Blechhammer

The Blechhammer (English: sheet metal hammer) area was the location of Nazi Germany chemical plants, prisoner of war (POW) camps, and forced labor camps (German: Arbeitslager Blechhammer; also Nummernbücher).[5] Labor camp prisoners began arriving as early as June 17, 1942,[6] and in July 1944, 400–500 men were transferred from the Terezin family camp to Blechhammer. The mobile "pocket furnace"[7] (German: Taschenofen) crematorium was at Sławięcice.)[8] and Bau und Arbeits Battalion (BAB, English: Construction Battalion) 21 was a mile from the Blechhammer oil plants and was not far from Kattowitz and Breslau.[9] Blechhammer synthetic oil production began April 1, 1944 with 4000 prisoners,[10] with the slave labor camp holding these prisoners during April 1944, becoming a satellite camp of the dreaded Auschwitz extermination camp, as Arbeitslager Blechhammer.[11]

This article is about World War II military facilities. For other uses, see Blechhammer (disambiguation). For Blechhammer strategic bombings, see Oil campaign chronology of World War II.
Blechhammer
Part of Provinz Schlesien of Greater Germany
Located in Upper Silesia
Blechhammer map of Bahnhofslager/Judenlager
CoordinatesNorth plant 50°21′N 18°18′E

South plant 50°18′N 18°15′E
Nearby camps & plants:
Korzonek camp
Heydebreck plant
Cosel plant

Odertal plant 50°25′N 18°8′E[1]:160
Site history
In use1942–1945 (50,000 POWs)
Battles/warsOil Campaign of World War II
Events1944-05: flak guns added[2]

1945-01-21:[3] The March (1945)
1945-01: Soviet occupation[4]

Post-war: Area recovered by Poland

Chemical plants

Two plants in the area, Blechhammer North (south of Sławięcice) and Blechhammer South at Azoty (5 miles (8.0 km) from the labor camp)[6] were nicknamed "Black Hammer" by Allied bomber aircrews.[12] The facilities were approximately 2 miles (3.2 km) apart with each occupying a 3,000 × 5,000 ft (914 × 1524 m) area in open country.[13] Similar to the Gelsenberg plant,[14] the Blechhammer plants used bituminous coal[1] in the Bergius process to synthesize Ersatz oil.[15] In June 1944, the United States Army Air Forces considered Blechhammer one of the four "principal synthetic oil plants in Germany",[16] and after the Fifteenth Air Force had dropped 7,082 tons (14,164,000 lbs; 6,424 tonnes)of bombs on Blechhammer, the Blechhammer plants were dismantled post-war by the Soviets.[1]

Evacuation

In March 1945 the POWs were evacuated. One camp went to Regensburg,[17] BAB 21[18] went to Landshut)[9] and on January 25, labor camp prisoners were force-marched for five days to Bergen Belsen[6] (about 20% died en route).[19] Some small groups did manage to escape (see František R. Kraus).

The "7 Company" was the guard battalion for Blechhammer,[20] and the 1945 Belsen Trial convicted Blechhammer staff members Karl Francioh and Ansgar Piche.

Camps

The Blechhammer complex contained a number of POW Camps:[17] BAB 21 (E794), 40, 48; E3,[21] E714,[22] E769, Camp 139.[23]

Life at Blechhamer and the work parties is described in Captive Plans, the POW diary of Reg Beattie.[24]

See also

References
  1. Stranges, Dr. Anthony. "Fischer-Tropsch Archive". Washington, D.C.: Fischer-Tropsch.org. Retrieved 2009-06-17.
    ----- (2003). "Germany's Synthetic Fuel Industry 1927-45" (PDF). Fischer-Tropsch.org. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2015-09-24. Retrieved 2009-10-20.CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
    "Synthetic Oil Production" (PDF). p. 160. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2008-09-08. Retrieved 2009-11-19.
    Schroeder, W. C. (August 1946). "Report On Investigations by Fuels and Lubricants Teams At The I.G. Farbenindustrie, A. G., Works, Ludwigshafen and Oppau". US Bureau of Mines, Office of Synthetic Liquid Fuels. Archived from the original on 2007-11-08. Retrieved 2009-03-21.
  2. Levine, Alan J. (1992). The Strategic Bombing of Germany, 1940-1945. ISBN 9780275943196.
  3. Gregory, Mackenzie J. "Norman "Nobby" Hayes was on the Voltaire". Ahoy - Mac's Web Log. ahoy.tk-jk.net. Retrieved 2009-04-18.
  4. "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2007-12-13. Retrieved 2009-04-30.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  5. "Glossary of ITS terms and abbreviations" (PDF). Registry of Holocaust Survivors. United States Holocaust Memorial Museum.
  6. Schwarzfitter, Jacob (August 28, 1946). "Voices (Jacob Schwarzfitter)". Interview Archive. Archived from the original on July 12, 2007. Retrieved 2009-03-19.
  7. http://www.mazal.org/pressac/Pressac0095.htm
  8. http://www.kedzierzynkozle.pl/portal/index.php?t=200&id=23779
  9. Hutson, Fred (April 2006). "Fred Hutson". Tommy's Log: The Logbook of Tachus (Tommy) Constantine McNamee. MurrayArmstrong.com. Archived from the original on 2009-03-16. Retrieved 2009-04-22.
  10. Gilbert, Martin (June 2004). The Second World War: A Complete History. ISBN 9780805076233.
  11. Bohnstedt, Douglas (2004). "Blechhammer - 15af.org" (PDF). 15thaf.org. 15thaf.org. Retrieved January 25, 2018. In April 1944 Blechhammer became a satellite camp of Auschwitz, named Arbeitslager Blechhammer, a.k.a. Labor Camp Blechhammer.
  12. Withington, Ted (1993). Flight to Black Hammer: the letters of a World War II pilot. Biddle Publishing Company. ISBN 1-879418-06-1.
  13. "June 1944". 461st Bombardment Group Missions. Mission #52
  14. Lesch, John (2000-08-31). The German Chemical Industry in the Twentieth Century. ISBN 9780792364870.
  15. Ludmer, Henry (March 28, 1946). "Oil in Germany" (PDF). No. 6, Vol. XLVII. University of Toledo. pp. 259–63. Retrieved 2009-02-11.
  16. Cruickshank, Earl (tbd--Air Force Historical Study (AFHS) No. 103) [1944--Army Air Forces Reference History (AAFRH)-3]. "The Ploesti Mission of 1 August 1943". p. 3. Retrieved 2009-05-09. Check date values in: |year= (help)
  17. Jones, Chris (19 September 2004). "Message 1 - blechammer, el tahag and chieti". WW2 People's War - Dad's Journey. BBC.co.uk. Retrieved 2009-04-21. the main one referred to as 'E3' in the Stalag labour system was to be found there, though the others in and around the area include: BAB 20, 21, 40 and 48; and E711, E711A, E769, E793 E794 (these last two were renamed BAB20 and 21)
  18. https://web.archive.org/web/20120214095753/http://www.prisonerofwar.org.uk/winter_2004.htm
  19. http://www.edwardvictor.com/Holocaust/Blechhammer.htm
  20. https://web.archive.org/web/20110720092018/http://en.auschwitz.org.pl/h/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=5&Itemid=5&limit=1&limitstart=4
  21. "Anlage zu § 1 Verzeichnis der Konzentrationslager und ihrer Außenkommandos gemäß § 42 Abs. 2 BEG" (in German). Bundesministerium der Justiz. Archived from the original on 2012-11-03. Retrieved 2009-04-30.
  22. "The Wartime Memories Project - STALAG 8b (344) POW Camp". World War Two 1939-1945. WarTimeMemories.co.uk. Archived from the original on 2009-02-16. Retrieved 2009-04-21.
  23. http://www.gesetze-im-internet.de/begdv_6/anlage_6.html
  24. Beattie, Trevor (ed.) (2011). Captive Plans: The Pow Diary of Reg Beattie. ISBN 9780956956309.
External images
Map of oil plants
North damage
BAB 21 group
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