Elisabeth Volkenrath

Early life

Elisabeth Volkenrath, born Mühlau, was a German camp guard who worked in the concentration camps Ravensbrück, Auschwitz, and Bergen-Belsen during World War II. Volkenrath was born on September 5, 1919 in Schönau an der Katzbach, the sixth child of Josef Mühlau and his wife, who worked as forest workers. From the age of six until fourteen, she attended school in Schönau. She then worked various jobs between 1933 and 1938 including nanny, hairdresser^[1],^[2] and kitchen hand^[3].

Elisabeth Volkenrath after her capture in 1945. Source: The United Kingdom Government

World War II

In 1939, Volkenrath was called up to work in a munitions factory^[4], after which she arrived in Ravensbrück in 1941 where was trained to become an Aufseherin. During the Bergen-Belsen trial, Volkenrath described how she worked with outside Kommandos and had to ensure that the prisoners did their work without escaping^[5]. In August 1941, Elisabeth was transferred to the concentration camp Auschwitz-Birkenau and a few months later, in March 1942, Volkenrath began to work as a supervisor of the tailor shop in Auschwitz I (or: Stammlager). She did this work until August 1942, when she was transferred to the women’s camp^[6]. Her tasks included dividing the bread among prisoners^[7]. Nonetheless, she did not work in the women’s camp very long; Volkenrath contracted typhus and was in the hospital for months. After her recovery, Volkenrath began working as a supervisor in the mail office of Auschwitz-Birkenau in December 1942^[8]. Based on a true story, Heather Morris’ novel “Three Sisters” includes Cibi Meller’s experience working under Elisabeth Volkenrath at the post office. Meller describes Volkenrath as open and claims that Volkenrath often allowed the inmates working at the office to divide the food packages among themselves if the original receivers were dead. Meller puts emphasis on an important point: 'This officer has as much blood on her hands as any in Birkenau or Auschwitz'^[9]. Furthermore, Cibi describes an incident in which Volkenrath’s husband almost murders her for disposing of a newspaper. Although Elisabeth calms the situation, she also warns Cibi that she will not step in if Cibi ever tries to bother her husband again.^[10]

Elisabeth met her husband SS-Rottenführer Heinz Volkenrath in Auschwitz. The couple eventually married on the camp terrain and they were given an SS guard of honour. As Jacques Peretti describes, the crematorium behind them belched smoke and the confetti of the ceremony mixed with the ashes of the cremated inmates^[11]. In November 1944, Volkenrath was promoted to Oberaufseherin and in this role, she actively took part in executions^[12] and personally picked inmates who were to be gassed^[13]. On February 5 1945, Volkenrath arrived in Bergen-Belsen where she continued her violent behaviour. For example, she and Irma Grese enjoyed torturing weakened prisoners by having them carry heavy rocks above their heads for long periods of time^[14]. Nonetheless, Volkenrath also realized around this time that the war was coming to an end and in February 1945, she told a former prisoner of Bergen-Belsen that 'Germany had lost the war and we should all be hanged'^[15].

Her conviction in 1945

After the war, Elisabeth Volkenrath was tried in the Bergen-Belsen trials, in which her brutal behaviour was discussed in detail. Volkenrath claimed innocence. The accusations of aggravated assault, followed with unconsciousness or death? All lies, Volkenrath only used her hands to slap the prisoners and even if she did, it was not her fault. If the inmates had just followed the rules, there was no reason to punish them. Participating in the selections for the gas chambers? Volkenrath was only present to keep order, and she and the inmates did not even know what these selections were for. This was such a ridiculous statement that the British court asked her whether she seriously believed they would buy her story^[16]. Volkenrath stuck to her answer. She eventually received the death penalty. On December 13, 1945, she was executed by British hangman Albert Pierrepoint and buried in the cemetery of the prison of Hamelin^[17]. She was later reburied in the Stadtfriedhof Am Wehl in Hamelin in 1954^[18].

Notes

1. Alfred Bernd Gottwaldt, NS-Gewaltherrschaft Beiträge zur historischen Forschung und juristischen Aufarbeitung (Edition Hentrich, 2005) 396.
2. Peter Joh. M. Zuidweg, 143.
3. Paul R. Bartrop & Eve E. Grimm, 299
4. Paul R. Bartrop & Eve E. Grimm, 299.
5. www.bergenbelsen.co.uk
6. Bartrop & Grimm, 299
7. Bas von Benda-Beckmann
8. Bartrop & Grimm, 299
9. Heather Morris
10. ibid
11. Jacques Peretti
12. Antonio Iturbe
13. Henry A. Zeiger
14. Ian Baxter
15. Henry A. Zeiger
16. www.bergenbelsen.co.uk
17. Phillip Jones
18. nl.findagrave.com