Военное обозрение By Top War
“Beech Forest”
In 1937, when Hitler’s Germany was already actively preparing for wars of conquest, the German leadership, following the creation of the first concentration camp Dachau (founded in 1933), began building other concentration camps, including Buchenwald. Buchenwald (German: Buchenwald – “beech forest”) was one of the largest concentration camps in Germany, located near Weimar in Thuringia.
The first prisoners of Buchenwald were German anti-fascists, sectarians, criminals and homosexuals. The first commandant of the camp was Karl Otto Koch (1937–1941). Karl and especially his wife Ilse Koch, who was called the “witch of Buchenwald”, were accused of brutal murders and torture of prisoners.
Already in 1937-1939, German anti-fascists formed underground groups. Walter Barthel, after the death of his comrades, became the chairman of the underground International Camp Committee until the day of the liberation of Buchenwald.
After the aggression in Europe began, anti-fascists from various European countries occupied by the Nazis were imprisoned in Buchenwald. Medical experiments were conducted on prisoners in the camp. Many experimental subjects died a painful death. Forced labor was also used.
In January 1945, thousands of Jews were transferred to the camp from Polish concentration camps. Many of them were mortally ill, and many died in the train cars. In February 1945, Buchenwald became the largest death camp: 88 prisoners were held behind barbed wire in 112 branches of the concentration camp.
An SS man abuses prisoners at the Buchenwald concentration camp. 1941.
Soviet prisoners
In September 1941, the first batch of Red Army officers and political workers were brought to Buchenwald. 300 prisoners were shot at a shooting range on the factory grounds. By April 11, 1945, 8483 Soviet officers and political workers, partisans, communists, Komsomol members and other resistance fighters were killed in the camp.
In total, about 25 thousand Soviet people entered the gates of the concentration camp, and only 5 thousand people survived. In total, about a quarter of a million prisoners from all over Europe passed through the camp, 56 thousand people died a martyr’s death in Buchenwald…
READ FULL ARTICLE HERE… (en.topwar.ru)
Home | Caravan to Midnight (zutalk.com)
