Gleiwitz I

 

Location of Gleiwitz wagon works and camp

Subcamp area - the subcamp itself was situated at lower centre of the picture, in or around the greenspace next to the smaller road running diagonally through the centre of the picture

Gleiwitz I was established in March 1944 in the Polish city of Gliwice, at a steelworks that was used for repair railway rolling stock and tanks. 

The first group of prisoners on the site were put to work building seven barracks, a kitchen, a medical centre, storage area and a number of workshops. The camp was surrounded by a wall consisting of concrete slabs, on the top of which was barbed wire. There was an additional barrier inside this one consisting of a barbed wire fence supported by concrete posts. Along the course of this fence were constructed eight wooden guard towers.

The camp was commanded by SS-Hauptscharfuhrer Otto Moll. However, in May 1944, he was posted temporarily to Birkenau to oversee the mass execution of Hungarian Jews. In his absence, the acting commanders were SS-Oberscharführer Jansen and SS-Oberscharführer Richard Stolten.

The prisoners were put to work repairing damaged rolling stock, building roads and an airstrip, organised in two 12-hour shifts. Other prisoners who were not assigned to work tasks were subjected to “Steinetragen”, in which they were forced to carry stone from a slag heap to the camp, and then back to the camp.

Around a hundred deaths were recorded at the camp from mistreatment, hunger and hard labour. Seven prisoners tried to escape. Five were shot and another two, both Russians, were hanged.

The camp was evacuated to Gross Rosen in January 1945, at which time the number of prisoners in the camp numbered 1,336. Most of the inmates were Jews, Poles and Russians.

Area of the subcamp as it is today. Odd bits of concrete remain above ground




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