Blechhammer
Encyclopedia
The Blechhammer area was the location of Nazi Germany
chemical plants, prisoner of war (POW) camps, and forced labor camps . Labor camp prisoners began arriving as early as June 17, 1942, and in July 1944, 400-500 men were transferred from the Terezin family camp
to Blechhammer. The mobile “pocket furnace” crematorium was at Sławięcice.) and Bau und Arbeits Battalion (BAB, Construction Battalion) 21 was a mile from the Blechhammer oil plants and was not far from Katowitz and Breslau. Blechhammer synthetic oil production began April 1 with 4000 prisoners.http://books.google.com/books?id=ajAUhJdjnksC&pg=RA2-PA524
Chemical plants: Two plants in the area, Blechhammer North (south of Sławięcice) and Blechhammer South at Azoty
(5 miles (8 km) from the labor camp) were nicknamed "Black Hammer" by Allied bomber aircrews. The facilities were approximately 2 miles (3.2 km) apart with each occupying a 3,000 x 5,000 ft area in open country. Similar to the Gelsenberg plant,http://books.google.com/books?id=VJIztvolC8cC&pg=PA206 the Blechhammer plants used bituminous coal
in the Bergius process
to synthesize Ersatz
oil. In June 1944, the United States Army Air Forces
considered Blechhammer one of the four "principal synthetic oil plants in Germany", and after the Fifteenth Air Force
had dropped 7,082 tons of bombs on Blechhammer, the Blechhammer plants were dismantled post-war
by the Soviets.
Evacuation: The March (1945)
evacuated POWs (one camp went to Regensburg
, BAB 21 http://www.prisonerofwar.org.uk/winter_2004.htm went to Landshut) and on January 25, labor camp prisoners were force-marched for five days to Bergen Belsen (about 20% died enroute).http://www.edwardvictor.com/Holocaust/Blechhammer.htm. Small group managed to escape (see František R.Kraus).
The "7 Company" was the guard battalion for Blechhammer,http://en.auschwitz.org.pl/h/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=5&Itemid=5&limit=1&limitstart=4 and the 1945 Belsen Trial
convicted Blechhammer staff members Karl Francioh and Ansgar Piche.
Nazi Germany
Nazi Germany , also known as the Third Reich , but officially called German Reich from 1933 to 1943 and Greater German Reich from 26 June 1943 onward, is the name commonly used to refer to the state of Germany from 1933 to 1945, when it was a totalitarian dictatorship ruled by...
chemical plants, prisoner of war (POW) camps, and forced labor camps . Labor camp prisoners began arriving as early as June 17, 1942, and in July 1944, 400-500 men were transferred from the Terezin family camp
Theresienstadt concentration camp
Theresienstadt concentration camp was a Nazi German ghetto during World War II. It was established by the Gestapo in the fortress and garrison city of Terezín , located in what is now the Czech Republic.-History:The fortress of Terezín was constructed between the years 1780 and 1790 by the orders...
to Blechhammer. The mobile “pocket furnace” crematorium was at Sławięcice.) and Bau und Arbeits Battalion (BAB, Construction Battalion) 21 was a mile from the Blechhammer oil plants and was not far from Katowitz and Breslau. Blechhammer synthetic oil production began April 1 with 4000 prisoners.http://books.google.com/books?id=ajAUhJdjnksC&pg=RA2-PA524
Chemical plants: Two plants in the area, Blechhammer North (south of Sławięcice) and Blechhammer South at Azoty
Kedzierzyn-Kozle
Kędzierzyn-Koźle is the capital city of Kędzierzyn-Koźle County, Silesia, Poland. Kędzierzyn-Koźle is a place of a major river port, has rail connections with all major cities of Poland and serves western outskirts of the Upper Silesian Metropolitan Union....
(5 miles (8 km) from the labor camp) were nicknamed "Black Hammer" by Allied bomber aircrews. The facilities were approximately 2 miles (3.2 km) apart with each occupying a 3,000 x 5,000 ft area in open country. Similar to the Gelsenberg plant,http://books.google.com/books?id=VJIztvolC8cC&pg=PA206 the Blechhammer plants used bituminous coal
Bituminous coal
Bituminous coal or black coal is a relatively soft coal containing a tarlike substance called bitumen. It is of higher quality than lignite coal but of poorer quality than Anthracite...
in the Bergius process
Bergius process
The Bergius Process is a method of production of liquid hydrocarbons for use as synthetic fuel by hydrogenation of high-volatile bituminous coal at high temperature and pressure...
to synthesize Ersatz
Ersatz
Ersatz means 'substituting for, and typically inferior in quality to', e.g. 'chicory is ersatz coffee'. It is a German word literally meaning substitute or replacement...
oil. In June 1944, the United States Army Air Forces
United States Army Air Forces
The United States Army Air Forces was the military aviation arm of the United States of America during and immediately after World War II, and the direct predecessor of the United States Air Force....
considered Blechhammer one of the four "principal synthetic oil plants in Germany", and after the Fifteenth Air Force
Fifteenth Air Force
The Fifteenth Expeditionary Mobility Task Force is one of two EMTFs assigned to the United States Air Force Air Mobility Command . It is headquartered at Travis Air Force Base, California....
had dropped 7,082 tons of bombs on Blechhammer, the Blechhammer plants were dismantled post-war
Post-war
A post-war period or postwar period is the interval immediately following the ending of a war and enduring as long as war does not resume. A post-war period can become an interwar period or interbellum when a war between the same parties resumes at a later date...
by the Soviets.
Evacuation: The March (1945)
The March (1945)
"The March" refers to a series of death marches during the final stages of the Second World War in Europe. From a total of 257,000 western Allied prisoners of war held in German military prison camps, over 80,000 POWs were forced to march westward across Poland, Czechoslovakia, and Germany in...
evacuated POWs (one camp went to Regensburg
Regensburg
Regensburg is a city in Bavaria, Germany, located at the confluence of the Danube and Regen rivers, at the northernmost bend in the Danube. To the east lies the Bavarian Forest. Regensburg is the capital of the Bavarian administrative region Upper Palatinate...
, BAB 21 http://www.prisonerofwar.org.uk/winter_2004.htm went to Landshut) and on January 25, labor camp prisoners were force-marched for five days to Bergen Belsen (about 20% died enroute).http://www.edwardvictor.com/Holocaust/Blechhammer.htm. Small group managed to escape (see František R.Kraus).
The "7 Company" was the guard battalion for Blechhammer,http://en.auschwitz.org.pl/h/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=5&Itemid=5&limit=1&limitstart=4 and the 1945 Belsen Trial
Belsen Trial
The Belsen Trial was one of several trials that the Allied occupation forces conducted against former officials and functionaries of Nazi Germany after the end of World War II...
convicted Blechhammer staff members Karl Francioh and Ansgar Piche.