|
Sketch September 1944
Concentration camp and prisoner-of-war camp
Bergen-Belsen
 Approximately
4.000 Jewish concentration camp prisoners, intended for an exchange,
of which the largest contingent were Dutch Jews, were interned
here. "Star Camp" meant that the prisoners had to
wear the yellow Star of David on their cilvilian clothes. Men
and women were accomodated separately but families were permitted
to meet during the day. Work was obligatory.
 In
the Neutralenlager (Neutral Camp) several hundred Jews with
passports from neutral countries were imprisoned. Compared to
other sections of Bergen-Belsen, conditions here were quite
tolerable until March 1945. Prisoners were not allocated to
work commandos.
(3) Special Camp and (4) Hungarian
Camp  In
mid-1943 several thousand Polish Jews had been deported here.
Most of them were in possession of temporary passports from
South American countries. These prisoners were not allocated
to work commandos either and kept in strict isolation since
they had full knowledge of the cruelties committed by the SS
in Poland. By mid-1944 most of these had been transported to
Auschwitz and murdered. Only about 350 of them remained in the
camp.
The Hungarian camp was established in July
1944 for 1.683 Hungarian Jews. Himmler negotiated with Jewish
organizations in other countries to exchange these Hungarian
Jews for money and goods. They wore civilian clothing with
the Star of David; they were not forced to work.
(5) Prison Camp
 The
Häftlingslager (Prison Camp) was established at the very
beginning. At first it was used to accomodate a 'construction
commando' of some 500 prisoners whom the SS had brought to Bergen-Belsen
from the concentration camps Buchenwald, Wewelsburg and Natzweiler.
Since March 1944, this section of the camp received prisoners
of other concentration camps who were sick or unable to work.
They suffered horrendously bad conditions. Prison uniforms,
hard labour to the point of collapse, abuse by the SS and
the Kapos, inadequate medical care and a high mortality rate
characterized the situation in the Häftlingslager.
 At
the beginning of August 1944, the SS constructed a camp of tents
(Zeltlager). At first, it was used as a transit camp for a large
number of women's transports arriving from Poland. in late October
and early November 1944, some 8000 women who had been evacuated
from Auschwitz were imprisoned here. After a violent storm had
destroyed the tents, the prisoners were herded into other huts
which were already far too overcrowded.
(7) u. (8) Hospital for prisoners of war,
Branch Camp Bergen-Belsen of the Stalag XI B Fallingbostel
 From
the very beginning there was a hospital in the Stalag Bergen-Belsen
established in the huts of the former workers' camp. With its
1.200 beds it served as the central hospital for Soviet prisoners
of war in the military district XI. The most common illnesses
were tuberculosis, spotted fever, hunger oedema and injuries.
After the shutting down of the hospital in January 1945 the
„Major Women's Camp“ was established here.
 The
SS-store for clothes existed until October 1944. After that
it was used as the "Small Women's Camp".
|
