KL: A History of the Nazi Concentration Camps (153 page)

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Authors: Nikolaus Wachsmann

BOOK: KL: A History of the Nazi Concentration Camps

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57
. Buggeln,
Arbeit
, 109–10; Wagner,
Produktion
, 292–96; Lasik, “Organizational,” 216–17; Strebel,
Ravensbrück
, 201; BArchB, NS 3/391, Bl. 4–22: Aufgabengebiete in einem KL, n.d. (1942), Bl. 19–20; ibid., Film 44840, Vernehmung G. Maurer, March 20, 1947, pp. 24–25. The labor action leaders—often
experts in their field who moved from one camp to the next—were fully absorbed into the organizational chart of the KL in 1942. Their new offices (III/E or IIIa) for work deployment were nominally part of department III (camp compound), but in practice acted largely independently, reporting to the commandant or, higher up the chain, directly to Maurer’s department. The offices oversaw all aspects
of the local organization of forced labor, including the formation of prisoner commandos and transports, the supervision during work by SS officials and Kapos, and the establishment of new work sites.

65
. Most changes were set out in a letter by Pohl to Himmler on July 28, 1942 (
TWC
, vol. 5, 303–306, ND: NO-1994), in which he included the SS special
camp Hinzert as a fifteenth KL (its commandant remained unchanged). Some parts of the plan were later amended. In his letter, Pohl had earmarked Kaindl for Dachau and Weiss for Sachsenhausen, but he later reversed the order. Also, Pohl’s initial choice of commandant for Flossenbürg, Hans Hüttig, remained on SS service in Norway (he had left his post as Natzweiler commandant in January 1942;
OdT
, vol. 6, 36); as a result, the Flossenbürg camp compound leader Fritzsch temporarily acted as commandant until Zill was appointed in October 1942 (
OdT
, vol. 4, 38). For Himmler’s acceptance of Pohl’s proposals, see BArchB (ehem. BDC), SSO, Koch, Karl, 2.8.1897, Stab Reichsführer SS to Pohl, August 13, 1942. More generally, see Orth,
SS
, 213–14.

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