Holocaust Memorial Day: How Much Did Britain Actually Know About The Mass Murder?

How Much Did Britain Actually Know About The Holocaust?

On the 70th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz-Birkenau, the Huffington Post UK is running a series of pieces on how we remember the Holocaust, from the victims and perpetrators to the untold stories on what's likely to be one of the last major commemorations with living survivors.

Decades after the Nazi Holocaust ended, the atrocities are remembered as one of the darkest periods in European history.

Around 11 million people were killed at the hands of a brutal regime, sent to labour camps where they were starved, forced to work and ultimately murdered.

Britain condemned the persecution of Jews and other groups, and fought with other Allied nations to stop Germany's advance across the continent. But it is not clear how fully the British government understood the horrors taking place - or if they took enough action to end them.

Yale F. Edeiken, a US lawyer who was part of The Holocaust History Project, said: "Recent research indicates that knowledge of the Holocaust was much more widespread then previously thought."

News of the Holocaust reached Britain in fragments, via various channels, and was pieced together to reveal the full devastating picture.

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