how many people were killed at sachsenhausen

Sachsenhausen under Nazi Germany

The camp was established in 1936.

Camp layout

The Main gate or Guard Tower "A", with its 8mm Maxim machine gun, the type used by the Germans in the trenches of World War I, housed the offices of the camp administration. On the front entrance gates to Sachsenhausen is the slogan commonly used on other facilities, Arbeit Macht Frei ("work makes (you) free").

Custody zone

The camp was secure and there were few successful escapes. The perimeter consisted of a 3-metre-high (9.8 ft) stone wall on the outside. Within that there was a space that was patrolled by guards and dogs; it was bordered on the inside by a lethal electric fence; inside that was a gravel "death strip" forbidden to the prisoners.

Slave labour

Sachsenhausen was the site of Operation Bernhard, one of the largest currency counterfeiting operations ever recorded. The Germans forced inmate artisans to produce forged American and British currency, as part of a plan to undermine the British and American economies, courtesy of Sicherheitsdienst (SD) chief Reinhard Heydrich.

Prisoner abuses

Overall, at least 30,000 inmates died in Sachsenhausen from causes such as exhaustion, disease, malnutrition and pneumonia, as a result of the poor living conditions. Many were executed or died as the result of brutal medical experimentation.

Prisoners held or executed at Sachsenhausen

Seven men of the British Army's No. 2 Commando, captured after the highly successful Operation Musketoon, were executed at Sachsenhausen. They were shot on 23 October 1942, five days after Adolf Hitler issued his commando order calling for the killing of all captured members of commando units.

Aftermath

With the advance of the Red Army in the spring of 1945, Sachsenhausen was prepared for evacuation. On 20–21 April, the camp's SS staff ordered 33,000 inmates on a forced march northwest. Most of the prisoners were physically exhausted and thousands did not survive this death march; those who collapsed en route were shot by the SS.

How did the figure of 100,000 victims arise?

Instead the number of 100,000 first appeared in October 1945 in a letter Professor I. P. Traynin, a member of the ESC, wrote to Foreign Minister V. Molotov. The letter begins abruptly as follows [4]:

What were the six Russian barracks called?

The six “Russian barracks“ designated for the Soviet POWs at Sachsenhausen were named Kriegsgefangenen-Arbeitslager and strictly separated from the rest of the camp ( Russen-isolierung ). From an administrative point of view this sector was not a part of the concentration camp but became part of Kriegsgefangenen-Stalag Oranienburg instead. [9] Owing to the massive influx of POWs, the usual registration procedure which included delousing and 14 days of quarantine was apparently not observed, and within a short period of time typhus was rampant in the camp.

How many prisoners died in Sachsenhausen?

In the nine years of its existence, Sachsenhausen Concentration Camp (including all satellite camps and outstations) claimed the lives of about 22,000 male prisoners. In view of the fact that approximately 140,000 male deportees were sent (and registered) to this camp, this means that 15.7% of the prisoners perished. Compared to prison camps of other states, other wars and other times, such a percentage is unfortunately nothing extraordinary.

What was the purpose of the ESC?

As early as 1942 the Soviet authorities had founded an ”Extraordinary State Commission “ (ESC) aiming at ascertaining “crimes” committed by the ”German fascist occupiers” and the damage caused by them. The activities of the ESC naturally extended to the German concentration camps that had been liberated by the Red Army. Thus a Soviet commission carried out an investigation at Sachsenhausen in May/June 1945, one of its tasks being the ascertainment of the number of victims of the camp.

Where was the Russenaktion?

The Russenaktion was carried out in the northern sector of the Industriehof (industrial court) which was situated outside the camp triangle. A special part of the Industriehof was the so-called Holz- und Kohleplatz (wood and coal yard), which was protected from prying eyes by walls and buildings. According to the official history (which was later confirmed by former SS men before West-German Courts), the unsuspecting prisoners were marched into the barracks where they were placed in front of a supposed height-measuring device. Through an opening in the wall behind this device, the victim was killed with a shot in the back of his neck by a man standing in the adjacent room, various SS- Blockführer acting as executioners.

Who wrote the prisoners report?

One of the earliest post-war documents about Sachsenhausen Concentration Camp is the so-called prisoners’ report ( Häftlingsbericht) authored by Hellmut Bock. The report exists in seven or eight – more or less different – versions. The first version which was presumably completed on 7 May 1945 is now lost, but an English translation has remained. [14] There we read:

How many people were in Sachsenhausen in 1939?

In September 1939, thousands of communists, social-democrats and former trade union leaders were arrested in Germany. About 5,000 of them were sent to Sachsenhausen, as well as 900 Jews. At the end of September 1939, there were 8,384 prisoners in the camp. In November 1939, this number increased to 11,311 prisoners. Also at this time, the first Typhus epidemic broke out. Because the SS refused to provide the prionsers with any medical care and due to the lack of food, hundreds of inmates died in the following weeks. The dead were originally sent to the crematories installed in nearby Berlin, located not far from Sachsenhausen. As the war progressed, the first crematory was built in Sachsenhausen in April 1940.

What was the purpose of the Sachsenhausen camp?

Sachsenhausen was intended to set a standard for other concentration camps, both in its design and the treatment of prisoners. The camp perimeter is, approximately, an equilateral triangle with a semi circular roll call ...

How many Jews were in prison in 1938?

In November 1938, just after the events of Kristallnacht ,1,800 Jews were jailed in Sachsenhausen and about 450 of them were subquently murdered in the following weeks.

Why did the SS send 900 inmates to Sachsenhausen?

Due to the lack of food and the incredible cruelties of the SS , most of them died during this period.

Why is the number of gassed victims unknown?

The number of gassed victims is unknown because the transports for gassings were not registered in the entry registers of the camp. With the advance of the Red Army in the spring of 1945, Sachsenhausen was prepared for evacuation.

What was the largest counterfeiting operation ever?

Sachsenhausen was also the site of the largest counterfeiting operation ever, perhaps. The Nazis forced Jewish artisans to produce forged American and British currency, as part of a plan to undermine the British and United States’ economies, courtesy of Sicherheitsdienst (SD) chief Reinhard Heydrich.

How high was the perimeter of the camp?

The camp was secure and there were few successful escapes. The perimeter consisted of a three metre high wall on the outside. Within that there was a path used by guards and dogs; it was bordered on the inside by a lethal electric fence; inside that was a “death strip” forbidden to the prisoners.

Why did many prisoners die in Sachsenhausen?

Many prisoners would die in Sachsenhausen due to exhaustion, starvation, exposure, abuse, and lack of medical care. In April 1941, a commission of SS doctors conducted a "selection" among the prisoners at Sachsenhausen.

What did the SS force the prisoners to do?

The SS authorities forced the prisoners to perform hard labor. Before the outbreak of the war, camp authorities assigned prisoner work detachments largely to construction and industrial sites in the vicinity of the camp.

Why did prisoners starve in the winter of 1939?

By the winter of 1939-1940, prisoners began to starve from insufficient nourishment. Sanitary conditions in the camp had been primitive from the outset, but worsened still following the outbreak of war. In the last months before the end of the war the death rate increased at an incredible rate.

What was the main camp at Sachsenhausen?

camps. forced labor. The main camp at Sachsenhausen consisted of a roll-call area, around 50 barracks for prisoners, as well as barracks that served as a washroom, kitchen, infirmary, multiple warehouses, offices, and workshops.

What was the name of the operation that expanded the Euthanasia?

Over the next three months the commission ordered prisoners too ill or weak to work, as well as prisoners with disabilities, to be killed as part of Operation 14f13, which expanded the so-called Euthanasia Program into the concentration camps.

How many guard towers were there in the camp?

Around the perimeter were nine guard towers. In the early years of the camp, food rations were meager, but sufficient for most prisoners to survive except perhaps those in the punishment detail, to whom the camp personnel allotted smaller rations.

Where did the SS build the brickworks?

(Deutsche Erd- und Steinwerke (DESt), and forced prisoners to begin construction at a site called Klinkerwerk (brickworks) in the nearby town of Lehnitz. Camp personnel marched 1,500 prisoners to and from the Klinkerwerk each day until ...

How many internees were there in the Klinkerwerk?

Each day the SS marched up to 2,000 internees over the canal bridge to the Klinkerwerk brickworks before the eyes of the local populace. This detail was particularly feared by internees as a “death camp”, especially as the SS used the Klinkerwerk for carrying out deliberate murder operations.

How many people were in the Sachsenhausen concentration camp?

Some 80,000 people were incarcerated in Sachsenhausen concentration camp and its satellites at the beginning of 1945, of whom 58,000 were in the Sachsenhausen main camp. When the Red Army reached the River Oder, the camp commandant, following the instructions of the top SS leadership, ordered preparations to be made for evacuating the camp.

When was the Sachsenhausen concentration camp built?

Model camp. Sachsenhausen concentration camp was built in the summer of 1936 by internees from the camps in the Emsland region. It was the first new concentration camp to be established following the appointment of Reich Leader SS Heinrich Himmler as the Chief of the German Police in July 1936.

What was forced labor in Sachsenhausen?

Forced labour. Initially, internees were forced to work in workshops and factories owned by the SS in the camp’s industrial yard as well as in various punishment details such as the "Klinkerwerk" (brickworks) or the “shoe running detail”. From the late summer of 1938 internees of Sachsenhausen concentration camp were forced to build ...

What was the purpose of the Camp of the SS?

Planned on the drawing board of an SS architect, it was conceived as an ideal concentration camp giving architectural expression to the world view of the SS and intended to subject the internees to the absolute power of the SS both symbolically and in reality. As a model camp which was also used for training SS guards and as a concentration camp in ...

How many people were interned in Sachsenhausen?

More than 200,000 people were interned in Sachsenhausen concentration camp between 1936 and 1945. They included political opponents of the Nazi regime, members of groups declared by the Nazis to be racially or biologically inferior, such as Jews, Sinti and Roma, and people persecuted as homosexuals, as well as so-called “career criminals” ...

What was the Shoe Running Detail?

Satellite camp. The “shoe running detail” was set up in 1940 and was under the command of civilian officials from the “Reich” Ministry of Economics.

What were the factories in Sachsenhausen?

Large companies built factories close to the camp so that they could use the prisoners' slave labour. They included AEG, Siemens & Halske, Heinkel Flugzeugwerke, IG Farben and Daimler Benz Werke. Sachsenhausen had approximately 100 auxiliary camps and external commandos. Among the best-known was the „Schuhläuferkommando“, in which prisoners had to walk along a marked track all day in order to stress-test materials suitable for army footwear. A much-feared penal camp was Klinkerwerk, where the prisoners made bricks for the future development of Berlin according to Albert Speer's plans. Prisoners were later used to produce grenades there.

How many prisoners died in Sachsenhausen?

In November 1939, the number of prisoners in Sachsenhausen exceeded 11 300. Hundreds of prisoners died as the result of a typhus epidemic and the refusal of medical aid to the sick. The corpses were initially taken to the crematorium in Berlin; it was only in April 1940 that a crematorium was set up in the camp itself.

How many prisoners were in the Allied advance?

In April 1945, orders were given for the evacuation of the 33 000 remaining prisoners, who set out on a death march northwards towards the sea in groups of 400.

How many people died in the death march?

The Nazis' aim was to put them on to a ship and then sink it. Over six thousand prisoners died on the death march before it was liberated near Schwerin by the Soviet and US armies. Approximately 3 000 prisoners, 1 400 of them women, remained in the camp and were liberated on the 22nd of April 1945 by Soviet soldiers.

How many prisoners were deported from Esterwegen?

In August and September 1938, 900 prisoners were deported there from Esterwegen to continue the construction of the camp. The camp was ready by the end of September, and the first political prisoners were sent there. In addition to wooden huts for prisoners, the camp also had brick houses for SS members and several factory halls where ...

When was the gas chamber added to the station Z?

In March 1943 , a gas chamber was added to „Station Z“, and was used until the end of the war. It is not known how many people fell victim to this gas chamber, since the transports designed to be gassed did not undergo registration procedures.

Who were the commanders of Sachsenhausen?

Sachsenhausen's commanders were Hermann Baranowski, Hans Loritz, Walter Eisfeld and Anton Kaindl . Anton Kaindl on trial in Berlin, 23rd of October - 1st of November 1947. (Photo: Archives of the Federal Security Service of the Russian Fed., courtesy of USHMM Photo Archives.)

Why is Station Z called Station Z?

The name " Station Z " resulted from the fact that the tower above the entrance gate was named "A". The SS made a macabre joke; if the entrance was “A”, the first point, then the exit (the crematorium) was “Z” – the last. The L-shaped, one storey building contained four stationary ovens, a shot-in-the-neck installation, ...

How many people died in Ravensbrück?

How many prisoners were killed is unknown but witnesses mention up to 4,000 victims. In the course of the evacuation of the camp, all of the technical installations of the gas chamber were dismantled.

How many corpses could be cremated in the ovens?

About 600 corpses could be cremated in the ovens within 24 hours. Although the building was located outside the camp and separated by a high wall, the site was recognizable because of its chimney. In 1943 the very small gas chamber was installed.

What happened to the crematory in Pankow?

The crematory building, which was completely intact when the camp was liberated , was blown up by the GDR Volkspolizei in 1952/53.

When was the gas chamber built?

In 1943 the very small gas chamber was installed. Commandant Anton Kaindl testified that he was ordered by Richard Glücks (Inspector of the KZs) to build the gas chamber in 1942, and that he did so in autumn 1943. In contrast, Paul Sakowski testified that the gas chamber already existed in 1942. The room was tiled and equipped with real showers.

When was Sachsenhausen memorial planned?

Only when the Sachsenhausen memorial was planned in the early 1960s, were remnants of the foundations and ovens were found and saved. The problematic nature of this part of the memorial during the existence of the GDR has been replaced by a more suitable arrangement during recent years.

When did the last gassings happen in Ravensbrück?

Smaller scale gassings, carried out solely by the SS, also happened. The last gassings occurred shortly before the camp was evacuated. As had earlier been the case in Ravensbrück, the so-called "Moll-Kommando" was active again.

Overview

Prisoner abuses

Sachsenhausen under Nazi Germany

Camp layout

Neutral zone

Slave labour

Prisoners held or executed at Sachsenhausen

Aftermath

The Conclusions of The Soviet Investigating Commission

Which Figures Are These Reports Referring to?

How Did The Figure of 100,000 Victims Arise?

• The man in the Kremlin, who was responsible for millions of deaths in the GULAG and who had his propagandist Ilya Ehrenburg claim 4 million victims of Auschwitz before the Red Army had even entered that camp, was apparently not sufficiently impressed by the Sachsenhausen death toll. For this reason, the figure of 19,900 (or slightly more) victims n...

See more on codoh.com

The Soviet Prisoners of War at Sachsenhausen Concentration Camp

Typhus

The “Russenaktion“

Soviet Propaganda

The Number of Allegedly Shot Russian POWs According to The Witnesses

The Number of Shooting Victims – Official Statements

The Russian Сommemorative Stone