NEW YORK (JTA) – The discovery in an Auschwitz bunker of a list with the names of 17 British soldiers has prompted a debate among historians.
The document was unearthed during routine preservation work at the concentration camp, according to the British Daily Mail.
One group of historians believes the names belong to Jewish prisoners of war sent to the camp; another claims the 17 men comprised a British SS division that fought alongside the Nazis in World War II.
“They were clearly the names of English soldiers, we presume prisoners of war, but we want to try and find out more about them and want British help to do so,” Polish historian Dominik Synowic told the Austrian Times. “The surnames include Osborne, Lawrence and Gardiner, and beside eight of the 17 names is a tick.”
According to the Daily Mail, Polish authorities have requested access to British military archives in the hope that those records will shed some light on the Auschwitz list.
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