Ravensbrück Trial
Encyclopedia
The Hamburg Ravensbrück Trials were a series of seven trials for war crimes against camp officials from the Ravensbrück concentration camp
that the British
authorities held in their occupation zone in Germany
in Hamburg
after the end of World War II
. These trials were heard before a military tribunal; the three to five judges at these trials were British officers, assisted by a lawyer. The defendants included concentration camp personnel of all levels: SS officers, camp doctors, male guards, female guards (Aufseherinnen), and a few former prisoner-functionaries who had tortured or mistreated other inmates. In total, 38 defendants were tried in these seven trials. 21 of the defendants were women. Executions relating to these trials were carried out at Hameln Prison by British hangman Albert Pierrepoint
.
.
The death sentences (except for Salvequart) were executed on May 2—3, 1947, in Hameln.
Two more defendants, camp leader Fritz Suhren
and "work leader" Hans Pflaum, escaped from custody prior to the trial. They were apprehended under assumed names in 1949 and handed over to French
authorities, who were conducting another Ravensbrück trial in Rastatt
at the time. Both men were sentenced to death in that trial and shot on June 12, 1950.
extermination camp, were indicted on four charges:
Uckermark was about one mile from the Ravensbrück concentration camp. It had been opened in May 1942 as a prison or concentration camp for girls aged 16 to 21 who were considered criminal or just difficult. Girls who reached the upper age limit were transferred to the Ravensbrück women's camp. Camp administration was provided by the Ravensbrück camp. In January 1945, the juveniles camp was closed and the infrastructure was subsequently used as an extermination camp for "sick, no longer efficient, and over 52 years old women".
Braach and Toberentz were acquitted because they had worked at Uckermark only while it was still a juveniles camp, and there were no Allied women there at that time; the camp was exclusively for German girls, whose fate or treatment was of no interest to the tribunal.
Ganzer had already stood trial for her activities in Ravensbrück in 1946 before a Russia
n military tribunal and had been acquitted. In Hamburg, she was found guilty, but her death sentence was commuted into lifetime imprisonment on July 3, 1948, which in turn was reduced to 21 years imprisonment in 1950 and then to 12 years in 1954. She was finally released on June 6, 1961.
Ravensbrück concentration camp
Ravensbrück was a notorious women's concentration camp during World War II, located in northern Germany, 90 km north of Berlin at a site near the village of Ravensbrück ....
that the British
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
authorities held in their occupation zone in Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
in Hamburg
Hamburg
-History:The first historic name for the city was, according to Claudius Ptolemy's reports, Treva.But the city takes its modern name, Hamburg, from the first permanent building on the site, a castle whose construction was ordered by the Emperor Charlemagne in AD 808...
after the end of World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
. These trials were heard before a military tribunal; the three to five judges at these trials were British officers, assisted by a lawyer. The defendants included concentration camp personnel of all levels: SS officers, camp doctors, male guards, female guards (Aufseherinnen), and a few former prisoner-functionaries who had tortured or mistreated other inmates. In total, 38 defendants were tried in these seven trials. 21 of the defendants were women. Executions relating to these trials were carried out at Hameln Prison by British hangman Albert Pierrepoint
Albert Pierrepoint
Albert Pierrepoint is the most famous member of the family which provided three of the United Kingdom's official hangmen in the first half of the 20th century...
.
The trials
All seven trials took place in the Curiohaus in the Hamburg quarter of RotherbaumRotherbaum
Rotherbaum is a quarter of Eimsbüttel, a borough of Hamburg, Germany. In 2006 the population was 16,853.In German, "roter Baum" means red tree. The "th", which in general was abolished in the spelling reform of 1900, was preserved in names...
.
First Ravensbrück Trial
The first Ravensbrück trial was held from December 5, 1946 until February 3, 1947.| Defendant | Function | Sentence |
|---|---|---|
| Johann Schwarzhuber | Deputy camp leader | Death |
| Gustav Binder | Warden | Death |
| Heinrich Peters | Warden | 15 years imprisonment; released May 18, 1955 |
| Ludwig Ramdohr | Gestapo Gestapo The Gestapo was the official secret police of Nazi Germany. Beginning on 20 April 1934, it was under the administration of the SS leader Heinrich Himmler in his position as Chief of German Police... inspector |
Death |
| Martin Hellinger | Medical doctor | 15 years imprisonment; released May 14, 1955 |
| Rolf Rosenthal | Medical doctor | Death |
| Gerhard Schiedlausky | Medical doctor | Death |
| Percy Treite | Medical doctor | Death; committed suicide on April 8, 1947 |
| Adolf Winkelmann | Medical doctor | Died during the process on February 1, 1947 |
| Dorothea Binz Dorothea Binz Dorothea Binz was an SS supervisor at Ravensbrück concentration camp during the Second World War.-Life:Born to a middle class German family in Försterei Dusterlake, Binz attended school until she was fifteen... |
Chief warden (Oberaufseherin) | Death |
| Greta Bösel Greta Bösel Greta Bösel was a trained nurse. Born in Wuppertal-Elberfeld, Germany, she became a camp guard at Ravensbrück some time between 1939 and 1943.... |
Warden (Aufseherin) | Death |
| Margarete Mewes | Warden | 10 years imprisonment; released February 26, 1952 |
| Elisabeth Marschall Elisabeth Marschall Elisabeth Marschall was the Head Nurse at the Ravensbrück concentration camp. Her duties included selecting prisoners for execution, overseeing medical experiments, and selecting which prisoners would be shipped to Auschwitz... |
Nurse | Death |
| Carmen Mory | Inmate; Kapo Kapo (concentration camp) A kapo was a prisoner who worked inside German Nazi concentration camps during World War II in any of certain lower administrative positions. The official Nazi word was Funktionshäftling, or "prisoner functionary", but the Nazis commonly referred to them as kapos.- Etymology :The origin of "kapo"... |
Death; committed suicide on April 9, 1947 |
| Vera Salvequart Vera Salvequart Vera Salvequart was a Czech-born nurse at Ravensbrück concentration camp from December 1944 to 1945.... |
Inmate; Kapo Kapo (concentration camp) A kapo was a prisoner who worked inside German Nazi concentration camps during World War II in any of certain lower administrative positions. The official Nazi word was Funktionshäftling, or "prisoner functionary", but the Nazis commonly referred to them as kapos.- Etymology :The origin of "kapo"... |
Death; executed on June 2, 1947. |
| Eugenia von Skene | Inmate; Kapo Kapo (concentration camp) A kapo was a prisoner who worked inside German Nazi concentration camps during World War II in any of certain lower administrative positions. The official Nazi word was Funktionshäftling, or "prisoner functionary", but the Nazis commonly referred to them as kapos.- Etymology :The origin of "kapo"... |
10 years imprisonment, released December 21, 1951 |
The death sentences (except for Salvequart) were executed on May 2—3, 1947, in Hameln.
Two more defendants, camp leader Fritz Suhren
Fritz Suhren
Fritz Suhren was a German Schutzstaffel officer and Nazi concentration camp commandant.-Early years:Suhren joined the Nazi Party in 1928 and the Sturmabteilung at the same time...
and "work leader" Hans Pflaum, escaped from custody prior to the trial. They were apprehended under assumed names in 1949 and handed over to French
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
authorities, who were conducting another Ravensbrück trial in Rastatt
Rastatt
Rastatt is a city and baroque residence in the District of Rastatt, Baden-Württemberg, Germany. It is located on the Murg river, above its junction with the Rhine and has a population of around 50'000...
at the time. Both men were sentenced to death in that trial and shot on June 12, 1950.
Second Ravensbrück Trial
In the second Ravensbrück trial, which lasted from November 5 to 27, 1947, the only defendant was Friedrich Opitz, another camp official who had managed to flee before the first trial began. Opitz had been a factory leader in the concentration camp. He received a death sentence, which was executed on February 26, 1948.Third Ravensbrück Trial
In the third Ravensbrück trial, the so-called "Uckermark trial" that took place from April 14 to 26, 1948, five female camp officials of the UckermarkUckermark concentration camp
The Uckermark concentration camp was a small Nazi concentration camp for girls near the Ravensbrück concentration camp in Fürstenberg/Havel, Germany and then an "emergency" extermination camp....
extermination camp, were indicted on four charges:
- Mistreatment of Allied women in Uckermark
- Participation in the selection of Allied women for the gas chamberGas chamberA gas chamber is an apparatus for killing humans or animals with gas, consisting of a sealed chamber into which a poisonous or asphyxiant gas is introduced. The most commonly used poisonous agent is hydrogen cyanide; carbon dioxide and carbon monoxide have also been used...
in Uckermark - Mistreatment of Allied women in the Ravensbrück concentration camp
- Selection of Allied women for the gas chamberGas chamberA gas chamber is an apparatus for killing humans or animals with gas, consisting of a sealed chamber into which a poisonous or asphyxiant gas is introduced. The most commonly used poisonous agent is hydrogen cyanide; carbon dioxide and carbon monoxide have also been used...
in the Ravensbrück concentration camp
Uckermark was about one mile from the Ravensbrück concentration camp. It had been opened in May 1942 as a prison or concentration camp for girls aged 16 to 21 who were considered criminal or just difficult. Girls who reached the upper age limit were transferred to the Ravensbrück women's camp. Camp administration was provided by the Ravensbrück camp. In January 1945, the juveniles camp was closed and the infrastructure was subsequently used as an extermination camp for "sick, no longer efficient, and over 52 years old women".
| Defendant | Function | Sentence |
|---|---|---|
| Johanna Braach | Criminal inspector; warden in the juvenile's camp | Acquitted |
| Lotte Toberentz Lotte Toberentz Lotte Toberentz, born Maria Charlotte Toberentz was the head overseer of the Uckermark concentration camp for girls in its early years... |
Camp leader of the juvenile's camp | Acquitted |
| Elfriede Mohneke | Warden of the extermination camp | 10 years of imprisonment; released June 14, 1952 |
| Margarete Rabe | Warden of the extermination camp | Lifetime imprisonment; reduced in 1950 to 21 years; released June 16, 1959 |
| Ruth Neudeck | Chief warden of the extermination camp | Death; executed on July 29, 1949 |
Braach and Toberentz were acquitted because they had worked at Uckermark only while it was still a juveniles camp, and there were no Allied women there at that time; the camp was exclusively for German girls, whose fate or treatment was of no interest to the tribunal.
Fourth Ravensbrück Trial
The fourth trial was held from May to June 8, 1948. The accused were all members of the medical staff of the camp at Ravensbrück, including one inmate who had worked as a nurse. The charges again centered on mistreatment, torture, and sending to gas chambers of women of Allied nationality.| Defendant | Function | Sentence |
|---|---|---|
| Benno Orendi | Medical doctor | Death; executed September 17, 1948 |
| Walter Sonntag | Medical doctor | Death; executed September 17, 1948 |
| Martha Haake | Nurse | 10 years imprisonment; released on January 1, 1951 due to medical reasons |
| Liesbeth Krzok | Nurse | 4 years imprisonment; released February 3, 1951 |
| Gerda Ganzer | Inmate; Nurse | Death |
Ganzer had already stood trial for her activities in Ravensbrück in 1946 before a Russia
Russia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
n military tribunal and had been acquitted. In Hamburg, she was found guilty, but her death sentence was commuted into lifetime imprisonment on July 3, 1948, which in turn was reduced to 21 years imprisonment in 1950 and then to 12 years in 1954. She was finally released on June 6, 1961.
Fifth Ravensbrück Trial
In the fifth trial, three SS members were accused of having killed Allied inmates. The trial lasted from June 16 to 29, 1948. The judgments were handed down on July 15, 1948.| Defendant | Function | Sentence |
|---|---|---|
| Arthur Conrad | SS warden | Death; executed September 17, 1948 |
| Heinrich Schäfer | SS warden | 2 years imprisonment; released October 28, 1949 |
| Walter Schenk | SS warden | 20 years imprisonment; released August 3, 1954 |
Sixth Ravensbrück Trial
This trial lasted from July 1 to 26, 1948. Both defendants were accused of having mistreated Allied inmates.| Defendant | Function | Sentence |
|---|---|---|
| Kurt Lauer | SS warden | 15 years imprisonment; released May 7, 1955 |
| Kurt Rauxloh | SS warden | 10 years imprisonment; released September 26, 1954 due to medical reasons |
Seventh Ravensbrück Trial
Finally, six Aufseherinnen (female camp wardens) were tried from July 2 to 21, 1948. The charges were mistreatment of inmates of Allied nationality and participation in the selection of inmates for the gas chamber.| Defendant | Function | Sentence |
|---|---|---|
| Luise Brunner | Chief warden (Oberaufseherin) | 3 years imprisonment |
| Anna Friederike Mathilde Klein | Chief warden | Acquitted due to lack of evidence |
| Emma Zimmer Emma Zimmer Emma Anne Zimmer was a female overseer at the Ravensbrück concentration camp for two years during the war.... |
Chief warden | Death; executed September 20, 1948 |
| Christine Holthöwer | Warden | Acquitted due to lack of evidence |
| Ida Schreiter | Warden | Death; executed September 20, 1948 |
| Ilse Vettermann | Warden | 12 years imprisonment |
Literature
- Taake, C.: Angeklagt: SS-Frauen vor Gericht; Bibliotheks- und Informationssystem der Univ. OldenburgOldenburgOldenburg is an independent city in Lower Saxony, Germany. It is situated in the western part of the state between the cities of Bremen and Groningen, Netherlands, at the Hunte river. It has a population of 160,279 which makes it the fourth biggest city in Lower Saxony after Hanover, Braunschweig...
, 1998. In German.