Sabotage Socks of Ravensbrück

[CARL]

One of the lesser known sabotage acts of the period, yet something that gave those involved at least a degree of satisfaction and strength, was the work of some of the women detailed within the SS concern Texled (Deutsche Gesellschaft für Textil-und Lederverwertung mbH), based at f.KL-Ravensbrück.

Located within the industrial sector of the main camp, Texled had a system of large halls and workshops filled with forced labourers from the women's camp that were detailed to recycle, repair and produce various garments and clothing materials for the German forces - in addition to producing large quantities of the familiar striped concentration camp prisoner clothing. See thread below for further details:

http://www.warrelics.eu/forum/konzen...texled-525984/

The former Kommandantur (SS Command Office) building at Ravensbrück now houses a multi-floor permanent exhibition - undoubtedly one of the finest within the numerous memorial museums of its type. In one small glass case, these socks - pictured in the attachment below, a reproduced woolen pair (the originals remain in storage), highlight one small act of sabotage that women at Ravensbrück carried out whilst enduring the utter horror of life inside the only major concentration camp to be established primarily to hold women. Female prisoners detailed to produce socks for the Germans deliberately made the heels too narrow, or defective in other ways, in order for the soldiers wearing them to suffer from blisters on their feet.

[CARL]

Tomorrow, 30th April 2019, marks the 74th anniversary of the liberation of Ravensbrück. As Hitler committed suicide just 50 odd miles to the south, thousands of sick and weakened prisoners of the infamous camp at Ravensbrück finally tasted freedom when the Red Army arrived a day after the SS fled the camp.

Tens of thousands died at Ravensbrück...mostly women but also many men (the Männerlager was established in 1941) youths and children too.