Blechhammer
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The Blechhammer (English: sheet metal hammer) (nowadays Blachownia Śląska, district of the City of Kędzierzyn-Koźle) area was the location of Greater German Reich chemical plants, prisoner of war camps, and forced labor camps (German: Arbeitslager Blechhammer; also Nummernbücher).[6] Labor camp prisoners began arriving as early as June 17, 1942,[7] and in July 1944, 400–500 men were transferred from the Terezin family camp to Blechhammer. The mobile "pocket furnace"[8] (German: Taschenofen) crematorium was at Sławięcice.)[9] 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.[10] Blechhammer synthetic oil (aka synthetic fuel[11]) production began April 1, 1944 with 4000 prisoners,[12] with the slave labor camp holding these prisoners during April 1944, becoming a satellite camp of the dreaded Auschwitz extermination camp, as Arbeitslager Blechhammer.[13]
| Blechhammer | |
|---|---|
| Part of Provinz Oberschlesien of Greater German Reich[1] | |
| Located in Upper Silesia | |
| |
| Location | |
 | |
| Coordinates | North plant 50°21′N 18°18′E South plant 50°18′N 18°15′E |
| Site history | |
| In use | 1942–1945 (50,000 POWs)[citation needed] |
| Battles/wars | Oil Campaign of World War II |
| Events | 1944-05: flak guns added[3] 1945-01-21:[4] The March (1945) |
Chemical plants
Two plants in the area, Blechhammer North (south of Sławięcice) and Blechhammer South at Azoty (5 miles (8.0 km) from the[clarification needed] labor camp)[7] were nicknamed "Black Hammer" by Allied bomber aircrews.[14] 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.[15] Similar to the Gelsenberg plant,[16] the Blechhammer plants used bituminous coal from Upper Silesian Coal Basin[2] in the Bergius process to synthesize Ersatz oil.[17] In June 1944, the United States Army Air Forces considered Blechhammer one of the four "principal synthetic oil plants in Germany",[18] 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.[2]
Evacuation
In March 1945 the POWs were evacuated. One camp went to Regensburg,[19] BAB 21[20] went to Landshut)[10] and on January 25, labor camp prisoners were force-marched for five days to Bergen Belsen[7] (about 20% died en route).[21][verification needed] Some small groups did manage to escape (see František R. Kraus).
The "7 Company" was the guard battalion for Blechhammer,[22] and the 1945 Belsen Trial convicted Blechhammer staff members Karl Francioh and Ansgar Piche.
Camps
The Blechhammer complex contained a number of POW Camps:[19] BAB 21 (E794), 40, 48; E3,[23] E714,[24] E769, Camp 139.[25]
Life at Blechhamer and the work parties is described in Captive Plans, the POW diary of Reg Beattie[26] and by a Czech survivor, journalist František R. Kraus.
See also
References
External links
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