Concentration camps are detention centers that were created by the Third Reich from 1933. They lasted until the end of World War II. The purpose of these camps was to intern and exploit political opponents, but also residents of conquered countries as well as people from specific religious and ethnic groups. Shortly after World War II broke out, concentration camps sprang up in Europe. The people residing there were exploited because they had to work until they were exhausted and had no access to adequate food or care. This is also the reason why the mortality rate was very high.
the Konzentrationslager (KL) Natzweiler is one of these concentration camps. It was placed in France and it is also the only one. It is better known as Camp Struthof. It is a Nazi concentration camp which was established from 1941 in Alsace annexed by Nazi Germany. This camp was the first to be discovered by the Western allies. But it was not until 1944 that the camp ceased to function.
The history of Camp Struthof
Around September 1940, the Nazis discovered a seam of pink granite near the village of Natzweiler. Around 1941, Hienrich Himmler, one of the highest dignitaries of the Third Reich, ordered the establishment of a concentration camp in order to exploit the mines and take advantage of the great works of the Reich. According to historians, between 1941 and 1945, the camp recorded about 52,000 prisoners who were located in the main camp and the annexed networks. According Geo, more than 30 different nationalities have resided there. In the main camp, the detainees were generally political opponents. And the side camps are made up of forced laborers, religious as well as homosexuals, but the 17% are made up of Jews.
Between 1941 and 1944, medical experiments were carried out on the prisoners. In 1942, the camp became a place of execution for death sentences that were handed down by Nazi courts. Around 1943, the Struthof camp was designated as a gathering place for all male prisoners pronounced by the Nacht und Nebel decree. Historians estimate that the camp recorded around 20,000 inmate deaths during its existence.
Struthof was the only Nazi concentration camp in France
It was after the discovery of the pink stone that the Nazis decided to set up a camp on French territory. Around May 1941, the camp officially opened near the village of Natzweiler. In just a few weeks, the camp received two convoys of 150 men to complete the work on the site. The work lasted two years, but the camp began to multiply like the number of prisoners it accommodated. Around 1943, the camp had up to 4,000 inmates from all over Europe. Within a year, the camp had about 20,000 inmates. Apparently, women were also among those sent to the camp. In total, the camp held up to 52,000 inmates.
The camp recorded many deaths
Of the more than 50,000 inmates who worked there, almost 22,000 died in deplorable conditions. The camp therefore recorded a mortality rate of approximately 40%. Historians claim it to be the deadliest camp in history. Among the detainees were the victims of the Nacht und Nebel which translates to “night and fog” in French. These are people who opposed the Reich and the leaders of the time reserved a painful death for them, without anyone knowing. More than 2,400 people have been dragged into this situation.
Archaeologists have claimed that around 1944, the camp practiced macabre activities such as medical experiments. At the head of these experiments, we find August Hill, an anatomist and professor at the Reich University of Strasbourg.
Scientists were conducting terrible experiments on prisoners
According to historians, this was one of the most heinous crimes that doctors could commit. In a report performed by Christian Bonah, a professor at the University of Strasbourg, the doctors carried out experiments, such as gas and vaccine tests. Detainees were therefore exposed to various gases such as phosgene. We were also testing the effectiveness of the vaccine against typhus. Researchers have discovered in August Hill’s documents that he collected Jewish skeletons.
For the experiment with the gas, the professor chose about 115 Jewish people, 86 of whom were divided as follows: 57 men and 29 women who were between the ages of 17 and 64. These people were murdered in the gas chamber and then cut up and left in vats filled with formaldehyde.
The end of camp
Beginning in September 1944, camp officials decided to evacuate most of the inmates to the Dachau camp. In November, the installations were discovered by American troops. This marked the end of the barbaric activities carried out in the camp.
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