he Buchenwald concentration camp was one of the largest camp systems in Germany. Until the end of 1943, only men were imprisoned in the camp complex. These men were largely from political or royal backgrounds and came from the countries invaded by the Nazi army. Buchenwald was not an extermination camp fit with gas chambers and large crematoriums. This camp killed inmates through starvation, forced labor, medical experiments, lethal injections, and hangings. As the Russian Army invaded from the east, Buchenwald's numbers swelled with an oncoming tide of prisoners being evacuated from camps like Auschwitz and Dachau. Thousands died in the last months of this camp's operation due to the lack of food, water, and the sheer number of individuals interned behind the barbed wire. This large camp complex held many famous politicians, but also held individuals from all across Europe who were imprisoned for the very reason that they lived.