I'm watching a documentary that says the SS began to imprison political enemies in Dachau in 1934. Is it known if any of the initial batch of prisoners survived until the end of the war?
Dam I thought this was a killer AMA.
I was in the museum at Dachau a couple of months ago,and to answer your question shortly: Very very low.
Longer answer:
Even though it was not a camp where people were gassed or killed directly, the death toll was still immense. The biggest causes of death were malnourishment, extreme discipline by the guards (especially forcing the prisoners to stand still for hours in all weather conditions, combined with malnourishment), and disease. Disease was allowed to spread rapidly because of the low immune systems of the prisoners, and because four prisoners eventually had to share a wooden sleeping plank the size of a 1-person mattress.
Many of the prisoners were eventually moved to camps further to the east to make room for new prisoners. I cannot speak to the increased or decreased chances of survival here. The museum also shows that the people who participated actively in the 'prisoner culture' (with music, shows and poetry) had slightly higher chance of survival.
If you're ever in Munich it is definitely worth it to take the trip up to Dachau (~20 minutes by train). The museum there has so much information that it will take hours upon hours to go through it all. It will also leave you very emotionally drained.