Prostitutes of the camps "Das KZ Bordell"

[LCJohn9]

Prostitutes in the camps were reserved for SS use only with the rest for Sonderkommandos.

"No Jews worked at the brothels or were allowed to patronise them, and separate facilities were created for camp guards"

"at least 200, predominantly German women who were enslaved also endured paralysing trauma, shame and scorn in an until-now largely taboo chapter of European history.

Most of the sex workers were taken from the women's camps at Ravensbrück and Auschwitz to ‘brothels’ at 10 camps in Germany and the Nazi-occupied eastern territories.

The vast majority had been imprisoned for ‘anti-social’ behaviour - a crime arbitrarily defined under Hitler to include prostitutes but also women with suspect political ties or relationships with Jews."

[Nautilus]

If the prostitutes (convicted or volunteers) were only used by forced labourers and were closely monitored, who serviced the SS guards?
They had their own 'facilities' but has anyone got information about this?

Guardsmen could leave camps and go to nearby towns, to patronize bars / pubs or brothels. They usually had significant amounts of disposable cash (from both soldiers' pay and black market dealings) and obviously were less interested in malnourished prisoner women.

The idea of a camp brothel is shocking due to the stereotypical image of the camps (places where people were worked to death, beaten, tortured and killed) in the eyes of the general public on one side, and even more as the grotesque and exaggerated stories of sex among guards and prisoners were circulated when the first post-war generation reached adulthood.



As survivors are quick to point out, in the hierarchy of inmates, those imprisoned for common crimes or for political reasons enjoyed some personal comforts. As the possibility of earning small amounts of money for their work, being dispatched to supervise other prisoners and therefore escape the most grueling physical labors, the chance to steal or procure otherwise some foods, medicines and other goods, even the chance to make some of the more unfortunate inmates their personal servants. Somehow as James Clavell's characters from King Rat.

In fact, some inmates feared and hated the Kapos and other privileged prisoners even more than they ever hated the SS guardsmen, and this is pretty significant.

[wm]

The women weren't malnourished, their food was better than the SS food. They were wearing nice clothes, and their hair was permed. There were actually only several of them per camp (eight in Mauthausen-Gusen), so they were very popular (at work and, in their spare time).

Not only Jews were barred from those brothels, Russians and Spaniards were too.

And not only criminals were capos, others could have become and were capos too, including the Jews. In the last years of the war criminal kapos were in minority. And there were many privileged posts where criminals weren't allowed for lack of qualifications like camp doctors, electricians, scribes and others.

[Geoff Walden]

Laurence Rees' book Auschwitz says that the women in the brothel there came mostly from the women's camp in Birkenau, not from Ravensbrück, as was the case for most other KZ brothels. His source is not given ... I'd check some more authoritative/footnoted sources.

The Auschwitz subcamp at Monowitz (I.G. Farben "Buna-Werke factory) also had its own brothel.

[hucks216]

...

The Auschwitz subcamp at Monowitz (I.G. Farben "Buna-Werke factory) also had its own brothel.

And the woman who lives in the house now on the site of it really doesn't like people taking photos of her house!

[Mauser K98k]

Laurence Rees' book Auschwitz says that the women in the brothel there came mostly from the women's camp in Birkenau...

I heard that the women selected for such duty from Birkenau were primarily from the "Kanada" area, where having had better rations and all the food they could steal from Jewish luggage afforded them with more "normal shapes", obviously a desired attribute.

[Sergey Romanov]

Let's add some documents to the discussion.

Richard Gluecks: Instructions to concentration camp commandants concerning the brothels provided for guards.

Arthur Liebehenschel: Instructions to concentration camp commandants concerning the location of "special buildings" in the camps.
(Sonderbau(ten) was a code word for brothel(s)).

Sigmund Rascher: Memorandum concerning a research subject sent from the brothel at Ravensbrueck.

Continuation of the woman's story is in PS-1583 (IMT, vol. XXVII, pp.349):

DOCUMENT 1583-PS

SECRET LETTER FROM HIMMLER TO POHL, 15 NOVEMBER 1942,
ON THE USE OF WOMEN FOR RE-WARMING PERSONS EXPOSED
TO EXTREME COLD, ON CAMP BROTHELS, AND ON DISCIPLINARY
PUNISHMENT FOR WOMEN IN CONCENTRATION CAMPS (EXHIBIT
USA-465)

[...]

Der Reichsführer-SS Feld-Kommandostelle, 15.11.1942

Tgb. Nr.

RF/V. Geheim
An

1.) SS -Obergruppenführer Pohl
Berlin

Lieber Pohl!

Bei meinem Besuch in Dachau am 13.11.1942 fiel mir bei den
dort angestellten Versuchen zur Rettung von Menschen, die durch
Unterkühlung in Eis und Schnee oder im Wasser
in Lebensgefahr schweben und durch Aufbietung aller Mittel
gerettet werden sollen, folgendes auf:

Ich hatte angeordnet, daß zu diesen Versuchen zur Erwär-
mung dieser Unterkühlten entsprechende Frauen aus dem KL.
abgestellt werden sollen. Es waren 4 Mädchen abgestellt, die
wegen lockeren Lebenswandels bezw. weil sie als Dirnen eine
Ansteckungsgefahr bildeten, im KL. waren. Unter diesen Vier
war ein 21- jähriges Mädchen Ursula Krause, die selbstverständlich
dafür nicht abgestellt werden durfte. Die K. war zwar Fürsorge-
zögling und bereits zwei Mal Geschlechkrank gewesen.
Trotzdem gehört sie zu dem Typ von Mädchen, bei denen wenig-
stens der Versuch unternommen werden müßte, sie für das
deutsche Volk und für ihr eigenes späteres Leben zu retten.
Außerdem stellte ich bei dieser Gelegenheit fest, dass irgend-
ein Wahnsinniger im Frauen-KL. bei der Auswahl von Dirnen
für die Lagerbordelle den weiblichen Häftlingen mitgeteilt hat,
daß diejenigen, die sich freiwillig für die Lagerbordelle melden,
nach einem halben Jahr entlassen würden.

Ich stelle dem gegenüber eindeutig fest und ordne an:

— Seite 2 —

1. für die Lagerbordelle dürfen nur solche Dirnen ausgesucht wer-
den, bei denen von vorherein anzunehmen ist, daß sie nach
Vorleben und Haltung für ein späteres geordnetes Leben nicht
mehr zu gewinnen sind, bei denen wir uns also bei strengster
Prüfung niemals den Vorwurf machen müssen, einen für das
deutsche Volk noch zu rettenden Menschen verdorben zu haben.
Solche Frauen dürfen dann aber erst aus dem KL. entlassen
werden, wenn sie ihrem Alter entsprechend keine Verderbnis
für die Jugend, für die Gesundheit, durch Ansteckung, und für
die öffentliche Ordnung und Sicherheit darstellen. Das Geld, das
sie sich im Bordell verdienen, soll für diese dann ein Alters-
Pfennig sein.


2. Grundsätzlich sind alle Jugendlichen, von denen man annehmen
kann, daß sie noch gerettet werden können, in Wohnung und
Arbeit von den alten Dirnen zu trennen. Es ist zu unterscheiden
zwischen Unverbesserlichen, die im Lager isoliert bleiben müssen
und denen, die zur Erziehung ins Lager kommen und allenfalls
gerettet werden können. Für diese letzteren sind die besten und
am meisten idealistisch gesinnten Aufseherinnen einzusetzen.

Außerdem weise ich darauf hin, daß die Prügelstrafe ins-
gesamt, insbesondere aber bei Frauen das letzte Mittel sein darf.
Sie ist nur zu beantragen

a) wenn alle anderen Strafen wie Arrest, Dunkelarrest, Essens-
abzug, Strafarbeit, nichts gefruchtet haben,

b) in einzelnen Fällen der Flucht oder des tätlichen Angriffs
die aus Abschreckungsgründen besonders exemplarisch geah
det werden müssen. Die Prügelstrafe ist kein Instrumen
für verantwortliche Kommandeure, Aufsichtshabende
Aufseherinnen, die zu faul oder unfähig sind, zu er

In allen Fällen, in denen Essen gestohlen wurde, i
ersten Delikt die Schuldige mit einem Essensentz

— Seite 3 —

Arrest bei Wasser und Brot von 3 — 5 Tagen zu bestrafen.
Erst bei abermaligen Delikten kann Prügelstrafe beantragt
werden.

Ich bitte Sie, die Verhältnisse in den weiblichen KL. persönlich
zu überprüfen, da wir uns sonst selbst schuldig sprechen müßten,
wenn Mädchen, die noch zu retten sind, durch falsche Behandlung
und abermalige schlechte Gesellschaft, in die wir sie dann hinein-
stecken, (genau wie es in den Gefängnissen und Zuchthäusern der
Justiz der Fall ist) nicht besser, sondern schlechter und für immer
verdorben werden.

Heil Hitler!
Ihr

gez. H. Himmler

2.) Inspekteur der Konzentrationslager
Oranienburg

durchschriftlich mit der Bitte um Kenntnisnahme übersandt.

I.A.

Unterschrift (uni)

SS -Obersturmbannführer

Further:
Vierteljahresmeldung über den San.-Dienst im K.L.Auschwitz I
16.12.43

Im Oktober wurde im Block 24 ein Bordell mit 19 Frauen errichtet. Vor *ihrem Einsetzen* wurden die Frauen auf **Wa.R.** und auf Go. untersucht. Diese Untersuchungen werden in regelmässigen Abständen wiederholt. Der Zutritt ins Bordell ist den Häftlingen allabendlich, nach dem Appell gestat***t***et. Während der Besuchzeit ist immer ein Häftlingsarzt und Häftlingspfleger anwesend, die die angeordneten sanitären Massnahmen durchführen. Die Überwachung besorgt ein SS-Artz und ein S.D.G.

*ihrem Einsetzen* - words struck out with a pencil, corrected to "Beginn ihrer Tätigkeit"
**Wa.R.** - words struck out with a pencil, correction unreadable
***t*** - added with a pencil

GARF, f.7021, op. 108, d.32, ll. 95-96.

Bordellscheine:
http://scienceblogs.de/zeittaucher/wp-c ... %20Neu.jpg
http://www.dorsten-unterm-hakenkreuz.de ... l-2w09.jpg

Bordellfrau-Häftlingskarte:
http://www.dorsten-unterm-hakenkreuz.de ... enedig.jpg

Further links:

http://www.zeit.de/2006/30/Mauthausen/komplettansicht
http://www.sueddeutsche.de/politik/nati ... e-1.532668

[Geoff Walden]

...
The Auschwitz subcamp at Monowitz (I.G. Farben "Buna-Werke factory) also had its own brothel.

And the woman who lives in the house now on the site of it really doesn't like people taking photos of her house!

Which house did you photograph? According to this plan published in various places, the brothel was located at "h" - there is no house or building on that precise site today. That's about where the street runs today, just slightly to the side, across from the remains of the kitchen building. There are some bushes there now. Do you have a different location for the brothel?

[CARL1]

The former Häftlingsbordell at Auschwitz-III "Monowitz" - the correct name for the satellite in question, as there were around ten satellite camps located near the huge industrial complex at Auschwitz-III, was located on what now is a grassy, partly shrubbed/partly open area between several structures, at least one of which is likely a family house. When visiting the site in order to address the exact locations of the former barracks and utility buildings of Monowitz, or any other related former site for that matter, one needs to pay particular attention to the few indicators that are extent, such as the foundation ruins and smaller roads that have been resurfaced yet, at least in part, remain intact. The plan posted earlier is a fairly accurate guide but period aerial photography is, as ever, patently the better guide if using a tool such as googlemaps to assist with your bearings.

Also, if we refer to the camp brothel at Mauthausen-Gusen, we make a mistake. The main camp at Mauthausen had its own Sonderbau, as did the camp at Gusen-I.

As Hucks indicated earlier, the brothel at the Auschwitz Stammlager was located within Block 24 - upstairs (downstairs was utilised as a library and prisoner functionary rooms). During the earlier period of the camp, there was also a woodshop located within what later became known as Block 24.

There are several lists of camps that had a prisoner brothel - mostly, they name 8-10 locations among the major concentration camps. However, there were more.

Carl

Attachments show an aerial view of the area with indicators and a ground view of the former "Sonderbau".

[Shosh]

My uncle was a barber in aushwitz. He shaved and cut the hair of the ss. He was offered a prostitute. He felt it created a moral conflict as if he used the girl wouldn't that be immoral? Also using the girl could keep her alive another day. The German offered this as a reward. In the end, he didn't go, he said asa prisoner he was too weak and he couldn't deal with the guilt.

[wm]

May I ask if your uncle was an Austrian/German? Was he in Auschwitz I?
There were very few Austrians/Germans in Auschwitz, as far as I know they were the most privileged prisoners there, and didn't suffer any deprivation.
For moral reasons, many prisoners didn't use the brothel at all, others simply were afraid their families would have discovered the truth after the war.

[Sergey Romanov]

May I ask if your uncle was an Austrian/German? Was he in Auschwitz I?
There were very few Austrians/Germans in Auschwitz, as far as I know they were the most privileged prisoners there, and didn't suffer any deprivation.
For moral reasons, many prisoners didn't use the brothel at all, others simply were afraid their families would have discovered the truth after the war.

This looks like the story of Josef Paczynski.

[wm]

so maybe they were friends

Paczyński became Höss' barber after his predecessor, a German prisoner, was caught stealing cosmetics (for female prisoners), and another German was rejected by Höss for some reason. So certainly there were Germans among barbers there.

[history1]

May I ask if your uncle was an Austrian/German? Was he in Auschwitz I?
There were very few Austrians/Germans in Auschwitz, [...]

What do you consider "very few"? Alone from my local area there were ~ 25 people in Auschwitz inprisoned. This is only the number which is documented in variant files, no one knows how many perished right at their arrival without registering. And even when they were only "very few" in your eyes they played an important role in the camp resistance.

[David Thompson]

Several posts from wm, Ypenberg, and history1, which contained personal remarks about other posters, were removed pursuant to forum rules.

Gentlemen -- The subject is prostitution in the NS-era concentration camps. Please stay on it.