Concentration Camp Prisoner's Uniforms

[pegase]

Hi

no problem, I'll scan a few documents of the owner. I'll do it this week-end or next week

@+, hughes

[Dom]

Something else that is puzzles me about that ebay Auschwitz jacket, the seller says the number is 28388...

Attachment 478347

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The seller says "This jacket probably cam from Auschwitz" this little accuracies is important because it shows he does not know the exact source.
I'll give him that Auschwitz is more evocative term "commercially speaking" (unfortunately)

Ps: if you allow 4thskorpion do justice to Otto Küsel (post 50) whose exemplary conduct has nothing in common with Witschorek .

[StefanM]

The seller says "This jacket probably cam from Auschwitz" this little accuracies is important because it shows he does not know the exact source.
I'll give him that Auschwitz is more evocative term "commercially speaking" (unfortunately).

30 minutes research proved in my own mind this jacket could not possibly have been from KL Auschwitz, the seller could have done the same research instead of saying "the jacket probably came from Auschwitz". You are right this inaccuracy is important because how could the seller 100% guarantee the originality of the jacket if they couldn't verify which concentration camp the jacket originated, "probably from..." can only offer uncertainty over the source and IMO undermines the sellers guarantee of originality.

I also agree the seller used the hook "the jacket probably came from Auschwitz" to draw in unwitting bidders. Having paid such a large price for a "probably from..." jacket I hope the buyer was able to purchase it subject to verification of its authenticity!

Ps: if you allow 4thskorpion do justice to Otto Küsel (post 50) whose exemplary conduct has nothing in common with Witschorek .

Dom, you are of course right Arbeitsdienst Otto Küsel Auschwitz, inmate no. 2, although a convicted criminal was known as a decent man by other inmates unlike some of the other Kapos. Küsel's duty at the camp was assigning inmates to fill specific kommandos with workers.

Inmate no. 1 Bruno Brodniewicz and inmate no. 30 Leo Wietschorek received Lagerältester armbands, a few others were given block chief binden [armbands] and the rest became kapos.

Inmate no. 4, Fritz Biessgen, who was given the nickname “Mateczka” (“Little Mother” in Polish) for his kind attitude towards other inmates in the kitchen; inmate no. 5, Hans Bock, known in the camp as “Tata” (“Daddy”) and worked in the krankenbau (hospital); Konrad Lang inmate no. 18 and "Jonny" Lechenich, inmate no. 19, all helped the Poles in Witold Pilecki's Auschwitz resistance organisataion even though they were totally unaware of its existence.

In his Auschwitz report of 1945, Witold Pilecki wrote of the assistance given to his camp resistance organisation by these "friendlies"; "...Specific members would approach them with supposedly personal matters or for a friend and they, whenever possible, would go out of their way to help us. Otto, by issuing specific kommando postings; Balke by getting a significant number of our people into the carpenters’ shop indoors; Mateczka by serving “seconds” (of soup from the kitchen) to especially exhausted members; Bock by smoothing the way in the hospital; Jonny, who as a kapo on the landwirtschaftskommando [farming kommando] initially did not prevent and later helped us get in touch with the outside world through contacts with our organization on the outside and working with Zofia Szczerbowska (in Stare Stawy), he must inevitably have sensed that something was going on."

[StefanM]

The remaining colour images of concentration camp labourers working on V2 manufacturing courtesy of Yad Vashem archive:

[sandgroper]

Those are amazing images, to see them in colour like this is a stark difference to the more common black and white photos. The lighting certainly makes them quite haunting, I wonder what became of the poor blokes in these pics.

[douglas2496]

I agree with that. These are fascinating pictures, thanks for posting them.

[StefanM]

Those are amazing images, to see them in colour like this is a stark difference to the more common black and white photos. The lighting certainly makes them quite haunting, I wonder what became of the poor blokes in these pics.

The prisoners were probably all killed off but I wonder how many of the German technicians in the photos landed up working in the US, Britain and the USSR just a few months later?

[CARL]

The prisoners were probably all killed off but I wonder how many of the German technicians in the photos landed up working in the US, Britain and the USSR just a few months later?

Indeed, its an interesting thought. The prisoners shown in the fine colour images above, would have been among those who arrived at Mittelbau-Dora after the tunnel complex became operational. The initial groups of inmates were worked until they dropped, in order to speed up the construction process. Konzentrationslager Mittelbau-Dora's Häfltlingslager (prisoner camp), was not even constructed until most of the tunnel work had been completed, such was the desire to concentrate on the rocket manufacturing process. Several chambers were actually converted into "sleeping tunnels", to accommodate the early prisoners engaged in the tunnel driving. Those who survived from the first groups of prisoners were transported to various sub-camps throughout the Nordhausen region, to continue working on the numerous underground projects. Once the first prisoners had either perished or been transferred to other KLs, the SS brought in replacement prisoners from throughout the KL system. These replacements were prisoners who had experience with electronics, hence they would be of benefit to the next stage of work at KL-Mittelbau-Dora, the manufacturing of the rockets.

[StefanM]

Any thoughts on the symbols or badges some of the prisoners are seen to wearing on their sleeves.

This one below also seems to have what looks like a black band with wording on it around his left sleeve?

[StefanM]

Some further Walter Frentz photos:













Below: Walter Frentz and his film camera