Yes, there is a distinction between 'concentration camps' -
established from the time at the Nazis came to power in 1933. These where
fore-mostly prisons and forced labour camps, although many died at these camps
- through, for example, ill-treatment, hunger and executions - that was not
their main purpose.
This is in contrast to the 'extermination (or death) camps'
that where established primarily in Poland following the invasion and
occupation of that country by the Nazis in 1939. These camps where designed and
built to kill and where part of what is known as the 'Final Solution' - the
extermination of all Jews. As such JWs where not sent to these camps, with the
exception of Auschwitz - although it should be noted that Auschwitz itself
comprised of a number of camps, not all that would be called 'extermination
camps', and this would have been after the start of the war.
Today I believe there is a tendency, especially in general
conversations, for people to use the word 'concentration camp' to reference
both types of camps - which is sad, because there was a clear distinction. (In
the 1930's the British public was aware that Britain had also operated
concentration camps in which thousands had died).
As you highlighted, with clear 'black and white' newspaper
examples, the 'names' of Auschwitz, Buchenwald, Dachau, and Sachsenhausen (all
camps to which JWs had been sent) would have been known to those in Britain who
read those articles - this means that the names of those camps where clearly
more widely known amongst the general population than the WT article makes it
appear - and thus the WT was wrong and misleading to make such a statement.
