Transcript 10 Most Evil Women In Nazi Camps

Most Evil Women In Nazi Camps
Dorothea Binz
La Binz
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Beginning in 1939 Binz began a
career as a concentration camp guard
eventually rising through the ranks to
become deputy chief wards at
Ravensbruck and later Buchenwald.
Described by the prisoners as
“unyielding” Binz was well known to
beat, shoot and whip the females in
her charge.
In one instance of particular brutality
she is reported to have chopped a
prisoner to death with an axe during
a forced labour assignment. While
she fled at the close of the war she
was caught, tried and on May 2, 1947
executed for her crimes.
Juana Bormann
“The Woman with the Dogs”
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In 1939, Bormann joined the Auxiliary
SS to, as she put it at her trial, “earn
more money.”
From then on her career took her
through some of the most notorious of
Germany’s camps among them
Ravensbruck, Auschwitz and BerganBelsen where she was stationed at the
close of the war.
Noted for her brutality, Bormann was
well known for having the German
shepherd which accompanied her
attack the prisoners.
In the end though her cruelty and
sadism came back to haunt her when
she was convicted of murder and
executed on December 13, 1945.
“Wiesel”
Wicked Women Charlotte Pliquet, Ruth Astrosini, Juana Bormann, Gertrude Feist, Gertrude Sauer
and Ida Förster shortly after their arrest.
Dated: 02 May 1945
Greta Bosel
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A nurse by profession starting in 1939 Bosel
worked at Ravenbruck concentration camp as
a “work input overseer.”
Essentially what this meant was that Bosel
was among those who decided which
prisoners would be immediately gassed and
which would be sent to work camps.
Apparently her philosophy was right in line
with that in the Nazi hierarchy since she is
quoted as having said of the prisoners, “If
they cannot work let them rot.”
On 3 May 1945, following the Hamburg
Ravensbruck War Crimes Trial, Bosel was
executed for maltreatment, murder and
taking part in the selection process.
Herta Bothe
Sadist of Stutthoff
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Yet another nurse who apparently forgot the
healing touch.
After her conscription in 1942, Bothe served the
majority of the war at the Stutthoff camp near
Danzig.
Described at her trial as a “brutal” overseer, Bothe
was captured at Bergen-Belsen where she oversaw
a wood detail after evacuating Stutthoff in the face
of the advancing Soviets.
While described as sadistic and inhumane, her
crimes apparently did not raise to the level of some
of her coworkers so rather than hang she was
sentenced to ten years in prison although she
served only six before receiving clemency from the
British government.
Sixty years after the war in the course of an
interview she was asked about her decision to work
as in a concentration camp. “Did I make a mistake?
No. The mistake was that it was a concentration
camp, but I had to go to it, otherwise I would have
been put into it myself. That was my mistake.”
Hildegard Lächert
“Bloody Brigette,” “Beast”
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Beginning in 1942, Lächert developed a
reputation for brutality during her
service at Ravensbruck, Majdanek and
Auschwitz.
Following the war, she was sentenced
to fifteen years for her service at
Auschwitz, although she was released
in 1956 having served only nine.
Her freedom was fleeting however,
because in 1975 she was tried for
participation in the selection process,
releasing her dog onto inmates and
general abuse and sentenced to an
additional twelve years.
Wanda Klaff
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A latecomer, Klaff had worked in a
jam factory until she was assigned
to Stutthoff in 1944 where she
served until the end of the war in
1945.
Arrested by Polish officials that
same year she was tried and later
executed for her crimes.
It is interesting to note that she is
quoted as saying, “I am very
intelligent and very devoted to my
work in the camps. I struck at least
two prisoners every day.” Perhaps
given that she said this at her trial
she may have overstated her level
of intelligence.
Alice Orlowski
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Orlowski worked at a veritable who’s who is Nazi
concentration camps, developing a reputation for
particular sadism at each.
She was particularly well known for whipping
prisoners across the eyes which was not only
painful but also often rendered them unfit for work
and caused their extermination. Another particular
evil of Orlowski’s, was throwing the children on top
of the other prisoners being sent to the gas
chambers in a “space saving operation.”
In 1945, with the war near over, she seemed to
have turned over a new leaf.
During a death march from Auschwitz-Berkenau to
Lolau she comforted the prisoners, provided them
water and even slept alongside them on the
ground.
Whether this was sincere or not is debatable but
unlike many guilty of similar crimes she received life
imprisonment rather than execution and was
released after only serving ten years.
In 1976, during a second trial, she died at the age
of 73.
Maria Mandel
“The Beast”
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Mandel held positions at a variety of camps before
she was named female commandant of the
notorious Auschwitz-Birkenau concentration camp.
Having already honed her skills by meting out
punishments at other camps, Mandel fell into step
there quickly and is believed between 1942 and
1945 to have been directly responsible for the
deaths of 500,000 prisoners.
Sadistic by every measure during her time at
Auschwitz, she is known to have selected Jews to
serve as her “pet.”
When she tired of them, she sent them off to the
gas chambers.
She is also known to have created the Women’s
Orchestra of Auschwitz which performed during roll
calls, executions, selections and transport.
Following her trial, Mandel was executed for her
crimes on January 24, 1948.
Ruth Neudeck
• Arriving only in 1944 Neudeck
rose meteorically through the
ranks, eventually being
assigned the rank of camp
leader at one of Ravensbruck’s
sub camps. Noted for her
cruelty one of her prisoners
testified at her trial that they
witnessed her slit the throat of
another prisoner with the
sharpened edge of a shovel.
Following the war, she fled but
was captured, tried and later
executed for her crimes.
Elisabeth Volkenrath
• After training under Dorothea
Binz (#1) she was to serve at
Ravensbruck and AuschwitzBirkenau before being
appointed senior supervisor at
Bergen-Belsen. Well known to
have participated in the
execution of prisoners, at her
trial she was convicted and,
like her teacher, executed for
her crimes.
Ilse Koch
“The Witch of Buchenwald,” “The Bitch of
Buchenwald,” “The Beast of Buchenwal
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Strictly speaking, Koch was not a guard.
In fact, she was not in the SS in any capacity but
her husband Karl Koch was the commander of
Buchenwald and later Majdanek.
Using the power that his position granted her, Koch
developed a reputation for cruelty which was
nothing short of unbelievable.
Koch, it has been testified, was known to meet
prisoners upon their arrival to inspect them for
interesting or attractive tattoos.
If she saw something which caught her eye, she had
the prisoner executed, skinned and their skin made
into useful items such as lampshades or book
covers.
While it has never been proven that she
manufactured anything from the skins, her
collection was used against her at her trials.
What has also been proven is that she often
instigated the torture of inmates including forcing
one of them to rape another in plain sight.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A
nwVuBhCmL4
• Unfortunately for her, in 1943 both her and her
husband were arrested for embezzling from the
SS and killing prisoners to cover up the crime.
• While he was executed, Ilse was acquitted and
was free when she was arrested by the Allies.
• Being a rare civilian exception, Koch was tried for
war crimes and sentenced to life imprisonment.
She was serving out that sentence when she
committed suicide in 1967.