dtufail/nuremberg-trials-corpus huggingface dataset:
the fate of their relatives. The same applies to the Hungarian Jews, the Poles evacuated from Warsaw, the Polish Jews, Poles, Estonians and the Lithuanians, who had been interned in the labor camps in the East. They had been commited as foreign workers and in part had lived together with their families. When the demand for labor arose and with the approach of the Red Army in spite of the fact that they were not guilty of any transgressions, they were dragged off to the German concentration camps. In many cases these separations only took place here upon their arrival at the railroad station; where the families were ruthlessly torn asunder, parents from their children, husbands from their wives, brothers from brothers and sisters from sisters. During the Summer and the Fall of 1944 the following transports from the East arrived in the KL Buchenwald. Table 8 Date Number Type of Prisoners Origin 24 May '44 1,000 Hungarian Jews Auschwitz 2 June '44 1,000 Hungarian Jews Budapest 18 June '44 1,000 Hungarian Jews Auschwitz 16 July '44 2,500 Hungarian Jews Auschwitz 5 Aug. '44 1,459 Polish Jews 13 Aug. '44 2,651 Evacuated Poles Warsaw 15 Aug '44 1,999 Evacuated Poles Warsaw via Auschwitz 9 Nov. '44 615 Hungarian Jews Graz 18 Jan. '45 2,840 Polish Jews 20 Jan. '45 1,446 Polish Jews Also other domestic political events reflected themselves in new additions for the KL Buchenwald. After the disturbances at the University of Oslo 349 Norwegian students arrived at Buchenwald on 13 January 1944. Due to the intervention of the Swedish government they were better treated than the other prisoners. They were housed apart from the others, kept their civilian clothes, received the same food as the troops and for several months were given instruction courses and political education by SS instructors. Evidently they were to be converted to Nazism. The efforts of the SS, however, were in vain. Not one volunteered for the SS. Therefore 117 of them were first sent to a SS camp on 7 July 1944 and the rest of them on 23 October 1944, where they had to do heavy work on the field fortifications. When the Front moved closer they were evacuated from the SS camp and on 12 December 1944, with other Norwegian students who had not yet been in Buchenwald, making a total of 492 men, they were
1944 and the rest of them on 23 October 1944, where they had to do heavy work on the field fortifications. When the Front moved closer they were evacuated from the SS camp and on 12 December 1944, with other Norwegian students who had not yet been in Buchenwald, making a total of 492 men, they were again delivered to Buchenwald. On 1 March 1945 they were evacuated to the KL Neuengamme. In 1942 a change swept over the German concentration camps-instead of being detention camps for political opponents they became labor camps for the German war industries. Early in 1942 the high-ranking SS leaders organized the DAW [Deutsche Ausruestungs-Werke-German Equipment Works]. The DAW paid the camp administration a modest sum for the services of a prisoner with the result that the camps soon became self-supporting and the stockholders, having friendly relations with the military authorities and cheap labor at their disposal, were soon counted amongst the greatest war profiteers. Thusly, they had found a new means for garnering profits for the SS and its leaders out of state monies. For example, the camp Commander Pister of Buchenwald was elected a director of the DAW-Buchenwald at a considerable monthly salary. A further development plants were constructed and installed with machinery in the concentration camps. A railroad between Buchenwald and Weimar was built in record time, and the so-called Gustloff Works, consisting of 13 immense workshops were erected in the immediate vicinity of the camp. In addition increasing numbers of prisoners were employed in existing equipment plants. Sauckel himself obtained the first prisoners for the Sauckel Works in Weimar. At first they were only employed there and transported back and forth daily in automobiles. At a later date an equipment headquarters with shelters for the prisoners was installed close to the factory. Further outside headquarters soon followed in pronounced nazi plants such as the Hasag-Leipzig, and at other points. The largest and the most terrible of the outside headquarters was soon provided with the cover name of "Dora" and mentioned only with fear and fright by the prisoners. What at first had been only an assumption very soon became a certainty. The senseless and cruel
as the Hasag-Leipzig, and at other points. The largest and the most terrible of the outside headquarters was soon provided with the cover name of "Dora" and mentioned only with fear and fright by the prisoners. What at first had been only an assumption very soon became a certainty. The senseless and cruel V-weapons were a specialty of the SS. Their satanical plan provided for the construction of these weapons by those foreigners whose countries were to be totally destroyed by them. Possibly they also thought that the employment of prisoners isolated from the rest of the world would help to better guard their secret coupled with the hope that the Allied air power would not bomb the plants out of consideration for their countrymen. Everything in connection with the production was treated as a top-secret. prisoners who were in the respective headquarters were designated as "secret carriers." In so far as it concerned the Reich nationals and the Czechs, they had to be reported specially to the Main Office of the Reich Security, the Central Office of the Gestapo, to prevent the possibility of a premature discharge. The most important centers of production were the outside headquarters "Dora" near Nordhausen/Harz, and "Laura" near Saalfeld/Thuringia. In the workshops Nos. 4-7 of the tremendous Gustloff Works separate parts for the V-weapons were also manufactured. At the "Dora" and "Laura" plants underground, bomb safe factories were constructed without any regard for the waste of manpower or the living requirements of the prisoners as regards, air, sleep or nourishment. One transport after another of unfortunates went to these outside headquarters from Buchenwald-Never to return. The number of the victims of death soon reached record heights and was increased by the victims of explosions and plant accidents. Those who became unfit for work were sent to such isolated camps as Lublin and Bergen-Belsen, where they were for the greater part liquidated by gas poisoning or injections. The civilian additions were not in sufficient numbers to fill the gaps, therefore new transports arrived continuously from other camps which after a few days in Buchenwald for the necessary recording photographing and physical examination, were passed to the notorious
by gas poisoning or injections. The civilian additions were not in sufficient numbers to fill the gaps, therefore new transports arrived continuously from other camps which after a few days in Buchenwald for the necessary recording photographing and physical examination, were passed to the notorious outside headquarters. The Service Group Command D of the Economic Administration Main Office in Berlin-Oranienburg was the Central Office for the distribution of the labor forces to the German concentration camps. Orders were issued from there as to how many and what type of prisoners were to be transported to other camps, that is, how many prisoners were to be committed to labor by the various outside headquarters. At first this service Command issued a strict order that no political Reich nationals were to be shipped in these mass transports. The administrations of the various concentration camps strictly observed this rule in their own interests, not because they wanted to spare these Germans but because they were needed to perform the administration and disciplinary duties which the SS really should have handled had it not been for their lack of capability and ambition. We prisoners, therefore, had the great advantage of regulating many things ourselves, which by direct intervention of the SS would have aggravated considerably the already insupportable living conditions of all the inmates of the camp. Furthermore it is evident that every SS commander endeavored to keep his trained people because the new prisoners would only have meant trouble and work. In addition, regulations from the Reich Security Main Office forbade sending certain prisoners with the transports to assure a decree of isolation. Except for a few individual cases, this regulation applied in particular to the half-Jews. On orders of the Reich security Main Office all these as in Germany arrested "half-breeds", Grade 1, as they were officially designated, were sent to Buchenwald and were not allowed to be transferred to another camp. Thusly it came about, that when larger transports were assembled, especially for the notorious outside headquarters or camps, the least capable and the latest additions were selected from the blocks and commands and sent away again. At the new places these persons were just as unfit
not allowed to be transferred to another camp. Thusly it came about, that when larger transports were assembled, especially for the notorious outside headquarters or camps, the least capable and the latest additions were selected from the blocks and commands and sent away again. At the new places these persons were just as unfit for labor as at the previous ones, in other words, they were undesirable. After their arrival they very often had to be quarantined for some time. The attempted regulation of the distribution from one central office and the increasing impossibility to control this manpower, resulted in thousands of prisoners being continually on the move. They therefore, could not be committed to labor as the paper records seem to indicate. From the Fall of 1943 to the Fall of 1944 the transports compiled in Table 9 arrived in Buchenwald from other concentration camps, which for the greater part had already been destined for shipment to "Dora" and other outside headquarters. Table 9 Date Number Type of Prisoner From KL 22 Sep. '43 300 Mostly Russians Gross Rosen 22 Sep. '43 210 149 Russians and oth. Natzweiler 14 Oct. '43 650 373 Frenchmen 144 Russian and oth. Ravensbrueck 17 Oct. '43 849 Mostly Russians Mauthausen 19 Oct. '43 311 Mostly Russians and Poles Stutthof 21 Oct. '43 300 Mostly Russians and Poles Auschwitz 21 Oct. '43 200 Mostly Russians and Poles Netzweiler 21 Oct. '43 506 Mostly Jugoslavs Flossenburg 23 Oct. '43 1,539 Mostly Poles Auschwitz 30 Oct. '43 1,025 Mostly Jugoslavs and Russians Dachau 20 Nov. '43 375 Mostly French and Poles Mauthausen 21 Nov. '43 417 Mostly French and Russians Dachau 12 Dec. '43 200 Russians and Poles Auschwitz 25 Jan. '44 400 Germans and Russians Sachsenhausen 3 Mar. '44 421 Mostly Czechs Auschwitz 11 Mar. '44 413 Mostly Poles Gross Rosen 2 Apr. '44 202 Czechs Auschwitz 7 Apr. '44 883 Gypsies Auschwitz 28 May '44 350 Mostly Poles and Russians Stutthof 24 June '44 2,000 Mostly Poles and Russians Auschwitz 29 July '44 200 Russians and Poles Bergen-Belsen 3 Aug. '44 510 Gypsies Auschwitz 3 Aug. '44 400 Russians and Poles Neuengamme 16 Aug. '44 1,350 Jews Various nations Stutthof 27 Sep. '44 1,085, Natzweiler near Dora 1 Oct. '44 1,500 Poles and Russians Auschwitz In this table transports of less 200 prisoners from other camps and
and Poles Bergen-Belsen 3 Aug. '44 510 Gypsies Auschwitz 3 Aug. '44 400 Russians and Poles Neuengamme 16 Aug. '44 1,350 Jews Various nations Stutthof 27 Sep. '44 1,085, Natzweiler near Dora 1 Oct. '44 1,500 Poles and Russians Auschwitz In this table transports of less 200 prisoners from other camps and transports which went directly to the outside headquarters without passing through the main camp, are not listed. The greater number of these additions, as well as the afore mentioned additions from the East and West proceeded quickly and intact to the outside headquarters of the equipment industry and only the completely emaciated in the camps until they died of old age or decrepitude. After months of the severest physical labor in those headquarters under the worst living conditions (bad food, no rest even during their free time, with out any sanitary installations, during months no thorough bodily cleansing and no change of underwear) they either perished [or were sent to] miserable concentration camps Lublin, Auschwitz or Belsen-Bergen not for recreation-but for final liquidation. This exploitation of the work potential of their slaves to the last gasp was termed by the SS "shredding". In this manner they reduced every one they could lay their hands on to shreds-Russians, Poles, Hungarians, Jugoslavs, Frenchmen, Jews and Christians-they would have annihilated the population of a whole continent, if the Allied armies had not put a stop to matters by their victorious advance. By reason of all these transports from the West and the East and from the other concentration camps the number of the additions, the camp strength and the number of death cases rose as shown in Table 10. Table 10 Month Additions Deaths Camp Strength end of month July '43 1,725 191 15,796 Aug. '43 4,537 118 19,641 Sept. '43 5,444 123 24,688 Oct. '43 9,048 109 33,377 Nov. '43 4,454 314 35,112 Dec. '43 3,734 967 37,319 Jan. '44 8,017 1,000 42,833 Feb. '44 1,979 880 41,240 Mar. '44 5,065 1,311 43,371 April '44 4,788 560 45,830 May '44 9,655 390 54,287 June '44 9,986 460 61,156 July '44 7,398 347 66,609 Aug. '44 17,170 742 82,391 Sept. '44 4,251 497 84,505 Oct. '44 6,728 770 55,473 On the 6 October 1944 the camp strength reached its highest figure amounting to 89,134 prisoners. On 29 October 1944 the auxiliary headquarters "Dora" became an independent concentration camp
54,287 June '44 9,986 460 61,156 July '44 7,398 347 66,609 Aug. '44 17,170 742 82,391 Sept. '44 4,251 497 84,505 Oct. '44 6,728 770 55,473 On the 6 October 1944 the camp strength reached its highest figure amounting to 89,134 prisoners. On 29 October 1944 the auxiliary headquarters "Dora" became an independent concentration camp with the name of KL Mittelbau containing 32,532 prisoners who were at that time attached to the various auxiliary headquarters. The names of these prisoners were removed from the Buchenwald records and the camp strength reduced accordingly. On 24 August 1944 at noon the equipment plants belonging to the concentration camp were bombarded and completely destroyed. Not a single high-explosive bomb fell into the prisoners camp but a few incendiary bombs, diverted by the wind, set fire to the prisoners tailor shop, shoemaker shop, laundry and the disinfection station without injuring a single prisoner. The SS had not provided air raid shelters for the prisoners, in fact they did not even allow the prisoners to go into the camp during an airraid alarm. The prisoners were compelled to remain in the workshops or in their immediate vicinity. Bomb proof shelters or trenches for protection against bomb fragment had not been constructed for the prisoners. During an attack the water supply was shut off in the entire camp. Prisoners who attempted to escape from the high-explosive and the incendiary bombs by running into the open were shot down by the SS guards without mercy. Consequently, the air bombardment caused the death of 364 prisoners. It is not possible to determine now how many were shot down by the SS troopers. It is a fact however that Thaelmann, who allegedly was killed during the attack was an inmate of the Buchenwald camp. The prisoners had reason to be grateful that the pinpoint bombing of the Allied Air Force greatly reduced the number of victims. The Bombardment not only destroyed the factory buildings but also the important administration offices of the SS in Buchenwald, especially the so-called "Political Section," in which the personal records of the prisoners were kept. Therefore no new prisoners were allowed to be shipped to the camp for a while. Those additions which were recorded in September 1944 were sent directly to
administration offices of the SS in Buchenwald, especially the so-called "Political Section," in which the personal records of the prisoners were kept. Therefore no new prisoners were allowed to be shipped to the camp for a while. Those additions which were recorded in September 1944 were sent directly to the auxiliary headquarters, and in particular to "Dora". After the failure of the attempt on the life of Hitler on 20 July 1944 Himmler took over command of the Home Front Army. The concentration camp Buchenwald soon reflected the results of this event. On 22 August 1944 the operation, given by the code name of "Gitter" [trellis], was conducted throughout the entire territory of the Reich, by which the remainder of the former functionaries of the Anti-Fascist Parties, who were still at Liberty, were arrested and sent directly to the nearest concentration camp. On the 22 or 23 August 1944 about 750 "trellis" prisoners arrived from the immediate surroundings of Weimar within a few hours. Further transport from Saxony, the Rhineland and from Westphalia were anticipated. However, after the attack of the Allied Air Forces on the 24 August 1944 these transports could no longer be made. In other Fascist circles this "trellis" action must also have met with some opposition. The details and the reasons were not known at that time. In any case, the Weimar Gestapo arrived in the camp a few days later briefly examined the arrested persons and then set most of them free. If this was merely a police measure to use the camp temporarily as a lodging place for arrested persons, Himmler soon found other ways and means to increase the number of the slaves of the SS by new additions. In November 1944 the first prisoners of a new category arrived which was termed "Zwischenhaft II" (intermediate custody II). This category included members of the Wehrmacht who had been condemned by the military courts to severe penal prison sentences for desertion and absence without official leave from their units. These soldiers were sent to the concentration camp for "intermediate custody" and to be set to work. It was Himmler's plan to have these soldiers finish the balance of their penal prison sentence after the end of the war. According to orders from the highest authorities in
official leave from their units. These soldiers were sent to the concentration camp for "intermediate custody" and to be set to work. It was Himmler's plan to have these soldiers finish the balance of their penal prison sentence after the end of the war. According to orders from the highest authorities in Berlin they all had to be sent to the KL "mittelbau" or in other words to "Dora." At "Dora" they were probably put to work on the dangerous manufacture of the secret weapons, because being long term prisoners they were not to be spared. Furthermore, no difficulties could arise in the future because they could not be given a discharge on account of the secret nature of their work. These intermediate prisoners were by no means only German Reich nationals, but among them were also members of all the European nations who had joined the German Wehrmacht as volunteers. In these months, even Himmler delivered members of his own SS units who were guilty of misdemeanors, to the concentration camps. In December 1944, January and February 1945 several small transports of Croatians, Turka (members of a Mohammedan SS formation) and Frenchmen, at the time in SS uniforms arrived in the camp as prisoners. Other political events in occupied Europe brought new additions to the concentration camps. In September 1944 a large raid was carried out in Denmark, against the Danish police, especially in Copenhagen. On 30 September 1944, 1,480 Danish police functionaries arrived in the KL "Buchenwald," after having been detained a few days in the KL "Neuengamme." They were followed by 473 men on 5 October 1944. They were soon put to work and long columns of them had to carry building materials. however, they did not stay very long in the camp. The first 200, mostly high-ranking police officers, were removed by the Danish Red Cross on 8 December 194, and as far as it was known here, taken to an internment camp in Schleswig Holstein. The next transport of 1,604 Danes left on 17 December 1944 and the balance followed during January and February 1945. The unaccustomed severe climate of Buchenwald, to which they had been transported at the beginning of the winter, demanded a relatively high total of victims. In the few months of their sojourn,
next transport of 1,604 Danes left on 17 December 1944 and the balance followed during January and February 1945. The unaccustomed severe climate of Buchenwald, to which they had been transported at the beginning of the winter, demanded a relatively high total of victims. In the few months of their sojourn, approximately 90 Danes died. X. When the auxiliary headquarters "Dora" was declared an independent concentration camp in October 1944, the construction work had been completed and the production of V-weapons was running at full speed. In connection therewith the demand for unskilled labor had diminished a little. The establishment of a new and even more notorious auxiliary headquarters near Ohrdruf in Thuringia with the designation "S III", soon caused Buchenwald to experience a new increase in mass transports. In all haste an underground factory was to be built there, without any regard for any wastage of manpower. Again mass transports from all concentration camps either passed through Buchenwald or went directly to their point of destination. Again mass transports left Buchenwald itself for the new auxiliary headquarters. The SS found the SS ordered all the prisoners to fall in on the roll-call grounds, the latter were then closed off and the SS selected 1,000 prisoners for "S III", who were shipped off that same night. The first large transport of 1,000 men arrived in the new headquarters on 20 November 1944. Already within a month the strength of the headquarters rose to 7,500 men and reached a maximum figure of 13,726 prisoners on 27 March 1945. The increasing inefficiency of the administrative machine in the higher offices soon manifested itself very clearly. The new headquarters were put under the command of the Wehrmacht. The prisoners were struck off the records of the camp strength of the various concentration camps and were to be incorporated into the new headquarters. This soon proved itself impossible on account of the enormous inflow and the lack of experienced help. Therefore the whole headquarters had to be taken over again into the camp strength of the KL Buchenwald. It was absolutely unknown which prisoners were in "S III" and the SS had it compiled with the help of prisoners, a complete record of all the