The prisoners were forced to run with the threat of the SS shooting anyone who cannot keep up with the march looming over them. Death was also possible by being trampled and this entire journey must have been incredibly hard for Elie considering the condition that his foot was in. Elie did manage to march on though with the thought of his father pushing him onward. They eventually stop at a village and the frigid cold keeps them from falling asleep. I cannot image the difficulty that Elie must have had with this entire trip with his body telling him he can't do it but his mind willing him on. The prisoners then arrive at Gleiwitz and Elie's father is nearly killed however he is saved when Elie causes confusion and gets his father out of the line that led to certain death.
There is then a ten day train ride in which 20 dead corpses are thrown out of the train. Elie's father was nearly one of the corpses that were thrown out however he managed to convince those throwing the corpses that his father was still alive. This same father son love is not seen in the rest of the train as rations are not given and when a morsel of bread is thrown into the car, fighting ensues in which a son kills his father for the bread and is then killed himself. This just shows how desperate and scared, as well as hungry the prisoners were when they are killing each other over a piece of bread.
http://www.ushmm.org/wlc/en/article.php?ModuleId=10005189
A link to a page with information about Auschwitz as well as subcamps such as Gleiwitz
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