that they will be transported to the gas chambers, implying that the medicines he received were likely payment for assisting in the selection process, which leads to his profound feelings of guilt.
This scene, unquestionably evocative, is paradoxically lacking in authenticity and unfathomable for individuals well-versed in Auschwitz's history. Firstly, there was no justification or feasibility for Lali to be in this barrack. The experimental stations were strictly isolated, prohibiting female prisoners and inmates (excluding those assigned to work there, such as doctors and nurses) from entry. Secondly, considering that the selection process was consistently conducted by SS doctors rather than prisoners, it becomes initially challenging to comprehend Lali's actions and the reasons behind him carrying the barely alive victims of the experiments out in front of the barracks. Thirdly, prisoners designated for death were immediately directed either to block 25 (which served as the death block until the first half of 1943) or directly to the gas chambers and could not be left outside the barrack all night. Fourthly, it should be noted that the woman who attempted suicide by jumping over the fence in this particular scene ought to have been electrocuted. This is in stark contrast to the prisoner who successfully jumps over the fence in broad daylight (episode 3). Electric current flowed through the fence wires at night and was switched off during the day. Such a decision could not have been taken arbitrarily by an SS doctor.
It is equally implausible that during the liquidation of the Zigeunerlager, Lali (or any other non-Roma prisoners) could have freely roamed between the barracks of this camp, observing the unfolding events. Furthermore, it is highly improbable that, under those circumstances, any of the prisoners would have possessed the bravery to approach an SS officer and inquire about the true nature of the situation. Moreover, they still had the recollection of the liquidation of the Theresienstadt Jewish family camp just a few weeks prior. They were fully aware of the fact that all its occupants had met their demise in the gas chambers. Accordingly, Lali's behaviour depicted in the series during the liquidation of the Zigeunerlager should be deemed incredible.
Disregarding further detailed justification, I would like to point out some inaccuracies in the plot. For instance, in episode 1, Aron is sent to die instead of Lali, which is not historically accurate. In episode 5, Hoffmanova offers herself to death during the selection process in exchange for a young prisoner who had recently given birth, which is also not accurate. The show also depicts the re-tattooing of women with allegedly faded numbers in episode 1, which is not valid. Additionally, the show portrays Lali and Gita leaving their workplaces for their meetings in the barracks of the women's camp, which is also inaccurate, as depicted in episodes 2 and 4. These examples provide enough evidence to discredit the idea that The Tattooist of Auschwitz series has a significantly higher factual value than the original book.
Indeed, It is important to acknowledge and appreciate the effort made to eliminate the contentious elements of those new ideas. Unfortunately, their elimination was done by simply cutting out the questionable passages, which, however, without the consistent introduction of further script changes, created, in some cases, an impression of discontinuity and a loss of cause-and-effect logic in the succession of events. Sometimes, substituting conflicting historical elements with alternative ones (such as transforming Dr Mengele's persona into Schumann) resulted in replacing one falsehood with another far removed from the truth.
The portrayal of the plot involving hiding a camp number under another tattoo for an escapee from the camp deserves recognition. In Heather Morris's book, there is a scene where a young prisoner, Mendel, comes to Lali asking for help. It turns out that a few days earlier while working outside the camp, he inadvertently escaped— he went into the bushes for a moment, and during this time his commando had marched back to the camp. He was quickly captured by some soldiers and returned to Auschwitz, where he was to be hanged the next morning. Thanks to Lali's connections with female prisoners working in the camp office, the would-be escapee was added to a transport of boys who had not been subjected to the registration process in Auschwitz at all and were to be transferred to another camp that evening. To avoid detection, Lali tattoos a snake on Mendel's forearm, under which he hides the camp number.
This scene, as depicted by the author, is completely inauthentic for many reasons, however, it is based on a real story. The protagonist of this story is Czesław Mordowicz, a Polish Jew deported to KL Auschwitz in December 1942 (he received number 84216; in the series, a prisoner marked with this number is seen in the second episode; during the execution of Tomasz, he stands opposite the gallows, right in front of Lali, in the third row of prisoners). On 27 May 1944, Mordowicz escaped from Auschwitz with Arnošt Rosin (it was not a random or spontaneous escape, but well-thought-out and planned). After reaching Slovakia, both gave a comprehensive account of the situation in KL Auschwitz to representatives of the Jewish Council, which was passed on to the allies and made public.
In August 1944, Mordowicz was re-arrested and deported to Auschwitz in a group of Jews. He was not identified as an escapee and probably ended up in one of the transit camps in Birkenau. Transit camps were a kind of labor reserve, and Jews placed there were generally moved to camps deeper inside the Reich in a short time, hence they were not subject to the routine tattooing procedure. However, Mordowicz was aware that revealing his number could risk exposure, so he tried to remove the tattoo through self-mutilation while still on the train. Upon arrival at Auschwitz, he asked Eisenberg to hide it under another tattoo, which was done. Mordowicz survived the war and provided a detailed account, describing the specifics of this event.
With an understanding of the existing discourse surrounding the series' historical accuracy in relation to the book, it becomes pertinent to shift our focus to the subsequent section, where we delve into the pivotal matter: the evaluation of the series' didactic potential - specifically, what it teaches about the Holocaust. When evaluating the educational merit of The Tattooist of Auschwitz, it is essential to consider various questions, such as whether individuals with limited knowledge of World War II can gain insights into the German extermination camps and comprehend why they are referred to as "death factories". Will the recipient perceive the pivotal role played by KL Auschwitz as both a concentration and extermination camp during the war? Will they discover the detailed methodology behind the industrial-scale genocide of the Jews, including its planning, systematisation, and organisation?
In the serialised image, we often see people dressed in civilian clothes, standing in rows in various camp sections. One may notice a Star of David on their clothing, making it possible to recognise that they are Jews. Occasionally these people become foregrounded in events, such as in episode 2, when Baretzki pulls two young women with advanced pregnancies out of line. In fact, it is not entirely clear who these people are. They are on the camp grounds, next to the barracks - which suggests that they are newly arrived prisoners awaiting registration at the camp. However, if they were people who had been accepted into the camp, they should have been divided by gender, meanwhile both men and women can be seen in the row. Baretzki reassures one of the women by saying that she will soon be taken to the delivery ward ('Maternity'). When asked by Lali where such a ward is located, Baretzki replies that this is what they tell pregnant women, then adds "I don't see any babies here. Do you?"("That's what we tell the pregnant ones. I don't see any babies around here. Do you?").