Carl, your threads are nothing short of fascinating. Your knowledge of the subject is second to none and the sensitive way you present them is exceptional. I'm glad you are here to keep this terrible part of the Nazi regime fresh in our minds. Thank Christ they were defeated, if this is what they achieved in twelve years I don't want to think what could have been done in another twelve.
Thank you Dave. All being well, there will be plenty more to come.
Stefan, I look forward to seeing a thread addressing the SS-Kaserne in the future - I too have some notes in one of my files somewhere. Regarding the SSW camp, I will create a thread addressing that particular sub-camp of Floßenbürg in due course as I have already researched it.
Concerning the sub-camps of Floßenbürg located at Nürnberg, whilst I stated earlier that both the Siemens-Schuckert Werke and SS-Kaserne sites were located in the city, it should also be noted that another sub-camp, Nürnberg-Eichstätt - a small camp that existed for just a few months at the end of 1944, also existed. The Eichstätt site was however, more of an external work detail of the SS-Kaserne. Once the SSW site had been destroyed by air raids, the prisoners were moved to another location - technically, this too became another sub-camp of Floßenbürg. Although it only existed for two weeks as a transit station for prisoners, the Außenarbeitslager Nürnberg 13a Zeltnerschule (named after the school where the prisoners were held), must also be considered. I will address the SSW site in more detail shortly. The SS-Kaserne sub-camp, opened in spring 1941, was initially a satellite of KL-Dachau. Two years passed before it came under the administration of KL-Floßenbürg.
Today, the 23rd April 2014, marks the 69th anniversary of the liberation of Floßenbürg.
US forces from the 90th Infantry Division eventually reached the camp on 23rd April 1945. During the preceding days, the SS had evacuated the majority of the remaining prisoners - save those unfit to leave on the death marches toward Dachau. Around 15,000 inmates, including some 7,000 from Buchenwald, left on foot or by train and headed toward Dachau. Fewer than 3,000 reached the camp near Munich, although many did manage to escape when their SS guards slipped away during the night or when US patrols met them en route. At Dachau, a further 3,800 inmates from sub-camps within the Floßenbürg system also arrived later. When US forces reached the main camp at Floßenbürg, they found some 1,500 inmates who had been left behind. Approximately 200 deaths were recorded post liberation - mostly due to disease and the abhorent treatment the inmates had received earlier. Of the 97,000 prisoners that passed through the camp between 1938 and 1945 - 16,000 of whom were women, around 30,000 died either within the Floßenbürg camp system or on the evacuation marches.
71 years ago the camp was liberated. Recent redevelopment work continues to improve the learning experience for visitors to the site - one of the major camps located within Germany.
Tomorrow, 23rd April 2019, will mark the 74th anniversary of the liberation of Konzentrationslager Floßenbürg. The camp held cca 100,000 prisoners who originated from tens of different nations. Although over 80% of the inmates were men, thousands of female prisoners were also held in the Floßenbürg camp system, along with a number of youths and children. Some 1,500 seriously ill prisoners were left behind in the camp when the SS evacuated in spring 1945. US forces liberated those who remained. Official estimates believe around 30,000 died in the Floßenbürg camps, with records confirming over 21,000 individuals.
Earlier this week, the 75th anniversary of the liberation of Floßenbürg was marked. Hundreds of relatives and around 20 survivors planned to attend the ceremony which obviously, due to the current lockdown restrictions, did not take place. Instead, the museum arranged a virtual presentation. In the link below are short videos from the director of the memorial, Jörg Skriebeleit and many others, including museum staff, survivors and relatives. The presentations are in many languages (German, English, Polish, Italian, Dutch…)
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