History

Commemorative books

Special thanks

Commemorative book for the victims of the Emsland concentration and prison camps

According to current research, at least 52 concentration camp prisoners died during the concentration camp phase between September 1933 and August 1936; among them were nine prisoners of Jewish faith. Although the death toll in this phase is comparatively low, the murders in these early concentration camps represent the beginning of the violence that later led to the systematic mass murder of millions in the extermination camps.

There is evidence of more than 1,750 deceased prisoners in the Emsland during the 1934-1945 prison camp phase, including Polish, Czechoslovakian, Austrian and Luxembourg prisoners as well as 87 »Nacht-und-Nebel« (»Night-and-Fog«) prisoners (resistance fighters) from Belgium and France.

In addition to the number of prisoners who died in the Emsland region, from 1942 at least 400 more prisoners died in a subcamp in northern Norway (»Strafgefangenenlager Nord«), most of whom were buried there. From 1943, a presumably smaller number of prisoners from a subcamp in northern France and in Lendringsen in the Sauerland (»Strafgefangenenlager West«) also died.

In total, at least 2,200 prisoners died in the Emsland camps and their subcamps.

Here you can find the digital commemorative book of the proven victims of the Emsland concentration and prison camps.

The commemorative book provides - if known - the following information on the victims:

• Surname, first name and, if applicable, name of birth
• Date and place of birth
• Date and place of death

This commemorative book is still being compiled. The Esterwegen Memorial is very interested in information about new sources as well as corrections and additions. You are welcome to send us an e-mail to info(at)gedenkstaette-esterwegen.de.

If you have any questions about the commemorative book or would like information about the fate of a relative, please do not hesitate to contact us.

Sources and literature

• Archive of the Esterwegen Memorial

• Archive of the Documentation and Information Center (DIZ) Emslandlager e.V., Papenburg

• Arolsen Archives

• Emsland District Archive, Meppen: Death register entries from the registry offices in Aschendorf, Börger, Esterwegen, Papenburg, Rhede, Sögel, Steinbild, Surwold

• Lingen Town Archives

• OBD Memorial

• Dirk Lüerßen: Wir sind die Moorsoldaten. Die Insassen der frühen Konzentrationslager im Emsland 1933 bis 1936 – Biographische Untersuchungen zum Zusammenhang zwischen kategorialer Zuordnung der Verhafteten, deren jeweiligen Verhaltensformen im Lager und den Auswirkungen der Haft auf die weitere Lebensgeschichte. (We are the moor soldiers. The inmates of the early concentration camps in the Emsland from 1933 to 1936 - Biographical studies on the connection between the categorical classification of those arrested, their respective forms of behavior in the camp and the effects of imprisonment on their subsequent life stories.)
Dissertation, University of Osnabrück 2001

• Frank Bührmann-Peters: Ziviler Strafvollzug für die Wehrmacht. Militärgerichtlich Verurteilte in den Emslandlagern 1939-1945. (Civilian penal system for the Wehrmacht. Military court convicts in the Emsland camps 1939-1945.)
Dissertation, University of Osnabrück 2002

• Bernd Faulenbach, Andrea Kaltofen (Hrsg.): 'Hölle im Moor'. Die Emslandlager 1933–1945. ('Hell in the Moor'. The Emsland camps 1933-1945.)
Wallstein, Göttingen 2017

Special thanks

The production of the commemorative book was sponsored and supported by the following institutions:

• Rotary Club Brake-Unterweser / District 1850
• Rotary Club Groningen Noord (Netherlands)

Commemorative book for the victims of the Emsland prisoner-of-war camps

Here you can find the digital commemorative book of those who have been confirmed to have died in the Emsland prisoner-of-war camps.

“Who among us no longer remembers those long marches of suffering Russian prisoners that poured into the Emsland camps during the war! [...] The transports to Germany were often more than makeshift, the camps were quickly overcrowded. [...] Tens of thousands of prisoners were buried in the soil of the Emsland.” [Emsland-Nachrichten, April 6, 1957]

The names and fates of these prisoners of war were mostly unknown or only little known until now. In a cooperation project between the Geeste Municipal Archive and the Esterwegen Memorial, numerous volunteers have been working on this topic since 2019. The aim of the project is to record and compile detailed information on the biography, captivity and final resting place of as many Soviet prisoners of war as possible. The primary source for this research is the Russian online platform “OBD Memorial”, which contains numerous digitized documents from the Wehrmacht administration, including personnel cards (some with photos), death notifications, grave location lists, casualty reports and medical records of Soviet prisoners of war.

Currently, information on more than 23,000 deceased Soviet prisoners of war and thousands of labor commandos can be found in this online commemorative book.

Special thanks for the funding and friendly support go to the Municipality of Geeste, the County of Grafschaft Bentheim and all the compilers, especially Michael Bradtke from Groß Hesepe.