Today’s Ruthless Yet Truly Morbid Fact!
The prisoners of war at Bergen-Belsen concentration camp were guarded by soldiers who could not be deployed to the front because of their age or physical afflictions. These soldiers made up the territorial units (Landesschützen).
The camps’ headquarters were staffed with reserve officers, many of whom were over 60 years old and had already served in World War I.
The guidelines for the conduct towards Soviet POWs issued by the Wehrmacht High Command demanded a ruthless treatment of these prisoners without any respect for martial or international law. Many soldiers acted accordingly, others sometimes used the leeway they had to the prisoners’ advantage.
Bergen-Belsen, 1942
One guard squad of the territorial units relieving another at the entrance to the camp.
Photographer unknown, from the collection of Wehrmacht soldier Heinrich V.
Wietzendorf, autumn of 1942
A German soldier beating prisoners.
Photographer unknown, from the collection of Wehrmacht officer Heinz Dietrich Meyer.
Oerbke, 1941
Guards and prisoners outside the registration hut.
Photographer unknown, from the collection of Wehrmacht soldier Heinrich V.
“It all starts off pretty messy and jumbled here. For the most part, the Russians are just like animals, and, accordingly, are not treated very gently by us.”
Excerpt from a letter written by Wehrmacht officer Otto R., Oerbke, August 10, 1941
“[…] at the moment, our duties here are so cruel and affecting, I can’t even write about it to you. Believe me, the sacrifices we make are greater than you think. We’re always behind barbed wire and have the most terrible images before us. No, we’ll only be happy once we’re all back home. Here, in this isolation, we can’t even take our minds off things.”
Excerpt from a letter from Wehrmacht soldier Heinrich V. to his wife, Bergen-Belsen, October 14, 1941
“This morning, a gang of sick prisoners, around 50 of them, marched past me. […] They were hollow-eyed figures with pale cheeks and large, dark rings around their eyes. Death was already written all over their faces. […] It was a sad sight on this Sunday morning, this caravan of death.”
From notes taken by Wehrmacht officer Heinz Dietrich Meyer, Wietzendorf, entry for February 1, 1942
Culled from: Bergen-Belsen
Post-Mortem Portrait Du Jour!
Woman Mourns Lost Child
Circa 1852, sixth-plate daguerreotype, 3.75″ x 3.25″
In this poignant and dramatically arranged scene, a bereaved woman, her gloved hand placed against her forehead, gazes down at her lost child.
Culled from: Beyond the Dark Veil
Andersonville Prisoner Diary Entry Du Jour!
This is the continuation of the 1864 diary of Andersonville prisoner Private George A. Hitchcock (see the archived version for all entries up until now).
Here’s today’s entry:
October 24th. Had a comfortable night’s rest. We think we have our tent made very comfortable. The chief sutler was cleaned out by the Dutch captain for selling liquor, and his goods confiscated for the benefit of the sick around camp.
Culled from: Andersonville: Giving Up the Ghost