KL-Stutthof
Rare example from the camp near Danzig.
KL-Stutthof
Rare example from the camp near Danzig.
As always a very informative KL thread. Thank you for these "History" threads
Also didn't know Ravensbrück had "male inmates"
Thank you.by JMM
Here is another example from KL-Buchenwald
More...
Dachau, Auschwitz-I Stammlager and a rare example from the Kommandantur at KL-Mauthausen.
Would there have been much mail coming out of these camps from inmates Carl? It seems hard to believe that in the extermination camps, especially, that mail from the inmates would have been something that those running the camps put much importance on. It's amazing that anything like this has survived, it's quite disturbing to think what probably befell the people who wrote the letters. It's very sad.
I'm sure Carl will give you a good answer, but as I also collect these items and have been thinking about and researching this I would like to contribute. Clearly the large volume of surviving mail proves that an enormous amount of mail was coming out of, and going into the KL system. Its worth remembering that the Nazi's had mixed and complex objectives with their camps, as the extermination programme and the exploitative labour system ran side by side and often overlapped. Most of these letters come from 'political prisoners' (very often Poles and Czechs) rather than Jews or Soviet POW's, and these prisoners were generally in the camps to work rather than to be exterminated (though of course many died and some were murdered). They did have some rights and privilages, including receiving payment and even access to some recreational facilities. Also, they could send and receive mail. The Nazis intended to raise productivity in the camps by introducing these incentives. A vast number of people were imprisoned in the camps and as a result, some millions of letters came in and out of the KL system during the war years.
From researching the letters in my own collection, (when possible) its clear that many of these prisoners did in fact survive the war, though I also have a number of letters from those who did not.
A good question Dave, thank you for raising it.
The camp system allowed the prisoners to receive and send post generally on a monthly basis - sometimes a little more frequently. On arrival at the camp, prisoners would register a name and address of one relative - this was recorded by the SS clerks and was the only person permitted to correspond with the prisoner during their incarceration at the camp. Many examples survived, especially from the larger camps such as Dachau, Auschwitz-I and the Mauthausen-Gusen camp system etc. Regarding the extermination camps, the post examples from sites such as Auschwitz-II Birkenau or Majdanek-Lublin are somewhat rarer, but they do exist. One must remember that these sites were not only Vernichtungslagers (extermination camps), but also Arbeitslagers (work camps), so the SS ruse to placate was considered necessary by the camp administration.
Thanks Carl and Douglas, I appreciate you're response. I can see the reasoning behind the ruse of attempting to hide many of the goings on in these places by giving them a sense of normality in allowing inmates to write to a relative or friend. The fact that they were also work camps explains why inmates were allowed to write as well. I suppose the idea behind it all was to allay some of the fears and rumors about these places that were being spoken about in hushed voices in the general populace. I imagine anything coming out of the camps from inmates would have been heavily censored for that exact reason. Thanks again fellas, I appreciate your answers and thanks Carl for the fascinating thread.
You're welcome Dave, glad that the thread is of interest and hope that more are able to contribute in the future.
The camp letters were indeed heavily censored. Very clear instructions were given to the prisoners, including mandatory phrases like "I am healthy and well". Anything that was not allowed - such as description of work detail or rations, was blacked out or simply cut out of the letter. A censored example from Konzentrationslager Dachau is shown below.
KL-Dachau
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