Hamburg Ravensbrück Trials

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The Hamburg Ravensbrück Trials were a series of seven trials for war crimes against camp officials from the Ravensbrück concentration camp that the British authorities held in their occupation zone in Germany in Hamburg after the end of World War II. These trials were heard before a military tribunal; the judges in these trials were three to five British officers, assisted by a lawyer. The defendants included concentration camp personnel of all levels: camp leaders, camp doctors, male wardens, female wardens (Aufseherinnen), and even a few former inmates of the camp who had tortured or mistreated other inmates. In total, 38 defendants stood trial in these seven processes, of which 21 were women.

Contents

[edit] The trials

All seven trials took place in the "Curio"-house in Hamburg.

[edit] First Ravensbrück Trial

The first Ravensbrück trial was held from December 5, 1946 until February 3, 1947.

Defendant Function Sentence
Johann Schwarzhuber Deputy camp leader Death
Gustav Binder Warden Death
Heinrich Peters Warden 15 years imprisonment; released May 18, 1955
Ludwig Ramdohr Gestapo inspector Death
Martin Hellinger Medical doctor 15 years imprisonment; released May 14, 1955
Rolf Rosenthal Medical doctor Death
Gerhard Schiedlausky Medical doctor Death
Percy Treite Medical doctor Death; committed suicide on April 8, 1947
Adolf Winkelmann Medical doctor Died during the process on February 1, 1947
Dorothea Binz Chief warden (Oberaufseherin) Death
Greta Bösel Warden (Aufseherin) Death
Margarete Mewes Warden 10 years imprisonment; released February 26, 1952
Elisabeth Marschall Nurse Death
Carmen Mory Inmate; Kapo Death; committed suicide on April 9, 1947
Vera Salvequart Inmate; Kapo Death; executed on June 2, 1947.
Eugenia von Skene Inmate; Kapo 10 years imprisonment, released December 21, 1951

The death sentences (except for Salvequart) were executed on May 2—3, 1947, in Hameln.

Two more defendants, camp leader Fritz Suhren and "work leader" Hans Pflaum, escaped from custody prior to the trial. They were reapprehended under assumed names in 1949 and handed over to the French authorities, who already ran another Ravensbrück trial in Rastatt at the time. Both men were sentenced to death in that trial and were shot on June 12, 1950.

[edit] Second Ravensbrück Trial

In the second Ravensbrück trial, which lasted from November 5–27, 1947, the only defendant was Friedrich Opitz, another camp official who had managed to flee before the first trial began. Opitz had been a factory leader in the concentration camp. He received a death sentence, which was executed on February 26, 1948.

[edit] Third Ravensbrück Trial

In the third Ravensbrück trial, the so-called "Uckermark trial" that took place from April 14 to April 26, 1948, five female camp officials of the extermination camp Uckermark, were indicted on four charges:

  1. Mistreatment of allied women in Uckermark
  2. Participation in the selection of allied women for the gas chamber in Uckermark
  3. Mistreatment of allied women in the concentration camp Ravensbrück
  4. Selection of allied women for the gas chamber in the concentration camp Ravensbrück

The camp Uckermark was about one mile from the Ravensbrück concentration camp. It had been opened in May 1942 as a prison or concentration camp for girls aged 16 to 21 that were considered criminal or just difficult. Girls that reached the upper age limit were transferred to the Ravensbrück women's camp. Camp administration was provided by the Ravensbrück camp. In January 1945, the juvenile's camp was closed and the infrastructure was subsequently used as an extermination camp for "sick, no longer efficient, and over 52 years old women" ((Ebbinghaus 1987), p. 287).

Defendant Function Sentence
Johanna Braach Criminal inspector; warden in the juvenile's camp acquitted
Lotte Toberentz Camp leader of the juvenile's camp acquitted
Elfriede Mohneke Warden of the extermination camp 10 years of imprisonment; released June 14, 1952
Margarete Rabe Warden of the extermination camp lifetime imprisonment; converted in 1950 to 21 years; released June 16, 1959
Ruth Neudeck Chief warden of the extermination camp Death; executed on July 29, 1949

Braach and Toberentz were acquitted because they had worked at Uckermark only while it still was a juvenile's camp, and there were no allied women there at that time: the camp was used exclusively for German girls, whose fate or treatment was of no interest to the tribunal.

[edit] Fourth Ravensbrück Trial

The fourth trial was held from May to June 8, 1948. The accused were all members of the medical staff of the camp at Ravensbrück, including one inmate that worked as a nurse. The charges again centered on mistreatment, torture, and sending to gas chambers of women of allied nationality.

Defendant Function Sentence
Benno Orendi Medical doctor Death; executed September 17, 1948
Walter Sonntag Medical doctor Death; executed September 17, 1948
Martha Haake Nurse 10 years imprisonment; released on January 1, 1951 due to medical reasons
Liesbeth Krzok Nurse 4 years imprisonment; released February 3, 1951
Gerda Ganzer Inmate; Nurse Death

Ganzer had already stood trial for her activities in Ravensbrück in 1946 before a Russian military tribunal and had been acquitted. In Hamburg, she was found guilty, but her death sentence was commuted into lifetime imprisonment on July 3, 1948, which in turn was reduced to 21 years imprisonment in 1950 and further to 12 years in 1954. She was finally released on June 6, 1961.

[edit] Fifth Ravensbrück Trial

In the fifth trial, three SS members were accused of having killed allied inmates of the Ravensbrück camp. The trial lasted from June 16 to 29, 1948. The judgments were handed down on July 15, 1948.

Defendant Function Sentence
Arthur Conrad SS warden Death; executed September 17, 1948
Heinrich Schäfer SS warden 2 years imprisonment; released October 28, 1949
Walter Schenk SS warden 20 years imprisonment; released August 3, 1954

[edit] Sixth Ravensbrück Trial

This trial lasted from July 1–26, 1948. Both defendants were accused of having mistreated allied inmates of the Ravensbrück camp.

Defendant Function Sentence
Kurt Lauer SS warden 15 years imprisonment; released May 7, 1955
Kurt Rauxloh SS warden 10 years imprisonment; released September 26, 1954 due to medical reasons

[edit] Seventh Ravensbrück Trial

Finally, six Aufseherinnen (female camp wardens) were tried in the seventh trial from July 2–21, 1948. The charges were mistreatment of inmates of allied nationality and participation in the selection of inmates for the gas chamber.

Defendant Function Sentence
Luise Brunner Chief warden (Oberaufseherin) 3 years imprisonment
Anna Friederike Mathilde Klein Chief warden acquitted due to lack of evidence
Emma Zimmer Chief warden Death; executed September 20, 1948
Christine Holthöwer Warden acquitted due to lack of evidence
Ida Schreiter Warden Death; executed September 20, 1948
Ilse Vettermann Warden 12 years imprisonment

[edit] References

[edit] Literature

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