Female guards in Nazi concentration camps

SS-Aufseherin (pl. SS-Aufseherinnen; German: [ˈaʊ̯fˌzeːəʁɪn] ^ⓘ; lit. 'female SS overseer'^[I]^[a]) was the position title for a female guard in Nazi concentration camps. Female camp personnel were not official members of the Schutzstaffel (SS), though they were members of the SS-Gefolge auxiliary organization that worked under the administration of SS-Totenkopfverbände (SS-TV).^[II]^[i]

It has been suggested that this article be merged with SS-Gefolge (Women's SS Division). (Discuss) Proposed since March 2025.

Quick Facts Agency overview, Formed ...

Female retinue of the SS
Agency overview
Weibliches Gefolge der SS (SS-Gefolge)
Aufseherinnen being escorted to bury deceased prisoners in mass graves following the liberation of Bergen-Belsen (19 April 1945)
Formed	1938
Dissolved	1945
Type	Auxiliary organization
Jurisdiction	Nazi Germany
Employees	Approximately 3,500
Parent agency	Schutzstaffel SS-Totenkopfverbände

Background

Summarize

Perspective

In April 1933, a workhouse in Moringen was made into a detention facility under Hanover administration. In November of that year, 141 women, the majority of whom were suspected or confirmed Communists, were imprisoned there. Prisoners usually stayed in Moringen for a few weeks before being released. There have been no reports of mistreatment, and mere group discussions were held daily to "re-educate". The facility closed in March 1938, and was replaced by the Lichtenburg concentration camp, which opened in Saxony in late 1937, and became known as the first SS-run women's concentration camp. It was commanded by SS-Hauptsturmführer Max Koegel and staffed by recruited and conscripted women who worked as guards.^[III]

Reichsführer-SS Heinrich Himmler directed the construction of a larger second women's concentration camp in November 1938, after Lichtenburg's limited capacity had become an issue due to a rising number of arrests.^[IV] Ravensbrück commenced operations in May 1939, serving as the central camp for female prisoners. It was here that the position of SS-Aufseherin was established.^[I]

On 1 September 1939, Hitler delivered a speech at the Reichstag, in which he stated: "I expect every German woman to integrate herself into the great community-in-struggle in an exemplary fashion and with iron discipline!"^[V] This was the given order despite his the views he held in regards to women:

Women have the talent, which is unknown to us males, for giving a kiss to a woman-friend and at the same time piercing her heart with a well-sharpened stiletto. To wish to change women in this respect would be ingenuous: women are what they are. Let's come to terms with their little weaknesses…I prefer to see them thus occupied than devoting themselves to metaphysics. There's no worse disaster than to see them grappling with ideas.
— Adolf Hitler, Hitler's Table Talk (1942)^[VI]

The Bund Deutscher Mädel (BDM) was in support of the 1939 speech and had it written in the organization's 1940 yearbook.^[VII]

Recruitment and conscription

Summarize

Perspective

Advertisements were posted in newspapers, such as the Hannoverscher Kurier [de], which sought out German women between the ages of 20 and 40 to guard women who "committed an offense against the 'Volk community" at a "military installation". For women seeking employment or a higher pay, the job offer was enticing because of the free housing, prepared meals, and the absence of required qualifications.^[VIII] Although a small number of newspaper clippings have survived after the war, history professor Jack G. Morrison claims that the advertisements neglected to mention concentration camps.^[II]

In December 1942, the age range of 20–40 broadened and became 17–45 as tensions grew with the advancement of Allied forces and the Oberkommando der Wehrmacht's loss in the Battle of Stalingrad. During this time, many women were recruited by the labor office, which became a source of contention in postwar testimonies. Johanna Langefeld, who was an Oberaufseherin at numerous concentration camps, stated in her testimony: "There were also cases in which women were sent by one of the labor offices to work as guards at Ravensbrück. This happened most often to women who had refused once or even twice to take the job that had been assigned to them, which meant they were likely to be arrested the next time they refused to take the work assigned to them".^[IX]

The need for female guards in concentration camps became critical when Reichsleiter Joseph Goebbels declared total war against Allied forces in his Sportpalast speech on 18 February 1943.^[X] Hitler raised the age limit for women's involvement to 50 and made employment in military equipment production mandatory in his 1943 and 1944 decrees pertaining to both male and female participation in the defense of the Reich.^[XI]^[XII] The 1943 order exempted individuals who worked at least 48 hours a week, employers of at least five workers, those working in agriculture or health services, pregnant women, and women with one child under the age of six or two children under the age of fourteen.^[XIII] Despite these measures, only a small number of women voluntarily sought out such work, resulting in an increase in SS recruiting and labor office conscriptions.^[XIV]

Acclimatization and training

Summarize

Perspective

When the Nazi Party realized that Nazi Germany was losing the war, concentration camp personnel destroyed many records, leaving little information regarding how Aufseherinnen were trained. Ravensbrück has the most preserved records on training practices, largely due to its role as the primary training camp for women from 1942 to 1945.^[XV]^[ii]

Upon arrival at Ravensbrück, the recruited and conscripted women were made to sign a slew of documents, including a declaration of confidentiality, a vow not to reprimand prisoners physically or verbally, and an oath of loyalty to Hitler and their superiors. The women were then led to their on-camp quarters.^[XV] The ensuing training period lasted anywhere from one to six weeks, but as Aufseherin prospects were brought in at an increasing rate, this range decreased to just one week for some women.^[XVI] In June 1942, conscripted Aufseherin Anna David^[XVII]^[XVIII] provided testimony of her arrival at Ravensbrück:

At the very beginning, we were issued a uniform and had to give an oath. They instructed us on methods for dealing with prisoners. We were told that escape attempts must be prevented at any cost, and that we were to report even the smallest violation on the part of the prisoners…During the training course, every graduate had to take part in various duties, and learn how to carry them out in accordance with camp regulations.^[XIX]

A three-month probationary period follows training, during which each prospective is partnered with an experienced Aufseherin who acts as a mentor and is tasked with overseeing a work detail.^[b]^[XX] In 1939, Hermine Braunsteiner received mentoring from Maria Mandl, who was then the Oberaufseherin of Ravensbrück.^[XXI] In a postwar testimony, Braunsteiner states that all Aufseherinnen were taught how to "handle, shoot, and clean their service weapon".^[XXII]^[XVI]

According to Commandant's Order No. 3, issued 24 July 1942, new Aufseherinnen received ideological training every Saturday between five and six o'clock in the evening. As part of the curriculum, two antisemitic Nazi propaganda films were shown, including Jud Süß.^[XXIII]

Membership

Due to missing and destroyed documentation pre-liberation, the exact number of women who became Aufseherinnen between 1938 and 1945 has been disputed. Based on published literature and surviving evidence from numerous concentration camps, it is estimated that 3,500 women served as guards.^[XXIV]^[XXV] Historian Bernhard Strebel [de] has further broken down this figure, estimating that 313 women were employed at Ravensbrück as camp personnel in late 1942 from payroll records.^[XXVI] By late 1944, the total surpassed 3,000.^[XXVII]

Ranks and uniforms

Summarize

Perspective

Thumb — Artistic depiction of an *Aufseherin* uniform

This section needs expansion with: details of responsibilities for each ranking and additions of other notable Aufseherinnen. You can help by adding to it. (March 2025)

Braunsteiner has claimed that the first group of women assigned to Ravensbrück were only given blue smocks to wear. About a year later, prototype uniforms were supplied. In the first design, a light gray loden cloth jacket and culottes were worn with a blue blouse, black boots, and a light gray side cap.^[XXVIII] Only after Himmler's visit to Ravensbrück in the spring of 1940 did Aufseherinnen receive standardized uniforms. Two military gray uniforms, one for winter and one for summer, were provided, together with two pairs of boots, blouses, a cap, and sportswear.^[XXIX] Hats and jewelry were prohibited, with the exception of the designated side cap or a straw hat on hot days.^[XXX]^[XXVIII]

To denote rank, uniforms displayed aluminum braiding on the shoulders and sleeves, as well as badges and awards such as the War Merit Medal Second Class.^[XXXI]

Aufseherin

Aufseherin means "female SS overseer". Aufseherinnen were in charge of conducting the daily roll call, or appellplatz, allocating inmates to work details, and guarding prisoners.^[I]