Erna Petermann (born 1912, date of death unknown) was a high-ranking female overseer at two
Nazi concentration camp
From 1933 to 1945, Nazi Germany operated more than a thousand concentration camps (), including subcamp (SS), subcamps on its own territory and in parts of German-occupied Europe.
The first camps were established in March 1933 immediately af ...
s during the closing months of
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 ...
.
Biography
Little is known about Erna Petermann, other than that she trained at the men's camp at
Mittelbau-Dora
Mittelbau-Dora (also Dora-Mittelbau and Nordhausen-Dora) was a Nazi concentration camp located near Nordhausen in Thuringia, Germany. It was established in late summer 1943 as a subcamp of Buchenwald concentration camp, supplying slave labour f ...
sometime in 1944. The ''
Schutzstaffel
The ''Schutzstaffel'' (; ; SS; also stylised with SS runes as ''ᛋᛋ'') was a major paramilitary organisation under Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party in Nazi Germany, and later throughout German-occupied Europe during World War II.
It beg ...
'' (SS) promoted Petermann to the rank of ''
Lagerführerin'' (Female Camp Commandant) under a male commandant. Later, Petermann was transferred as Female Camp Commandant to the
Großwerther subcamp in the
Harz Mountains
The Harz (), also called the Harz Mountains, is a Mittelgebirge, highland area in northern Germany. It has the highest elevations for that region, and its rugged terrain extends across parts of Lower Saxony, Saxony-Anhalt, and Thuringia. The nam ...
.
Disappearance
When Großwerther was liberated by the Allies, Petermann fled the camp and went into hiding. Her whereabouts were not discovered and therefore it was not possible to question her regarding possible involvement with
war crime
A war crime is a violation of the laws of war that gives rise to individual criminal responsibility for actions by combatants in action, such as intentionally killing civilians or intentionally killing prisoners of war, torture, taking hostage ...
s. Her subsequent history and post-war activities remain unknown.
See also
*
List of people who disappeared
{{Short description, Lists of people of unknown locations and statusLists of people who disappeared include those whose current whereabouts are unknown, or whose deaths are unsubstantiated:
Many people who disappear are eventually declared dead ' ...
References
*Daniel Patrick Brown, ''The Camp Women: The Female Auxiliaries Who Assisted the SS in Running the Nazi Concentration Camp System,''
Schiffer Publishing
Schiffer Publishing Ltd. (also known for its imprints Schiffer, Schiffer Craft, Schiffer Military History, Schiffer Kids, REDFeather MBS, Cornell Maritime Press, Tidewater Publishers, Thrums Books, and Geared Up Publications) is a family-owned p ...
, 2002,
1912 births
Year of death missing
1940s missing person cases
Female guards in Nazi concentration camps
Missing people
Missing person cases in Germany
Mittelbau-Dora concentration camp personnel
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