KL-Colditz

**CARL** · 03-14-2013, 08:43 PM

by Adrian Stevenson

Hi Carl, great pics!

Was the former Guard House up for sale? I am sure I saw a sign we were were there in October.

Cheers, Ade

Thanks Ade,

Regarding the former guard house: we didn't notice any signs when we visited last week. Unfortunately, the attachments only show three sides of the house, the remaining side faces the road and would be where any sign would likely be displayed. The guide did tell us that elderly people had lived in the house for many years, but that now it is obviously derelict. Sadly, no money is currently available to renovate the property either, hence the condition seen in the images.

Regards,

Carl

p.s. Thanks for your kind words Martin.

**Paul D** · 03-14-2013, 09:18 PM

Another excellent thread Carl , i know quite a bit about the Colditz Story with the Allied POW's in the Schloss but had no idea of the KL coonection , many thanks for posting this information !!

**porta** · 03-16-2013, 07:53 PM

Very interesting indeed Carl, thank you very much for sharing. Interesting photo's!

**CARL** · 03-16-2013, 08:39 PM

by porta

Very interesting indeed Carl, thank you very much for sharing. Interesting photo's!

Thank you for your kind words.

Regards,

Carl

**Larry C** · 03-17-2013, 12:16 PM

I have heard of the name Colditz but never could tie it to any identity or location. Thanks for bringing this to light Carl.
Who would be the head camp commander of this site as there have been some notorious figures attached to some of the KL names we already know? Thanks gain Larry

**DougB** · 03-17-2013, 02:39 PM

Haven't had much time to peruse sections of the forum outside my modding responsibilities lately. Time to catch up, great thread as usual Carl!

**CARL** · 03-17-2013, 04:31 PM

by Larry C

I have heard of the name Colditz but never could tie it to any identity or location. Thanks for bringing this to light Carl.
Who would be the head camp commander of this site as there have been some notorious figures attached to some of the KL names we already know? Thanks gain Larry

Kommandants of Colditz/Oflaf IVC:

Colonel Schmidt (October 1939 - July 1942 when he retired aged 70) died 1946/47 (possibly in hospital in Riga).
Edgar Gläscher (August 1942 - February 1943) died in the late 1960s.
Lt.Col. Prawitt (Februauy 1943 - April 1945) also died late 1960s.

Regards,

Carl

p.s. Thanks again for your kind words gents.

**CARL** · 04-12-2013, 01:09 PM

As one of the earlier "wild camps", KL-Colditz was among the 50 or so established during the initial period of Nazi rule. The early system patently lacked the organisation and direction later awarded it by the SS, and conditions were often appalling. Survivors have recalled how the staff used all manner of perverse forms of torture to torment their prey. With the exception of Konzentrationslager Dachau and the Emsland camps, such as KL-Esterwegen, no early camp held more than 1,000 prisoners at any given time. Many sites such as KL-Colditz held only a few hundred inmates, making life even more difficult for the prisoners as the guards had more time to control and torment a smaller quota of Häftlinge (prisoners). As an old castle, Colditz was typical of the site used as an early concentration camp. Abandoned factories, army barracks and remote depots were also utilised by the regime during this early period. This continued until Gestapo chief Rudolf Diels convinced his master Hermann Göring that specific camps should be created for the purpose of holding and exploiting the masses of people that the Nazis deemed a threat or potential threat.