Bromberg-Ost (german: Konzentrationslager Bromberg-Ost) was the female subcamp of the

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany (of or related to) ** Germania (historical use) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law **Ge ...

Nazi concentration camp KL Stutthof between 1944-1945, set up in the city of Bydgoszcz during the later stages of

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...

. The mostly Jewish women prisoners dispatched from the main camp in

Sztutowo Sztutowo (; formerly german: Stutthof) is a village in Nowy Dwór Gdański County, within the Pomeranian Voivodeship of northern Poland. It is located about 38 km (24 mi) east of Gdańsk on the northeastern edge of the Vistula Delta, a ...

worked as slave-labour for the German railways; loading cargo, clearing and repairing tracks, and digging ditches. The commandant of the camp was '' SS-Scharführer'' Anton Kniffke.

History

The direct order to set up the Bromberg-Ost subcamp was issued on 12 September 1944, by the superintendent of

Stutthof concentration camp Stutthof was a Nazi concentration camp established by Nazi Germany in a secluded, marshy, and wooded area near the village of Stutthof (now Sztutowo) 34 km (21 mi) east of the city of Danzig (Gdańsk) in the territory of the German- ...

, Paul Werner Hoppe. The camp was situated between Kamienna and Fabryczna Streets. The following day the first 300 women prisoners were sent there under the control of seven female overseers belonging to

Schutzstaffel The ''Schutzstaffel'' (SS; also stylized as ''ᛋᛋ'' with Armanen runes; ; "Protection Squadron") was a major paramilitary organization under Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party in Nazi Germany, and later throughout German-occupied Europe duri ...

(SS). No warm clothing was provided before mid-December. Women who managed to survive were taken on a

death march A death march is a forced march of prisoners of war or other captives or deportees in which individuals are left to die along the way. It is distinguished in this way from simple prisoner transport via foot march. Article 19 of the Geneva Conven ...

to Sachsenhausen-Oranienburg.Damian Karaszewski (2013)
Obóz Bromberg-Ost (Aussenarbeitslager Bromberg-Ost).
Firtel bydgoski. From June 1944 until March 1945 the position of Oberaufseherin in Bromberg-Ost was held by Johanna Wisotzki, Female guards in Nazi concentration camps: names, and ranks while among guards reassigned to Bromberg-Ost from Stutthof were the notoriously cruel aufseherinnen

Herta Bothe Herta Bothe (3 January 1921 – 16 March 2000) was a German concentration camp guard during World War II. She was imprisoned for war crimes after the defeat of Nazi Germany, and was subsequently released early from prison on 22 December 1951. Li ...

(died March 2000),

Ewa Paradies Ewa Paradies (17 December 1920 – 4 July 1946) was a Nazi concentration camp overseer. In August 1944, Paradies arrived at the Stutthof SK-III camp for training as an '' Aufseherin'', or overseer. She soon finished training and became a ward ...

(hanged 1946) and

Gerda Steinhoff Gerda Steinhoff (29 January 1922 – 4 July 1946) was a ''Schutzstaffel'' (SS) Nazi concentration camps, Nazi concentration camp overseer following the 1939 German invasion of Poland. SS career Steinhoff was born in Wrzeszcz, Danzig-Langfuhr ...

(hanged 1946) who took part in selections of prisoners to be sent to the

gas chamber A gas chamber is an apparatus for killing humans or other animals with gas, consisting of a sealed chamber into which a poisonous or asphyxiant gas is introduced. Poisonous agents used include hydrogen cyanide and carbon monoxide. History ...

s. A group of thirteen ex-officials and overseers of the Bromberg-Ost and

s were tried and convicted of crimes against humanity at the Stutthof trials, the war crime tribunals held at Gdańsk,

Poland Poland, officially the Republic of Poland, is a country in Central Europe. It is divided into 16 administrative provinces called voivodeships, covering an area of . Poland has a population of over 38 million and is the fifth-most populou ...

, from April 25, 1946, to May 31, 1946. Eleven convicts were sentenced to death, while the remainder were sentenced to various terms of imprisonment.

Notes

References

* Benjamin B. Ferencz
Less Than Slaves: Jewish Forced Labor and the Quest for Compensation

{{coord, 53, 7, N, 18, 00, E, region:PL_type:city, display=title Stutthof concentration camp