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The Commandants

What did the departments do?

Richard Baer

The third commandant of Auschwitz

At the head of Auschwitz stood the camp commandant, who was responsible for all the matters connected to the camp.

The commandants:

~The first commandant was SS-Obersturnbannfuhrer Rudolf Hoss, from May 4th, 1940 to November 10th, 1943

~The second commandant was SS- Obersturmbannfuhrer Arthur Liebehenschel from November 11th, 1943 to May 8th, 1944

~The third commandant was SS- Sturmbannfurher Richard Baer from May 11th. 1944 to the end of the camps existence in January 1945.

The political department of Auschwitz had a wide range of prerogatives in admitting and releasing prisoners, keeping personal files and identifying the prisoners, administering the crematoria, exercising oversight in relation to prisoners and SS men, combating the prisoner resistance movement, and supervising the campaign for the mass extermination of Jews. These functions made the political department the most important component in the Auschwitz organizational structure.

Rudolf Hoss

The first commandant of Auschwitz

Division of Auschwitz

Commandants

The successive garrison doctors were:

  • SS-Hauptsturmfuhrer Dr. Max Popiersch until September 1941
  • SS- Haupsturmfuhrer Dr, Siegfrien Schwela to May 1942
  • SS- Obersturmfuhrer Oskar Dienstbach until August 1942
  • SS- Haupsturmfuhrer Dr. Kurt Ulenbrock starting on August 17th, 1942
  • SS- Obersturmfuhrer Dr. Eduard Wirths from September 6th until January 18th, 1945

The SS medical service also played a salient role in the extermination system. The medical unit had two different goals: treating the SS crew and exterminating the prisoners. SS doctors carried out selection in the prisoner hospitals and turned a blind eye to the horrid sanitary and hygienic conditions in the camp. They also participated in selections for the gas chamber among the newly arrived Jewish transports and carried out criminal experiments.

After the division of Auschwitz camp into three camps the commandants of Auschwitz II- Birkenau were:

SS-Sturmbannfurhrer Fritz Hartjenstein from November 22nd, 1943 to May 8th, 1944 followed by SS- Hauptsturmfuhrer Josef Kramer from May 8th, 1944 to November 25th, 1944.

Artur Liebehenschel

The second commandant of Auschwitz

More Women:

  • Wanda Klaff

Served the Nazi party for one year (1944-1945) before being caught and arrested. Quoted as saying, "I am very intelligent and very devoted to my work in the camps. I struck at least two prisoners everyday."

  • Alice Orlowski

Well known for whipping prisoners eyes, which was not only painful but often rendered them unfit for work and caused their extermination. In 1945, with the war nearly over, she seemed to have a change of heart. During a death march she comforted prisoners, provided them water, and slept on the ground with them. Her actions being sincere is debatable. (Life imprisonment, free after 10 years. Died in 1976 at the age of 73)

Main Points:

  • Maria Mandel "The Beast"

Mandel held positions at a variety of camps before she ws named female commandment of the notorious Auschwits- 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 selescted 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

By:

Female Guards:

5,500 females served in various guard positions in German camps. A few included:

  • Juana Bormann "Wiesel," "The woman with the dogs" Juana joined the Auxiliary SS in1939 and was station at Auschwitz at one point in her career. She was well known for having the German sheperd which accompanied her attack the prisoners. (Convicted of murder and executed on December 13th, 1945.)
  • There were 5 different levels in the chain of command
  • 75% of the people who worked at Auschwitz were guards
  • Departments II and III of the camp played the leading role in the terror and extermination system.
  • The medical unit had two different goals: treating the SS crew and exterminating the prisoners.
  • 5,500 females served in various guard positions in German camps

Tristan Watson

and

Alexis Garcia

The SS Departments:

The SS garrison in Auschwitz

The organizational structure of Auschwitz was composed of seven departments:

~The commandant's office

~The political department

~Camp administration

~Prisoner labor

~Administration-economc

~Camp SS medical service

~SS unit welfare and training

75% of Auschwitz Garrison were guards

All concentration camps had a power chain in the order of:

1) The commandant and personal staff

2) Security Police officer and an assistant to maintain and update prisoner records

3) Commandant of the protective detention camp and his staff (labor allocation officer, roll call officer, and Blockfuhrer [who were responsible for the individual prisoner barracks])

4) An administrative staff

5) Infirmary run by an SS physician, assisted by one+ SS sanitation officers/medical orderlies

Departments II and III of the camp played the leading role in the terror and extermination system. The officials in the political department were employees of the Gestapo or the Kripo (criminal police). The heads of the political department were SS-Unterstumfuhrer Maximilian Grabner and his successor, SS-Unterstumfuhrer Hans Shurz.

Any questions?

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Nazi Chain Of Command

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