Death March

When the Germans saw that they would soon lose the war, in an effort to hide evidence of the camps, they evacuated prisoners to more centralized camps by marching them for weeks at a time – Thousands of these died from starvation, thirst, exposure, disease, or were murdered by the guards during forced marches from one camp to another – They were left where they fell and died

Death March (Wikipedia)
For other uses, see Death march (disambiguation).

A death march is a forced march of prisoners of war or other captives or deportees in which individuals are left to die along the way. It is distinct from simple prisoner transport via foot march. Article 19 of the Geneva Convention requires that prisoners must be moved away from a danger zone such as an advancing front line, to a place that may be considered more secure. It is not required to evacuate prisoners who are too unwell or injured to move. In times of war, such evacuations can be difficult to carry out.

Armenians being led away by armed guards from Harpoot, where the educated and the influential of the city were selected to be massacred at the nearest suitable site, May 1915.

Death marches usually feature harsh physical labor and abuse, neglect of prisoner injury and illness, deliberate starvation and dehydration, humiliation, torture, and execution of those unable to keep up the marching pace. The march may end at a prisoner-of-war camp or internment camp, or it may continue until all those who are forced to march are dead.