22:
171:
296:
192:("Penalty Catalogue"), this list of rules, infractions and punishments went into effect immediately, as well and both sets of regulations were made effective at all the SS concentration camps a few months later, on January 1, 1934. Together, the regulations allowed guards to mete out harsh punishments for even minor infractions and gave them wide latitude to execute prisoners and over time, devolved into a general system of terror punishment.
79:
195:
The perimeter of the detention camp grounds was marked by electrified fences and walls. Alongside the wall was a moat and next to that was an area called the "neutral zone". Dubbed the "death strip" by prisoners, it was a forbidden area. A prisoner who even went near this area risked being shot by a
151:
filed against them, prompting Wäckerle to be removed from his position, but these were later dropped after the chief prosecutor and his assistant were each transferred to other offices. Himmler continued his efforts to establish summary execution, then in practice only at Dachau, as a legitimate form
142:
process, began investigating the murder of several prisoners at Dachau, prompted by the formal complaint of Sophie
Handschuh, who wanted to know the true cause of her son's death at the camp. Rumors were already widespread about harsh treatment of those under detention and Himmler was forced to
200:. Guards who shot a prisoner received a bounty and three days off. Guards, for their amusement and profit, would throw a prisoner's cap into the "death zone" and order the prisoner to get it "on the double" and then shoot the prisoner. They sometimes did this in pairs because they received a
347:
Where a guard is physically attacked by a prisoner, the attack is to be repelled with use of a firearm, not return physical violence. A guard who does not comply with this order should expect his immediate dismissal. Besides, he who "keeps his back free" will rarely be
204:
for shooting a prisoner, so they would take turns in order to both get the bounty. Witnesses and former prisoners have also reported cases where prisoners intentionally walked into the forbidden zone, to escape the camp through death.
220:
of guards to surround the work site and maintain watch. The imaginary boundary formed by the cordon was not to be crossed by a prisoner. Stepping outside the boundary was treated as an escape attempt and the guards, adhering to the
1373:
1353:
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with instructions to fire on prisoners immediately and "without warning". Refusal to obey this order would bring serious consequences for camp personnel: summary dismissal and even arrest.
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escaped. Only half were later recaptured. In August 1942, Koch was charged with "negligent release of a prisoner" and was reprimanded with a disciplinary transfer to the lesser job of
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62:
prisoners. The order required guards to shoot prisoners who engaged in resistance or escape attempts, without warning; failing to do so would result in dismissal or arrest. The
1058:
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If a prisoner attempts to escape, he is to be shot, without warning. A guard who shoots an escaping prisoner in the course of carrying out his duty, will not be reprimanded.
1404:
240:
were also employed at concentration camps. As overseers, they were also ordered to use their firearms in the case of physical attack by a prisoner or an escape attempt.
530:("A concentration camp for political prisoners") Photo of newspaper article about Munich chief of police Heinrich Himmler's announcement of the opening of Dachau.
1194:
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In the event of a revolt or organized prisoner resistance, every guard supervising is to fire upon them. Warning shots are strictly prohibited.
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Not just the SS-Death's Head Units, but also other SS men were employed as concentration camp guards, especially around the end of the war.
723:
26:
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225:, were to fire without warning. If a prisoner did manage to escape, the SS guard was charged with "negligent release of a prisoner".
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604:"Internationaler Militärgerichtshof IMG XXVI, Dok. 778-PS", pp. 40, 296 and 412. Comité International de Dachau, Luxemburg (2002)
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Whoever allows a prisoner to escape will be arrested and charged with
Negligent Prisoner Release and handed over to the
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in the camp. Wäckerle's rules were extremely harsh, and several prisoners died as a direct result of their punishment.
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Letter of June 2, 1933, Munich
District Court Prosecutor II to the State Ministry of Justice: Subject: "Death of
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Disciplinary procedures were added later to the regulations called the "Inspection of the concentration camps".
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188:, the "Disciplinary and Penal Code for the Prison Camp" were issued on the same date. Also known as the
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101:. Initially the camp used local Munich policemen as guards, but within weeks they were replaced by the
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that came to the concentration camps to serve as guards and auxiliary police. During the war years,
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refute those claims, even while announcing the opening of Dachau. Wäckerle and
Himmler had
475:) means to get the grunt work out of the way so one is freed up for more important things.
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was commissioned to develop a new camp order and a new regulations handbook. He wrote the
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concentration camp, but was later extended to other concentration camps.
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Radio interview about a concentration camp survivor. (January 26, 2007)
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182:) were dated and went into effect on October 1, 1933. The infamous
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Soldiers of destruction: the SS Death's Head
Division, 1933-1945
180:
208:
Prisoner work details outside a concentration camp were called
148:
94:
67:
471:
The original German is an idiom. To "keep one's back free" (
212:("outside commandos") by the SS. The SS guards would form a
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284:
757:
Die
Soldaten des Bösen. Zur Geschichte der KZ-Kommandanten
652:
Wollheim
Memorial official website. Retrieved May 12, 2010
66:
was originally issued on
October 1, 1933, for guards at
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See footnote, p. 20. Princeton University Press (1977)
102:
290:
258:Camp commandants were also held accountable to the
178:
The "Regulations for Prisoner Escorts and Guards" (
521:"Ein Konzentrationslager für politische Gefangene"
255:a bit, but he was unable to accomplish anything.
1449:
627:Die Ordnung des Terrors. Das Konzentrationslager
625:Translated by William Templar. (Original title:
125:of the SS, to draw up a set of regulations for
784:
270:and on July 14, 1942, during his tenure, 200
798:
136:, not yet assimilated to Nazi policy in the
622:The Order of Terror: The Concentration Camp
320:Regulations for Prisoner Escorts and Guards
89:opened on March 22, 1933, near the town of
27:Mauthausen-Gusen concentration camp complex
16:Nazi policy against insubordinate prisoners
1087:SS Main Economic and Administrative Office
791:
777:
645:
643:
433:era of adapting and submitting to Nazism.
174:Concentration Camp Inspector Theodor Eicke
759:, pp. 177-183 Reinbek bei Hamburg (1992)
667:, p. 35. Pantheon Books, New York (1991)
566:prisoners at Dachau concentration camp."
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534:(March 21, 1933) Retrieved May 11, 2010
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20:
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1483:Extrajudicial killings in World War II
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25:A prisoner who was shot and killed at
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548:Das Personenlexikon zum Dritten Reich
82:Fence and guard watch tower at Dachau
629:) Princeton University Press (1997)
591:
540:
427:Justiz im Dritten Reich 1933 - 1940
93:, about 16 km (10 mi) northwest of
13:
743:, Frankfurt am Main (2007) p. 323
550:, Frankfurt am Main (2007) p. 648
121:, then-Munich chief of police and
14:
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1430:Encyclopedia of Camps and Ghettos
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1082:Concentration Camps Inspectorate
379:Concentration Camps Inspectorate
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117:. Wäckerle was instructed by
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1098:Deutsche Wirtschaftsbetriebe
1092:German Earth and Stone Works
532:Münchner Neueste Nachrichten
440:
415:(about German prisons today)
7:
1243:Disciplinary and Penal Code
357:
268:Majdanek concentration camp
10:
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314:Headquarters, Oct. 1, 1933
243:Reich Minister of Justice
43:: "Duty of guards") was a
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1195:Identification of inmates
1167:
1114:
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806:
497:"The Dachau Gas Chambers"
335:Bavarian Political Police
308:Dachau concentration camp
291:The "Postenpflicht" order
87:Dachau concentration camp
1463:Nazi concentration camps
800:Nazi concentration camps
698:Charles W. Sydnor, Jr.,
579:"The Dachau murder camp"
251:Himmler to mitigate the
132:In May 1933, the Munich
53:Nazi concentration camps
1405:Soviet prisoners of war
1137:SS construction brigade
232:was also valid for the
730:Retrieved May 13, 2010
637:Retrieved May 11, 2010
588:Retrieved May 11, 2010
506:Retrieved May 11, 2010
396:Mühlviertler Hasenjagd
303:
301:Mühlviertler Hasenjagd
175:
83:
30:
1387:Sonder- und Ehrenhaft
1305:Schutzhaftlagerführer
473:den Rücken freihalten
298:
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105:. On April 13, 1933,
81:
24:
1342:Prisoner functionary
1149:Politische Abteilung
1104:SS-Totenkopfverbände
600:Stanislav Zámečník,
495:Harry W. Mazal OBE,
384:Treblinka resistance
247:was in contact with
234:SS-Totenkopfverbände
49:SS-Totenkopfverbände
1425:Der Ort des Terrors
1374:Political prisoners
1364:Jehovah's Witnesses
989:Natzweiler-Struthof
196:guard invoking the
134:prosecutor's office
113:, became the first
726:2010-02-14 at the
584:2011-07-03 at the
564:protective custody
526:2013-12-28 at the
502:2007-02-05 at the
425:Lothar Gruchmann,
413:Prisons in Germany
304:
266:was commandant at
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84:
31:
1445:
1444:
1413:
1412:
1269:Arbeit macht frei
619:Wolfgang Sofsky,
408:German war crimes
390:Sobibór rebellion
299:Monument for the
123:Obergruppenführer
57:summarily execute
1495:
1473:Nazi terminology
1335:
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1320:Luftwaffe guards
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327:6. Postenpflicht
275:prisoners of war
119:Heinrich Himmler
111:Standartenführer
97:in the state of
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1380:Nacht und Nebel
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1276:Jedem das Seine
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398:, February 1945
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139:Gleichschaltung
107:Hilmar Wäckerle
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1175:Action 14f13
1115:Subdivisions
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739:Ernst Klee,
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364:Schießbefehl
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278:
259:
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207:
197:
194:
190:Strafkatalog
189:
185:Lagerordnung
183:
179:
177:
164:
159:
137:
131:
85:
63:
35:
34:
32:
18:
1478:Punishments
1359:Homosexuals
1300:Lagerführer
1185:Early camps
1122:Appellplatz
1018:Ravensbrück
1013:Niederhagen
879:Gross-Rosen
867:Flossenbürg
814:Arbeitsdorf
761:(in German)
745:(in German)
688:(in German)
606:(in German)
568:(in German)
552:(in German)
536:(in German)
435:(in German)
214:Postenkette
1452:Categories
1354:"Asocials"
1295:Commandant
1001:Neuengamme
961:Mauthausen
913:Kaiserwald
843:Buchenwald
807:Main camps
755:Tom Segev
721:"Majdanek"
483:References
429:About the
369:Negligence
280:Postschutz
127:discipline
115:commandant
74:Background
51:guards in
47:issued to
1331:Prisoners
1315:Wehrmacht
1288:Personnel
1260:Selection
1236:Muselmann
1107:(Camp SS)
819:Auschwitz
441:Footnotes
348:attacked.
1264:Slogans
1231:Language
1075:Agencies
1059:subcamps
1047:subcamps
1042:Stutthof
1035:subcamps
1023:subcamps
1006:subcamps
994:subcamps
982:subcamps
970:subcamps
954:subcamps
949:Majdanek
942:subcamps
930:subcamps
918:subcamps
906:subcamps
895:subcamps
884:subcamps
872:subcamps
860:subcamps
848:subcamps
836:subcamps
824:subcamps
724:Archived
582:Archived
524:Archived
500:Archived
358:See also
109:, an SS-
1132:Subcamp
1054:Vaivara
901:Hinzert
664:Maus II
420:Sources
145:charges
99:Bavaria
1224:Yellow
1219:Purple
1199:Badges
1168:Topics
1154:Revier
1094:(DEST)
1066:Warsaw
855:Dachau
708:
671:
633:
272:Soviet
218:cordon
202:bounty
149:murder
95:Munich
91:Dachau
68:Dachau
41:German
1204:Black
965:Gusen
925:Kauen
1369:Jews
1347:Kapo
1214:Pink
1197:and
963:and
706:ISBN
669:ISBN
631:ISBN
285:Eger
228:The
216:, a
33:The
283:in
147:of
55:to
1454::
1436:KL
642:^
612:^
593:^
511:^
287:.
262:.
103:SS
1209:P
792:e
785:t
778:v
337:.
39:(
29:.
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