Lager VIII Wesuwe

History (info: Wikipedia)

Camp Wesuwe was established in the spring of 1938 as one of eight new penal camps in the Emsland. The camp had to be able to accommodate 1,000 people. In August 1938, Hitler ordered that 12,000 prisoners and a large number of barracks from the Emsland camp be transferred to the Westwall. Camp Wesuwe, still without prisoners, was also involved in this, but after the Munich Conference, in which the Germans appropriated the Sudetenland, all prisoners and barracks were able to return to their old destination.

The camp remained empty until September 1939. However, soon after the outbreak of war it was converted into a prisoner-of-war camp, mainly for Russian prisoners. The Oberkommando der Wehrmacht (OKW) then took over. Camp Wesuwe then became part of Stalag VI B Meppen-Versen. As an Emsland camp, the camp was known as Lager VIII Wesuwe. The camp is not included in the official German list of concentration camps. During the course of the war, the number of nationalities of the prisoners also increased. For example, many French, Belgian and Polish prisoners of war were also housed there. In September 1941, 2,100 Russian prisoners of war were imprisoned in Lager VIII Wesuwe, including many officers. When Stalag VI B Meppen-Versen was incorporated into Stalag VI C Bathorn in May 1942, Camp Wesuwe was part of it.

Conditions

The Western European prisoners of war were treated according to the agreed conventions, while the Russian prisoners of war were treated the worst possible way. According to the Nazis, the Russians were ill-mannered, lacking tradition, education and dedication. They had to do hard, heavy work in the peat and on the wastelands. There was a lack of good housing. There was too little food and clothing. Clothing of the deceased was burned, so that no "superfluous" clothing could be circulated. The commander sent his dog to the disabled who arrived late for roll call. In the event of an escape attempt, no warning shot was fired; having to spend one bullet on a fleeing Russian was bad enough. Health care and hygiene were lacking and the poor conditions led to many deaths. In the last four months of the war alone, 2,500 people died in Camp Wesuwe as a result of starvation and disease.

After the war

On 12 April 1945, the camp was liberated by Canadian troops. There is almost nothing left of the camp itself, but the cemetery is still intact. 98 Russians are buried here in individual graves and between 2,000 and 4,000 Russian victims in three mass graves. No numbers of Russian dead were kept. They were not considered worth it. It is possible that there are tens of thousands. There is a memorial stone for "Ünbekannte Ausländische Kriegstooten".

https://www.gedenkstaette-esterwegen.de/geschichte/die-emslandlager/viii-wesuwe.html

Monday 22nd July 2024

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