4. Arrival procedures varied from camp to camp
Once the prisoners arrived at the camp, regardless of their method of transport, they were processed by the camp staff. It is widely believed that all prisoners were tattooed with their assigned number, though that is untrue. Some camps, (such as Auschwitz) did tattoo the prisoners’ numbers on their wrists. Others had them sewn into their newly issued prison uniform. All camps shaved the heads of the prisoners and forced them into showers, for the purpose of protecting against lice in the camps which were not extermination facilities. From the point of being issued a number that was typically how the prisoner was addressed by the Germans, by number rather than name.
Barracks assignments were made (men, women and children were separated upon arrival) and all personal possessions which the prisoners had brought with them were taken away by Kapos, closely watched by the SS guards. A Kapo who notified a guard of a particularly valuable piece of jewelry or a handsome watch could expect a special reward, such as extra bread, from the SS man. Either during the processing or shortly thereafter the prisoner was notified of their work assignment and turned over to the appropriate Kapo to begin their life at the camp.