What punishment was suffered by the kindest overseer of concentration camps, Gertha Elert

2024 Author: Richard Flannagan | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-15 23:55

Despite the fact that the fascist ideology did not plan to let the woman go beyond the triangle “children, kitchen, church”, there were still exceptions. History remembers the names of concentration camp guards, who not only were not inferior to men, but sometimes surpassed them in cruelty and sophistication. Herta Ehlert called herself too soft, but unlike her prisoners, she lived a long and prosperous life, despite the fact that she was brought to trial for helping the Nazis.

It would seem that what could have gone wrong, given that the ideology of Nazism did not let girls go beyond the stove and kitchen. There was no question of them being employed in production or military service. The Union of German Girls was created, where all purebred German women (a prerequisite) learned to be excellent wives and mothers. To do this, they studied cooking, methods of competent housekeeping, home bookkeeping, played sports, but even the exercises for them were selected solely taking into account their future motherhood. Their favorite pastime was picnics and hikes, where they cooked over the fire during each halt. This was to develop in the girls all the qualities necessary for a future hostess, who will cook from anything and anywhere.

Where could a mistake lie here? A soft, pliable, caring and respectful mother for her husband and the state - isn't that the ideal of a woman? At least from the point of view of the state. But the extremely rigid and ubiquitous parenting system made these women not only excellent housewives, but also creatures who know neither pity nor compassion. History knows women warders as those who ruthlessly did their job, taking pleasure in the very process of punishing prisoners - women like themselves. How did it happen that the Germans entered the camp system and what punishment did they incur for this in the future?

The Wehrmacht needs women

However, the protracted war forced to look differently at some gender attitudes, making it clear that the Fuhrer was in a hurry, writing off women. If just a couple of years ago there were mass dismissals of women from their posts and a call to sit at home, have children and cook, then suddenly the concept has changed.

Ladies began to return en masse, and not only for the machines, but also held positions in the military sphere. True, they could not become a party member. They, and the formations in which they worked, began to be called the "retinue of the SS", thus, on the one hand, emphasizing proximity, and on the other - clearly demarcating. The SS Retinue consisted of signalmen, nurses, document managers. By 1945, for example, 37 thousand men and 3.5 thousand women worked in the system. Documents from the same years state that women accounted for about 10% of the total number of people employed in the military sphere. They were generally employed in lower positions, but the level of wages and a sense of belonging to something greater than the kitchen made these jobs desirable.

The wardens were also included in the same category, the need for which arose already in 1937, when a women's concentration camp appeared. The more women's camps became, the more overseers were needed. Men could not work as wardens in women's camps; according to the Nazi concept, this would be extremely immoral. Yes, the head of the camp, the guards, and the doctors were men, but they had the right to enter the camp only together with the female guards. It is not entirely clear who was more afraid of the German morality of female depravity or male weakness, and how the overseer could prevent this?

In the famous Auschwitz, most of the workers were men - there were 8,000 of them, and there were 200 women. Of these, the highest position held by a woman was the senior overseer. Her responsibilities included organizational work, monitoring the rest of the women warders. It was the senior warden who decided what punishment a particular prisoner deserved. The head of the camp did not delve into such nuances. The senior overseer was subordinate to the first overseer - her right hand. There were also the chiefs of the unit, they were responsible for the daily formation. The overseers, on the other hand, were the lowest link in this hierarchical system.

The guards had to keep order not only for the prisoners, but also in the storehouses, in the kitchen, in the punishment cell. The guards who distributed the working hands stand apart. It was they who decided who and where, what type of work should be directed.

Anyone could become a warden, since such work did not require special skills. But the wages were quite high, there was an opportunity to take paid overtime. In addition, the guards were given uniforms, right down to underwear, and if the work was especially hard, and the worker had a penchant for this type of work, then she could count on being promoted up to the head of the camp. There were enough people willing.

But under "special inclination" was meant a woman's readiness to be susceptible to the suffering of others, but simply tough and inhuman. Future employees of the camps were supposed to be physically developed, not have administrative and criminal penalties in the past, and be supporters of the party. Age restrictions from 21 to 45 years old. Of course, the inspectors were interested in the origin of the applicants, preference was given to German women.

The recruitment of girls was carried out through the employment service, in addition, the certificate indicated that the work would require some physical effort and consisted of security activities. However, the camps grew and the need for overseers began to grow. Real recruitment and obligation began, special four-week courses were organized, after which it was necessary to work in a concentration camp. The course was a short excursion into the basics of the camp system, after which it was necessary to work out a three-month probationary period, and then already take shape as a warden.

When they were hired, they were advised that any familiarity with prisoners would be severely punished. Addressing by name was prohibited. But the guards could just find fault with the prisoners, mock them at their own discretion. Weapons were also allowed to be used in case of disobedience or an attempt to escape. The warden could make her own disciplinary measures. Usually, as a punishment, they were deprived of food, sent to a punishment cell, beaten, tortured, poisoned with dogs.

Very soon, yesterday's modest and even muffled women began to feel their strength and boundless power. It was only a matter of time, and besides, the system to which they belonged only encouraged cruelty towards prisoners. Women lost their human face quickly enough, despite all their positive qualities, which were characterized before.

Hertha Ehlert - Too Kind for a Warden?

The warden, who went down in history as a participant in the trial of concentration camp workers, who received a real punishment, first worked in the Ravensbrück camp, then she was transferred to another institution of a similar type. Herta herself explained this by the fact that she was transferred from camp to camp because she was too kind to the prisoners. And the transfers were carried out in order to punish her - this is, firstly, so that she does not become attached to the prisoners, and secondly.

However, for some reason, the "kindest overseer" wanted to forget her past and preferred to live under a fictitious name for the rest of her life. Apparently she was afraid of thanks from those whom she "helped" in the concentration camps. She managed to work in Auschwitz, and then in Bergen-Belsen, where she was deputy senior overseer, apparently this position was also imputed to her for infinite kindness and compliance.

To some extent, she was forced to go to such a service, because before she lost her job, her life was not remembered for anything remarkable. She, as expected, was married, worked, as expected, in the service sector - according to one version as a baker, according to the other as a salesman. She was born in Berlin in 1905. She registered at the labor exchange in 1939, at the same time she was summoned to the SS.

During interrogations, she always insisted that she had no idea what her job would be. And over and over again she cited her excessive kindness as the reason for her frequent transfers. Say, she always tried to additionally feed the prisoners, despite the prohibitions. She refused torture, and they were obligatory. She especially felt sorry for the prisoners with children, she brought them food, medicine and somehow tried to make their life easier in the barracks, tried to create better conditions.

However, the testimony of Hertha herself is far from the only evidence of those times. Malvina Graf not only survived in a concentration camp, but later devoted her memoirs to these years. It turns out that she was in the very camp where Hertha worked at that time. The case took place in Plaszow. According to Count Hertha, she was assigned to the kitchen and in her hands was a constant whip, which now and then soared over the heads of the prisoners. She used it just masterfully. She always looked for profit in everything, often searched women prisoners for hidden valuables. Upon detection, immediately seized. In general, I always and in everything tried to extract some kind of benefit for myself.

The rest of the prisoners called Gertha one of the strictest warders, who clearly took great pleasure in fulfilling her duties. She took away any valuables from prisoners, those who were not too accommodating and obedient, locked them in the basement, beat them with a whip and did not give food.

Malvina Graft also claims that Elert worked in Plaszow until the end of the war and was one of the participants in the death march when the Red Army began to liberate Poland. For the Germans, such an attack was extremely unexpected, they began to collect prisoners from the camps and transport them to other camps. The women and children were taken out first from Plashov. The prisoners were driven from camp to camp for 12 days, on foot, without food or rest. Those who hesitated were shot. The losses of prisoners during the death march were simply catastrophic, it was not for nothing that he was nicknamed that way. The Nazis preferred to kill the prisoners than leave them to the liberation army.

Elert ended up in yet another book, this time with her presence at Auschwitz. The author, William Hitchcock, also has memories of a warden who enjoyed beating prisoners with particular pleasure. And her name was Gertha Elert. Too many negative memories for the kindest overseer, isn't there?

The arrest and case of Gertha Elert

Hertha was arrested by the British military, and in the fall of 1945 she was brought to trial. The Belsen trial went down in history as the triumph of justice and injustice at the same time. On the one hand, justice prevailed, since yesterday's supervisors were brought to trial and they had to answer before the whole world for their atrocities, on the other hand, many of them received much less than they should have. However, this show trial opened the way for many others who passed harsh and fair sentences to yesterday's Nazis and their accomplices.

Hertha was listed at number 8 at the trial, next to her were other overseers, with whom she had worked side by side in recent years. Some of them received capital punishment. This process, which lasted exactly two months, was followed by the whole world. It was then that for the first time it became known about all the horrors that were happening in the concentration camps. The world literally shuddered with horror upon learning of the details. Yesterday's prisoners testified, who miraculously survived, it is not surprising that they yearned for retribution and did not hide anything.

A total of 45 defendants participated in the trial. Among them were 16 camp employees and SS men, 13 prisoners who were among the privileged and actively collaborated with the camp authorities. All of them were arrested by the British during the liberation of the camp, but many of those arrested did not live to see the trial, others fled, and still others committed suicide.

The first anti-Nazi process was organized ineptly, with a lot of shortcomings and mistakes. It became indicative for all subsequent trials of the Nazis, in which previous mistakes were already taken into account. In subsequent court hearings, the Nazis and their accomplices were accused of crimes against humanity, while the Belsen court considered exclusively war crimes.

The trial was organized by the British and was held in accordance with English rules of procedure, in other words, it was adversarial. This even gave a head start to the Nazis. The defendants had defenders who actually defended them. Sharp questions to witnesses, appeals with facts and other methods that were supposed to reduce the guilt of the defendants - all this took place during the hearing. Despite such efforts, capital punishment has become the most demanded punishment in the course of this process.

But the "kindest overseer" escaped such a fate, she was sentenced to 15 years in prison. And this despite the fact that all her attempts to whitewash herself were in vain. She was not transferred from camp to camp as a punishment for her kindness, but quite the opposite. Rather, it was a promotion, an improvement in working conditions for the excellent performance of their duties. She did not admit her guilt after the trial, and after her release she changed her name, because she feared revenge from the former prisoners.

Elert did not even finish her due date, she left early in 1953. After that, she lived a long life, and she lived comfortably, without needing anything, she died at the age of 92, receiving a pension from the state.

Many overseers grew old in full confidence that they were only doing their job, what the state demanded of them, and therefore there is nothing to blame them for. And what about conscience? Conscience is probably cut off when the heinous crimes happening around are committed with such frequency that they become something commonplace.