Bergen Belsen concentration camp archive. Bergen-Belsen (concentration camp)

Between the village of Belsen and the small town of Bergen, which gave it its name. Despite the fact that the camp was not equipped with gas chambers, it became the place of death of tens of thousands of prisoners.

The first prisoners of the death camp

The story of what Bergen-Belsen was like - the concentration camp that received such notoriety - should begin with statistics. From the documents of those years it can be seen that only during the period from 1943 to 1945 more than fifty thousand people died of starvation and disease in it. In total, for the entire period of the war, the number of his victims exceeds seventy thousand.

The date of its creation is 1940. The Bergen-Belsen camp, the photo of which is presented in this article, was built to contain French and Belgian prisoners of war, who, in the amount of six hundred people, became its first prisoners. However, with the outbreak of hostilities on the territory of the USSR, their ranks were replenished with twenty thousand Soviet soldiers and officers who were captured by the enemy. During the year, eighteen thousand of them died of starvation and disease.

Nazi exchange fund

In 1943 the official status of the camp changed. It no longer received prisoners of war, and their place was taken by prisoners who had foreign citizenship, which could, on occasion, be exchanged for German citizens held in similar camps of countries. The first echelon with prisoners falling under this category arrived from Buchenwald in April 1943 of the year. Soon the number of arrivals was replenished by prisoners from the Natzweiler-Struthof camp, and after some time from the territory of France.

Internal organization of the camp

The Bergen-Belsen camp, starting in 1943, had a rather complex structure. It included several divisions that differed both in the contingent of prisoners and their content. The most favorable conditions were in the so-called neutral camp (Neutralenlager).

Prisoners from countries that adhered to neutrality were brought here. These were mainly citizens of Portugal, Argentina, Spain and Turkey. The regime of detention here was much milder than in other departments. The prisoners were not forced to work and were fed relatively well.

In another section, called the "Special Camp" (Sonderlager), there were Jews from Warsaw, Lvov and Krakow. The Bergen-Belsen concentration camp became their place of detention because these people had temporary passports from South American countries such as Paraguay and Honduras, and were also suitable for exchange. They were not forced to work, but kept in strict isolation, since before their arrival in the camp, many of them had witnessed the atrocities perpetrated by SS units in Poland.

Detention of Dutch and Hungarian Jews in the camp

In Bergen-Belsen - a concentration camp of a special type - in 1944, Jews from Holland were brought, who until then had been in other camps. The sector in which they were kept was called "Star" (Sternlager). It received this name due to the fact that the prisoners who were in it were given the right to wear not camp striped clothes, but their usual ones, but after having sewn a six-pointed star of David on it. The fate of the Jews deported from Holland during the Second World War was no less tragic than their counterparts from other countries. Of the eleven thousand people, only six thousand survived to the end of the war.

In July 1944, more than 1,500 Jews from Hungary joined the Nazi concentration camp Bergen-Belsen. For their maintenance, a separate area was allocated, called the "Hungarian camp" (Ungarnlager). Probably, in the case of the proposed exchange, special hopes were placed on them, because the conditions for their detention were much better than in other departments. Initially, the Bergen-Belsen camp was conceived to contain only men, but in 1944 a women's section was also created in it.

Transfer of the camp to British troops

The Bergen-Belsen death camp became one of the few camps voluntarily handed over by the Germans to the Allied forces. This happened in April 1945. The reason was that when its territory was between two groups of troops - German and British - a typhus epidemic broke out in the camp, as a result of which a real threat of infection for the soldiers of both armies was created. In addition, Himmler, who gave the order to surrender the camp, was extremely unwilling to be liberated by the Soviet troops.

By April 1945, when the front line came close to him, there were about sixty thousand prisoners in the camp. Accordingly, it is forbidden to keep civilian prisoners in the war zone, however, in this case, the typhus epidemic made it impossible to evacuate them.

But even in such emergency conditions, in early April, seven thousand of the most promising, in terms of exchange, prisoners were sent by order of Himmler to neutral camps. Mostly they were Jews from Holland and Hungary, who had the citizenship of other states.

Negotiations to hand over the camp to the British

Despite the fact that the order to transfer the Bergen-Belsen camp to the Allied forces came from the highest leadership, negotiations with the British dragged on. The British were very reluctant to take responsibility for the lives of nine thousand sick people who were in an epidemic-ridden camp. In addition, for themselves it represented a serious danger of infection. To make the British more accommodating, the Germans offered to give them two strategically important bridges as a "dowry" to the camp without a fight.

Agreement conditions

According to the agreement finally reached, the territory surrounding Bergen-Belsen was declared a neutral zone. Until the arrival of the British military, the protection of the prisoners continued to be carried out by the Wehrmacht, who were guaranteed free access to the place of deployment of their units in the future.

According to the agreement reached, before handing over the camp to the British, the Nazis were obliged to restore order in it, and most importantly, to bury the corpses of the dead. This was an extremely difficult task, since thousands of unburied bodies lay in abundance on the territory. They were to be buried in deep trenches dug not far from the camp fence.

Scenes of the Apocalypse

From the memoirs of a participant in these events, a German soldier Rudolf Küstermeyer, it is known that for four days the prisoners - two thousand prisoners, of those who could still stand on their feet - dragged corpses that were in different stages of decomposition. The air was filled with a terrible stench.

Work continued from early morning until late at night. In the absence of the required number of stretchers, they used strips of tarpaulin, belts, or simply ropes tied to the arms and legs of corpses. It is hard to believe, but this hellish spectacle was accompanied by the sounds of two continuously playing orchestras, also made up of prisoners. And yet, when the deadline for handing over the camp came, and the British military had already entered it, there were more than ten thousand unburied corpses lying in the open on the territory.

Information made public

The British officer Derrick Sington, who took over the camp on April 15, 1945, subsequently wrote a book about it. In it, he says that immediately after the British entered the camp, sick prisoners were immediately transferred to a specially trained one, but, despite all the efforts of doctors, thirteen thousand people died.

It was the first of the death camps, information about which became the property of the American and British public. The reason is that it fell under the control of the British, and journalists immediately appeared on its territory, publicizing everything that they saw when they visited the Bergen-Belsen camp. The photos taken by them could be seen on the pages of many newspapers and magazines.

Retribution

At the end of the war, the camp staff consisted of eighty people and was headed by a commandant. All of them were immediately arrested and, with the exception of twenty who died as a result of infection with typhus, were brought before a British military tribunal, which met in the German city of Lüneburg. It was a trial of war criminals.

Despite the fact that the defendants held various positions in the staff of the camp, they were all charged on a common charge of murder and deliberately inhuman treatment of prisoners, which was a crime under the articles of the relevant international conventions.

The Bergen-Belsen concentration camp in the Third Reich had a special "privileged" status: rich Jews were kept here, for whom the Nazis planned to get a ransom. When it became clear that there would be no ransom, the Nazis turned Bergen-Belsen into a real "death factory". Rare photographs of Bergen-Belsen prisoners and their executioners taken after the camp was liberated.

The Bergen-Belsen concentration camp was far from the largest in the system of camps of the Third Reich - it did not even have its own crematorium. It was built in 1940 in the German province of Hanover as a Stalag - that is, as a prisoner of war camp. First of all, from "civilized" countries - from Belgium and France. Therefore, the conditions here were quite tolerable, the food was good, there was no work.

Then in 1941 about 20 thousand prisoners of war from the USSR arrived here. By the spring of 1942, almost all Red Army soldiers died from hunger, cold and disease. Then the prisoner of war camp was closed and converted into a concentration camp for the temporary detention of those prisoners who owned foreign passports and who could be exchanged for captured German subjects held in Allied camps. Also, 8 sections were created to keep prisoners of different categories.

Irma Grese and Josef Kramer. Irma Grese, nicknamed the "Angel of Death", is the camp's senior warden. She personally supervised mass executions, often personally killing prisoners. setting dogs on them or whipping them to death. Sentenced to hang.

First of all, this is a section for sick prisoners - for those who could no longer work in labor camps. In 1945, sick prisoners from all concentration camps in Germany were transferred to this section, where, without adequate medical care, they died en masse. On the eve of the liberation of Bergen-Belsen, about 200 camp inmates were killed by injection of phenol - this process was led by a prisoner named Karl Roth, who had the status of "head nurse". He was killed by the prisoners themselves.

Irma Grese and Josef Kramer. SS Hauptsturmführer Josef Kramer, nicknamed "The Belsen Maniac," went through all the steps of the career ladder - from a guard in Dapchau to the commandant of the Bergen-Belsen camp. Sentenced to hang.

Arrest of camp commandant Josef Kramer.

Secondly, the most massive was the "neutral" section - for Jews from neutral countries (Spain, Portugal, Argentina and Turkey). Since the Nazis expected to receive a ransom from their relatives, these Jews were not forced to work and were fed quite tolerably.

There was also a "special" section - for Polish Jews who had temporary passports of South American countries - Paraguay or Honduras. These prisoners also did not have to work - they were also expected to be ransomed by Jewish communities that financed the deportation of Jews to South America.

There was also a special "star" section, where Jews from Holland were kept. The conditions of detention here were even better than in other camps of the Third Reich: the local prisoners wore their own clothes with a yellow star of David sewn on them, and had to work. More than a third of those Dutch Jews who survived the Nazi concentration camps were prisoners of the Star Camp in Bergen-Belsen.

Gertrude Bothe, Warden. In 1942 she received an invitation to work as a warden in the Ravensbrück concentration camp. Then she was transferred to the Stutthof camp, where she received the nickname "Stutthof sadist" because of the cruel treatment of female prisoners. In 1945 she was transferred to Bergen-Belsen. Sentenced to 10 years in prison. For exemplary behavior, she was released in 1951.

The "Hungarian" section also occupied a privileged position - for the maintenance of Jews from Hungary. They were also allowed to wear ordinary civilian clothes with the image of the Star of David, they did not have to work, go to roll call, they were provided with good food and care. These prisoners were also called "Jews with advantages", and the Hungarian camp had Jewish self-government.

Elizabeth Volkenrath. By profession - a hairdresser. In 1942 she underwent special training and became a warden in Auschwitz and Ravensbruck. Found guilty of selecting prisoners for executions, sentenced to be hanged.

Much worse was the situation among the prisoners of the "tent" section. This camp was built in early August 1944 as a transit camp for malnourished prisoners arriving from Auschwitz (Auschwitz) - when the Red Army launched an offensive for the liberation of Poland, the Nazis, wanting to hide the traces of massacres, began to drive all the surviving prisoners to camps located in Germany. And especially for the women from Auschwitz, the "small women's camp" and the "large women's camp" were intended.

By the way, one of the prisoners of Bergen-Belsen was the famous Anne Frank - she and her sister Margo were brought here from Auschwitz at the end of October 1944. It soon became clear that there were places worse than Auschwitz... When the Nazis realized that no one would pay them to ransom the Jews, they simply stopped feeding them. Generally. And in two months, about 50 thousand prisoners died of starvation here. In addition, a typhus epidemic raged in the camp, killing over 35,000 prisoners. The bodies of both girls, Anne and Margot Frank, are probably buried in one of the common graves in Bergen-Belsen.

Warden Johanna Bormann, sentenced to death by a court, executed in a prison in the German city of Hameln on December 13, 1945.

By the time the camp was voluntarily surrendered to the British, only people doomed to die remained here - 9 thousand prisoners died within two weeks after the liberation, and by the end of the month - another 4 thousand.

Warden Ilse Förster, sentenced to 10 years in prison, released for good behavior in December 1951.

Warden Frieda Walter, a cook by trade. Sentenced to 3 years in prison.

Warden Anneliese Kohlmann. Tram driver, member of the NSDAP since the age of 19. She worked in the camps from 1944. Sentenced to two years in prison.

Warden Hertha Elert, sentenced to 10 years in prison, released in 1951.

Warden Gertrud Sauer, sentenced to 10 years in prison, released in 1951.

Warden Anna Hempel. Sentenced to two years in prison.

Warden Gertrude Fist. Sentenced to two years in prison.

Warden Ilse Steinbusch. Sentenced to two years in prison.

Warden Martha Linke. There is no sentencing information.

Warden Helena Copper. There is no sentencing information.

Warden Hilda Lobauer. Sentenced to two years in prison.

Overseer Hilde Lisiwitz. Sentenced to two years in prison.

Overseer Hildegard Kambach. Sentenced to two years in prison.

The crematorium did not have time to burn the dead, and the prisoners, who were barely moving, were forced to dig holes and put corpses in them. Corpses were scattered throughout the camp. The prisoners tied ropes, belts (who had what they had) to the arms and legs of the corpses, and four of them, moving their legs with difficulty, dragged the corpses into the pits.

In all the concentration camps where I had to be, no matter how bad it was, the prisoners were purposefully distributed among the barracks, rooms, each was given, albeit the most meager, but a portion of bread, swede, spinach. This was not the case at the Bergen-Belsen death camp. No one knew in which barracks he was supposed to receive stew or a piece of bread so as not to die of hunger.

None of the prisoners in the camp worked, they wandered in crowds and alone, knowing only one thing - starvation awaits everyone. This is the camp we were brought to. We still did not really know what was going on here and hoped that they would give us something to eat and point out a place where we could rest a little after a hard road.

Former guards of the Bergen-Belsen concentration camp.

We were lined up on the square and groups of 70-100 people were sent to the barracks. They led me to one of the barracks and ordered to settle down as best they could. In three and a half years I visited eight prisoners of war and concentration camps, I saw and experienced a lot, but I have never seen such horror as I had to see in the Bergen-Belsen concentration camp. Perfect cleanliness was always maintained in all concentration camps, there were no lice, but here there is dirt, lice, there are no latrines, they go anywhere for natural needs, there is no drinking water.

We went into the barracks - there was not a single bed, only a place for the senior barracks and the senior room was fenced off in the corner; barrack - a solid hall without rooms and partitions. Mattresses are laid in rows on the floor, on which the prisoners lie - there is not a single free place. Among the prisoners who were lying on mattresses - both living and dead - all together. Where to go to bed? We were told if you want to lie down - pull out the dead one and lie down in his place. There is nothing to do, they began to pull out the corpses, but - my God! The whole floor is infested with lice, it's just gray with lice - how can you lie down there? Some who were unable to move lay down right there, they had no way out, and I, along with some prisoners, did not dare to lie down, and we wandered around the camp.

Camp Bergen-Belsen.

Suddenly we see another camp fenced with barbed wire, wooden barracks are visible. The wire was not under high voltage, but the sentries still did not allow to approach it. We found a hole in the fence in one place and, when it became completely dark, we took a chance and made our way to the neighboring camp. It had a large number of barracks. We went into one of them - it was empty.

There were bunk wooden beds, nothing could be seen in the dark, and we went to bed. When we woke up in the morning, we saw that other prisoners were sleeping in the barracks besides us.

We wandered around the barracks, found torn pillows, mattresses; books, portraits, children's toys were scattered on the floor. From this it could be assumed that the Jewish ghetto was located in this camp. We have been able to stay overnight here several times.

Two former prisoners of Bergen-Belsen with dishes in the forest against the backdrop of barracks.

No one in the camp could tell how many prisoners were in which barracks; everyone could settle down in any barracks where he found a place for himself. The barracks were built at the rate of about a thousand prisoners per barrack. 2-3 tanks of liquid rutabaga were brought to the barracks, but this food was not enough for everyone. Before the distribution of food, the prisoners lined up in a column of five people.

Everyone tried to stand in the front rows, because the last rows, and sometimes even those who stood in the middle, did not have enough stew. When, finally, with the help of sticks it was possible to build everyone up, they were ordered to kneel, and only after that the head of the barracks began to distribute food.

Prisoners of the Bergen-Belsen concentration camp in line for soup after their release.

Each one in turn came up and received a quarter-liter scoop of rutabaga - about 250 g. About half of the queue had enough of these two or three cans, and the rest were left without lunch. And so every day. The prisoners daily became weaker and weaker, wandered around the camp hungry, entered the barracks - lay down, fell, fell asleep and did not get up again - they died of hunger. Some prisoners were still alive, but they could no longer get up, they had no strength. The next day, those who were unable to get up also died. They were taken out, others took their place, and so on daily. Thousands of prisoners died in the Bergen-Belsen camp every day.

There was no water. In one of the barracks, water pipes with taps were stretched out, but water only dripped from them. The whole barrack was filthy. We sneaked up to these faucets and sucked out a couple of drops of water from them. A few more days passed, and I finally got a portion of swede.

Former prisoners of the Bergen-Belsen concentration camp sort things before disinfection.

Once, running across the territory from barrack to barrack during the distribution of food in order to grab something to eat, I saw one Polish prisoner standing aside and eating swede from a bowl. Without thinking twice, I ran up to him, put my hand into the bowl, snatched out a handful of swede and ate it.

My strength was fading every day, but I tried to walk more, move more, because lying down and lying down is inevitable death. The end of the war is near, we must hold out for another, perhaps a few days, and liberation will come.

Former prisoners of the Bergen-Belsen concentration camp dine at Block 36.

There was a dining room on the territory of the camp - it was fenced off from prisoners with barbed wire and guarded by SS guards. Near the dining room lay a red fodder beetroot and raw swede. A group of prisoners, including myself, cut the wire at night, crept up on the vegetables and, on pain of death, filled their pockets full of beetroot and rutabaga. The sentries did not notice us, and we returned safely, climbed into a secluded corner and ate raw beetroot in the dark. This sortie was risky, but gave us the opportunity to refresh ourselves and restore our strength for a while.

A few days later I noticeably weakened, my strength completely left me. No matter how hard I tried to be on the move, weakness nevertheless overcame me, and I fell ill. I lay and waited for death, and my comrades lay next to me.

Five former prisoners of the Bergen-Belsen concentration camp dine at the bodies of the dead.

Suddenly we hear artillery preparation nearby, which means that the tanks will soon move. We are told the news - the SS are leaving the camp. Only sentries on the towers remained, but they no longer shoot at prisoners - they hung out white flags. I want to get up and run like other prisoners, but I don't have the strength. Thoughts swirl in my head: you need to fasten yourself for at least another hour, another hour - and liberation will come. And suddenly I hear: “Tanks, comrades, tanks!” - and indeed the tanks entered the camp. It was night.

Who could, crawled out of the barracks and moved to the kitchen. They stole everything that was there, then they got to the heaps with potatoes, and everyone scored as much as they could. Bonfires blazed at night - they baked, boiled potatoes. To us, lying down, comrades also brought potatoes.

There was no end to our joy, we hugged each other endlessly, kissed, cried with happiness and laughed ... "

On April 15, 1945, the concentration camp was liberated.

A British medical sergeant disinfects former concentration camp prisoners.

A British soldier using a bulldozer collects the corpses of prisoners of the Bergen-Belsen concentration camp.

A German boy walks along a dirt road, on the side of which lie the corpses of hundreds of prisoners who died in the Bergen-Belsen concentration camp.

As retribution, the British soldiers ordered the camp guards to carry the prisoners' bodies by hand to the mass graves. At the same time, SS employees were forbidden to use gloves, despite the serious threat of contracting typhus. Because of this, every fourth warden died of typhus - 20 out of 80 members of the camp guard.

Former SS-Obersturmführer Franz Hössler at the microphone in front of the truck.

Former guards.

SS men load the bodies of prisoners.

Bergen-Belsen was originally used as a POW camp; later it was converted into an "exchange" camp - a place where those Jewish prisoners were kept, whom the Nazis were going to exchange for their soldiers. Ultimately, Bergen-Belsen turned into an ordinary concentration camp.
In 1935, the Wehrmacht decided to erect a military camp near the city of Bergen. Work continued until 1937; for the workers who erected this camp, a small settlement was built nearby. When the work was completed, the need for this settlement disappeared; The Nazis found a new use for him after the invasion of Poland in September 1939 - prisoners of war began to be placed in the former barracks for workers. Gradually, the former work camp turned into one of the largest prisoner of war camps at the disposal of the Wehrmacht - a total of about 95,000 prisoners were kept here. Of course, the Nazis later had to erect additional barracks; especially serious expansion had to be made after the invasion of the USSR.
Part of Bergen-Belsen was included in the concentration camp system in April 1943. Prisoners destined for further exchange were kept in the camp; international commissions were supposed to be admitted to camps of this type, so the conditions of detention should theoretically be different from those typical of other concentration camps. Indeed, for a long time the prisoners of the "exchange" part of the camp were treated relatively decently; over time, however, the value of prisoners waned and their previously existing privileges were deprived of them. In fairness, it should be noted that the camp was not particularly active in exchange functions - for the entire time of the functioning of Bergen-Belsen, only 2,560 Jews left it alive.
In March 1944, part of Bergen-Belsen was converted into a "recovery camp". Prisoners who were no longer able to work in other camps were collected here. Theoretically, in the "recovery" camps, prisoners were supposed to be returned to working condition; alas, the conditions of detention in this camp were far from sanatorium, and many "patients" died in the process of "recovery" from hunger, fatigue and lack of medical care.
In December 1944, prisoners began to be brought to Bergen-Belsen from the already closed (due to the imminent offensive of Soviet and allied troops) camps. If in July 1944 only 7,300 people were kept in the camp, then by "" December their number had increased to 15,000, and by April - up to 60,000. The camp was not designed for such a number of prisoners; disease and famine claimed dozens of lives every day.
There were never gas chambers in Bergen-Belsen - mass executions were carried out in other camps, to the east; however, even without the gas chambers, Bergen-Belsen remained a place completely unbearable for life. In total, during the entire operation of the camp, about 50,000 Jews, Czechs, Poles, Christians, homosexuals and gypsies died in it; it is known that it was in Bergen-Belsen in April 1945 that the Czech artist and writer Josef Čapek, the brother of Karel Čapek, died.
Allied troops approached Bergen-Belsen in April 1945. The Nazis decided to negotiate; the camp was surrendered without a fight, but most of the SS men were allowed to leave it. At the time of liberation, there were about 53,000 prisoners in the camp; most of them were dying from hunger and disease.

George Roger was the first photographer who, in 1945, happened to end up in a concentration camp in Bergen-Belsen after his release.
The pictures he took told the world the truth about the death camps.

And for Roger, this shooting was a critical point in his worldview. After spending several hours in a concentration camp, he was horrified that all this time he was looking for favorable angles, building beautiful compositions.

These pictures will haunt him all his life, until his death he will see this concentration camp in his dreams. Roger became depressed. He decided for himself that he would never be able to work as a war correspondent again. .

Bergen-Belsen is less known than, say, Auschwitz or Buchenwald. If they write about him, then most often because of Anne Frank, who was there for some time, and then died after her release ...
Bergen-Belsen is also infamous for being the first concentration camp in Germany where Russian prisoners of war were taken.

Of course, "institutions" of this kind were under the jurisdiction of the SS and the order in them was truly monstrous: “When we passed through the gates of Bergen-Belsen, we found ourselves out of life and time. We had nothing to orient ourselves to, there was nothing to hold on to and no one to hold on to ... "Those who got here fell into chaos, into nothingness"- so remember the surviving prisoners of the camp.

And here is about the first day of liberation: " Before that, they had not let us out of the barracks for several days. They were not allowed to eat or drink. People died one by one. Horror, confusion, unbearable stench could, without exaggeration, drive you crazy. Finally the doors of our barracks opened. Some people in military uniforms hurriedly pushed us out into the yard. What I saw there was even more terrible: piles of corpses between the barracks, corpses that filled the sewer pits to the top ... Hills grew up near the crematorium - places of hasty burials.

Bergen-Belsen was liberated by the British Army on 15 April 1945. Soldiers found in the camp: 60,000 prisoners, many of whom were on the verge of death, and thousands of unburied bodies.

After the liberation, Bergen-Belsen became a camp for displaced persons, where people continued to die from diseases, mainly from typhus, and people from exhaustion. The camp existed until 1951.

This photo became known to the whole world, thanks to the magazine, the boy was identified by his relatives.

The surviving prisoners are trying to find suitable clothes

Ukrainian prisoners are trying to find something worthwhile

People continued to die even after liberation

dying of typhoid

Antityphoid treatment with dust

These are women, former prisoners

Soup line.
The very liquid food is the only thing the prisoners can digest for now.

Two French prisoners in boots taken from German guards

This girl's name is Anneliese Kohlmann. She joined the Nazi Party at 19 and worked as a tram driver.
In November 1944, she was drafted into the SS troops and first worked in prisons, then as a camp guard.
After the camp was liberated by British soldiers, she changed into camp clothes, but was identified and arrested.
She was sentenced to two years on charges of ill-treatment of prisoners and sexual harassment of a lesbian nature.
Died of natural causes in West Germany on September 17, 1977.

Elisabeth Volkenrath, formerly a hairdresser. She was drafted into the SS in 1942.
She received special training and worked as a chief warden in Auschwitz and Ravensbruck.
Despite the fact that Elisabeth Volkenrath tried to justify herself by only following orders from above, she was nevertheless accused of actively participating in the selection of prisoners before being sent to the crematorium, she was sentenced to death by hanging, the sentence was carried out in December 1945 of the year.

Frieda Walter, 23, worked in a textile factory. She tried to justify herself that she was called up only in February 1944 and guarded the kitchen. She was accused of mistreating prisoners and sentenced to 3 years in prison.

The camp guards were involved in burying the corpses.

The Bergen-Belsen concentration camp was far from the largest in the system of camps of the Third Reich - it did not even have its own crematorium. It was built in 1940 in the German province of Hanover as a Stalag - that is, as a prisoner of war camp. First of all, from "civilized" countries - from Belgium and France. Therefore, the conditions here were quite tolerable, the food was good, there was no work.

Irma Grese and Josef Kramer. Irma Grese, nicknamed the "Angel of Death", is the camp's senior warden. She personally supervised mass executions, often personally killing prisoners. setting dogs on them or whipping them to death. Sentenced to hang.

First of all, this is a section for sick prisoners - for those who could no longer work in labor camps. In 1945, sick prisoners from all concentration camps in Germany were transferred to this section, where, without adequate medical care, they died en masse. On the eve of the liberation of Bergen-Belsen, about 200 camp inmates were killed by injection of phenol - this process was led by a prisoner named Karl Roth, who had the status of "head nurse". He was killed by the prisoners themselves.

Irma Grese and Josef Kramer. SS Hauptsturmführer Josef Kramer, nicknamed "The Belsen Maniac," went through all the steps of the career ladder - from a guard in Dapchau to the commandant of the Bergen-Belsen camp. Sentenced to hang.

Arrest of camp commandant Josef Kramer.

Gertrude Bothe, Warden. In 1942 she received an invitation to work as a warden in the Ravensbrück concentration camp. Then she was transferred to the Stutthof camp, where she received the nickname "Stutthof sadist" because of the cruel treatment of female prisoners. In 1945 she was transferred to Bergen-Belsen. Sentenced to 10 years in prison. For exemplary behavior, she was released in 1951.

Elizabeth Volkenrath. By profession - a hairdresser. In 1942 she underwent special training and became a warden in Auschwitz and Ravensbruck. Found guilty of selecting prisoners for executions, sentenced to be hanged.

Warden Johanna Bormann, sentenced to death by a court, executed in a prison in the German city of Hameln on December 13, 1945.

By the time the camp was voluntarily surrendered to the British, only people doomed to death remained here - within two weeks after the liberation, 9 thousand prisoners died, and by the end of the month - another 4 thousand.

Warden Ilse Förster, sentenced to 10 years in prison, released for good behavior in December 1951.

Warden Frieda Walter, a cook by trade. Sentenced to 3 years in prison.

Warden Anneliese Kohlmann. Tram driver, member of the NSDAP since the age of 19. She worked in the camps from 1944. Sentenced to two years in prison.

Warden Hertha Elert, sentenced to 10 years in prison, released in 1951.

Warden Gertrud Sauer, sentenced to 10 years in prison, released in 1951.

Warden Anna Hempel. Sentenced to two years in prison.

Warden Gertrude Fist. Sentenced to two years in prison.

Warden Ilse Steinbusch. Sentenced to two years in prison.

Warden Martha Linke. There is no sentencing information.

Warden Helena Copper. There is no sentencing information.

Warden Hilda Lobauer. Sentenced to two years in prison.

Overseer Hilde Lisiwitz. Sentenced to two years in prison.

Overseer Hildegard Kambach. Sentenced to two years in prison.

Here is how the Soviet prisoner of war Mikhail Temkin recalled the horrors of Bergen-Belsen: “The Bergen-Belsen concentration camp was called a death camp. There were about 150-200 thousand people on its territory, as they said among the prisoners. No one knew the exact number, because there was no registration of prisoners was not here. When the front line approached, the Nazis evacuated prisoners from other concentration camps and sent them to Bergen-Belsen for destruction. They didn’t shoot here - they simply didn’t let them eat and drink. Prisoners died of hunger and thirst on their own. The crematorium did not have time burn the dead, and prisoners who could barely move were forced to dig holes and put corpses in them.Corpses lay all over the camp.Prisoners tied ropes to the arms and legs of the corpses, straps (who had what) and four of them, with difficulty moving legs dragged the corpses into the pits.

Former guards of the Bergen-Belsen concentration camp.

We went into the barracks - there was not a single bed, only a place for the senior barracks and the senior room was fenced off in the corner; barracks - a solid hall without rooms and partitions. Mattresses are laid in rows on the floor, on which the prisoners lie - there is not a single free place. Among the prisoners who were lying on mattresses - both living and dead - all together. Where to go to bed? We were told if you want to lie down, pull out the dead one and lie down in his place. There was nothing to do, they began to pull out the corpses, but - my God! The whole floor is infested with lice, it's just gray with lice - how can you lie down there? Some who were unable to move lay down right there, they had no way out, and I, along with some prisoners, did not dare to lie down, and we wandered around the camp.

Camp Bergen-Belsen.

There were bunk wooden beds, nothing could be seen in the dark, and we went to bed. When we woke up in the morning, we saw that other prisoners were sleeping in the barracks besides us.

Two former prisoners of Bergen-Belsen with dishes in the forest against the backdrop of barracks.

Each one in turn approached and received a quarter-liter scoop of rutabaga - about 250 g. About half of the lineup had enough of these two or three cans, and the rest were left without lunch. And so every day. The prisoners daily became weaker and weaker, wandered around the camp hungry, entered the barracks - lay down, fell, fell asleep and did not get up again - they died of hunger. Some prisoners were still alive, but they could no longer get up, they had no strength. The next day, those who were unable to get up also died. They were taken out, others were laid down in their place, and so on daily. Thousands of prisoners died in the Bergen-Belsen camp every day.

Former prisoners of the Bergen-Belsen concentration camp sort things before disinfection.

Former prisoners of the Bergen-Belsen concentration camp dine at Block 36.

Five former prisoners of the Bergen-Belsen concentration camp dine at the bodies of the dead.

Suddenly we hear artillery preparation nearby, which means that the tanks will soon move. We are told the news - the SS are leaving the camp. Only sentries on the towers remained, but they no longer shoot at prisoners - they hung out white flags. I want to get up and run like other prisoners, but I don't have the strength. Thoughts swirl in my head: you need to hold on for at least another hour, another hour - and liberation will come. And suddenly I hear: “Tanks, comrades, tanks!” - and indeed the tanks entered the camp. It was night.

There was no end to our joy, we hugged each other endlessly, kissed, cried with happiness and laughed ... "

A British medical sergeant disinfects former concentration camp prisoners.

A British soldier using a bulldozer collects the corpses of prisoners of the Bergen-Belsen concentration camp.

A German boy walks along a dirt road, on the side of which lie the corpses of hundreds of prisoners who died in the Bergen-Belsen concentration camp.

As retribution, the British soldiers ordered the camp guards to carry the prisoners' bodies by hand to the mass graves. At the same time, SS employees were forbidden to use gloves, despite the serious threat of contracting typhus. Because of this, every fourth warden died of typhus - 20 out of 80 members of the camp guard.

Former SS-Obersturmführer Franz Hössler at the microphone in front of the truck.

Former guards.

SS men load the bodies of prisoners.

Women from the SS guards of the Bergen-Belsen concentration camp unload the corpses of prisoners for burial.

Women from the guard unload the corpses of prisoners for burial.

Ditch for the burial of prisoners.

SS-Oberscharführer Friedrich Herzog of the former camp guards, together with his colleagues, sort out a pile of dead bodies of prisoners.

Anneliese Kohlmann and Friedrich Herzog sort out a pile of dead bodies of prisoners.

Ditch with the bodies of victims of the Nazis.

Mass grave of concentration camp prisoners.

On May 21, 1945, the camp commandant, British Colonel Bird, because of the threat of typhus, gave the order to burn the camp barracks. Fireworks were fired in memory of the dead prisoners.

The territory of the Bergen-Belsen concentration camp, burned by British units during the disinfection of the area.

Portal for the student. Self-training