Central Continental Prisoner of War Enclosure No. 32, code-named ''Ashcan'', was an Allied

prisoner-of-war camp A prisoner-of-war camp (often abbreviated as POW camp) is a site for the containment of enemy fighters captured as Prisoner of war, prisoners of war by a belligerent power in time of war. There are significant differences among POW camps, inte ...

in the ''Palace Hotel'' of Mondorf-les-Bains, Luxembourg during

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

. Operating from May to August 1945, it served as a processing station and interrogation center for the 86 most prominent surviving

Nazi Nazism (), formally named National Socialism (NS; , ), is the far-right politics, far-right Totalitarianism, totalitarian socio-political ideology and practices associated with Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party (NSDAP) in Germany. During H ...

leaders prior to their trial in Nuremberg, including

Hermann Göring Hermann Wilhelm Göring (or Goering; ; 12 January 1893 – 15 October 1946) was a German Nazism, Nazi politician, aviator, military leader, and convicted war criminal. He was one of the most powerful figures in the Nazi Party, which gov ...

and Karl Dönitz. A British counterpart of ''Ashcan'', Camp Dustbin in Castle Kransberg near

Frankfurt am Main Frankfurt am Main () is the most populous city in the States of Germany, German state of Hesse. Its 773,068 inhabitants as of 2022 make it the List of cities in Germany by population, fifth-most populous city in Germany. Located in the forela ...

, housed prisoners of a more technical inclination including Albert Speer and Wernher von Braun.

History

The camp was established by order of Allied Command. It was commanded by U.S. Army Col. Burton C. Andrus, and staffed by men of the U.S. 391st Anti-Aircraft Battalion, Allied intelligence services and 42 German prisoners of war selected for their skills, including a barber, dentist, doctor and even a hotel manager.Dolibois
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The place selected for the camp was the Palace Hotel, a four-story luxury hotel dominating the small spa town, which had earlier in 1945 been used as a billet for U.S. troops.Dolibois
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The hotel was transformed into a high-security area with a high electrified barbed wire fence, guard towers with machine guns and klieg lights.Dolibois
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Security was so tight that even the MPs guarding the perimeter knew not what went on inside; they quipped that getting in required "a pass signed by God, and then somebody has to verify the signature".Dolibois
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Conditions in the prison were spartan. The hotel furniture was replaced by Army cots and collapsible tables. On 10 August 1945, the prisoners were transferred to Nuremberg to stand trial, and the camp was disbanded shortly afterwards. The building continued to serve as a hotel until 1988, when it was demolished to make way for a more modern spa.

Prisoners

Prisoners at ''Ashcan'' included most of the defendants in the Nuremberg Trials along with many other senior Nazi Party, government and military officials.

Nuremberg trials defendants

The following were brought to trial by the International Military Tribunal at the Nuremberg trials of November 1945 to October 1946.

Subsequent Nuremberg trials defendants

The following were brought to trial in the subsequent Nuremberg trials between December 1946 and October 1948.

Others

Other prisoners included:

Footnotes

References

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External links

ASHCAN: Nazis, Generals and Bureaucrats as Guests at the Palace Hotel, Mondorf les Bains, Luxembourg, May-August 1945
{{Coord, 49.5050, N, 6.2800, E, source:wikidata, display=title 1945 establishments in Luxembourg 1945 disestablishments in Luxembourg Buildings and structures demolished in 1988 World War II prisoner-of-war camps Mondorf-les-Bains Nuremberg trials Hermann Göring Karl Dönitz