the Kommandant page 5

the Kommandant page 5 by ric Gustafson


I became the Kommandant of this new quarantine camp which was located in the backwoods of Poland. This assignment was not easy. In the shortest amount of time, I had to create a transition camp for thousands of prisoners. I had to start with fifty buildings that were filthy and full of lice, fleas and other bugs. Himmler's orders was that this camp was to become a prisoner defense center. Everything fell on my shoulders.
Until the beginning of 1942, the majority of the prisoners were Polish. The second largest group of prisoners were Russian POW's. They were here to build the camp at Birkenau. These prisoners were in bad shape when they arrived here. They had trouble standing up and could not accomplish much. By the summer of 1942, out of ten thousand Russian prisoners only a few hundred survived.
The third largest group were the Gypsies. They were considered asocials. By August of 1944, there were only four thousand of these prisoners left. One day, the rest went to the gas chambers.
By the fall of 1942, the majority of the prisoners were Jews.


research help: ' The Commandant' by Jurg Amann


Peace and God's blessings. Love Ric