TNA Ref: HW 16/10: WW2 Decrypts - Bletchley Park:

German Police Concentration Camp: GPCC Series

Periodic Summary Report: ZIP / OS6 / 28.1.43



ZIP/OS 6/28.1.43 (Page: 1)
                     M O S T    S E C R E T.

For Information only.   The Contents of this document may not be disclosed
to anyone other than a duly authorised recipient.  No extract from, summary
of or reference to its contents maybe made except under such conditions as
may be generally or specially approved by the Director, Government Code
and Cypher School.
___________________________________________________________________________
 
           THIS DOCUMENT IS TO RECEIVE CX/MSS SECURITY TREATMENT
 
GPDD No’s.:- 324d, 325d, 326d, 327d, 330d, 332d, 334d, 335a,
             335b, 335d, 342a, 343a, 343b, 343d, 344a, 344b,
             346a, 346b, 348a, 348b, 349a, 349b, 352d, 353a,
             353b, 353d, 355a, 355b, 355d, 356a, 356b, 356d,
             357d, 358a, 358b, 358d, 359a, 359b, 360a, 360b,
             360d, 363a, 363b, 364a, 364b, 365a, 365b, 366a
             366b, 366d, 367a, 367b, 368d.
___________________________________________________________________________
 
Covering material received between 21st. December 1942 and 25th January 1943.
 
                             S  U  M  M  A  R  Y


I.      The Waffen SS.
II.     Concentration Camps.
III.    Miscellaneous.

 
GENERAL:
 
        The Pz. Korps with the Adolf Hitler and Reich divisions have left
France for the STALINO area; Totenkopf is to follow.  Two new divisions
are forming in France.  The Wiking was last heard of at PROLETARSKAJA.
The recruit depot at DEBICA has been re-opened and is running at full
strength; manpower is in part provided by a comb-out of concentration
camp guards, substitutes for whom are being drawn from the Volksdeutsche
in SLOWAKIA.  Evidence is given of the use of Concentration Camp prisoners
in war industries, particularly at SACHSENHAUSEN, and many Poles are shortly
to be dispatched from AUSCHWITZ to work in other camps.
 
 
                 ----------------------
 
DISTRIBUTION LIST:
 
1.  M.I. 14(d).
2.  Major Leathem.
3.  Squadron Leader Oeser.
4.  Wing Commander Jones.
5.  B.P.I.E.
6.  Lt. Col. Lithgow
7.  File.
8.  File (Mr. F.L. Lucas Esq. Hut 3)
9.  Col. Hatton Hall.
10. Spare.

 
ZIP/OS 6/28.1.43 (Page: 4)

                     M O S T    S E C R E T.
 
For Information only.   The Contents of this document may not be disclosed
to anyone other than a duly authorised recipient.  No extract from, summary
of or reference to its contents maybe made except under such conditions as
may be generally or specially approved by the Director, Government Code
and Cypher School.
___________________________________________________________________________
 
           THIS DOCUMENT IS TO RECEIVE CX/MSS SECURITY TREATMENT
 
II Concentration Camps.


     (a) General.  The comb-out of guards for the front foreseen in December is
taking place and a more detailed return of men with front service has been
demanded (355b2,14; 356b17).  The substitutes for the men sent to the front
are provided in two ways:  (1) SS. Inf. Ers. Batl. Ost provided on 13 Jan.
500 fit men with 6/12 weeks training (355b1) as substitutes. (It is interesting
that the return of fit guards in BUCHENWALD only gave 47 fit men – 356b39,of,10)
(2) 1200 Volksdeutsche from Croatia are on the same day sent to the Concentration
Camps for 6 weeks training, after which an equivalent number of fit guards of
the 1908 and younger classes will be given up to field units; the numbers of
Volksdeutsche sent to the different camp agree with the numbers requested by
the camps themselves; it is not however clear why BUCHENWALD actually receives
250 instead of 50 (355b10; 349b2,4,6; 348b31; 365b20).

     Figures for guards in Concentration Camps in the GPCC figures (4 and 5)
show no change for DACHAU, NIEDERHAGEN and LUBLIN; MAUTHAUSEN switches 300
guards to GUSEN between 8 and 12 Jan.;  BUCHENWALD shows a slight drop;
FLOSSENBUERG drops 70 between 19 and 22 Jan.; AUSCHWITZ (b) vanishes and the
Kdtr. Stab rises from 221 on 29 Dec. to 410 on 5 Jan.;  Canteen fund returns
of 5 Jan. for BUCHENWALD, AUSCHWITZ, and FLOSSENBUERG (348b5:349b1,12) agree
in the main with the GPCC figures;  the BUCHENWALD figure is expressly stated
to include the Training Coy. which may be the third column of 81 in the GPCC
figures; if this is so, it is probable that the absence of a column for the
Training Coy. In the GPCC figures for AUSCHWITZ accounts for the discrepancy of
90 between the GPCC figures and the Canteen fund figures.

     Besides returns of guards, detailed returns of prisoners are demanded,
e.g. all escaped prisoners and whether still at large, numbers of prisoners
in protective custody and how many have died, numbers of prisoners that have
entered concentration camps, including those since closed down, since 1933,
divided into different nationalities and Jews, and the Jews subdivided again
into nationalities (355b17, 360b25, 358b13, 366b2)  The only new figures
however which have left a trace on our records are the prisoners taken into
protective custody into various camps and the suspected partisans (Polish) in
the LUBLIN camp (335b7, 364b5), both of which appear as new columns in the
GPCC figures.
 
  (b) DACHAU (GPCC.B.1) shows a total increase of 1000 since mid-December,
which is not accounted for in any of the other recorded figures and therefore
probably consists of Russian civilian workers.  Prisoners in protective
custody appear for the first time in January – 55 rising to 68 on 18 Jan.
 
  (c) MAUTHAUSEN and GUSEN.  (GPCC.C.1 and 2).  MAUTHAUSEN increases from the
low figure of 5951 on 16 Dec. to 7546 on 25th January.  Jews decrease from
90 to 36.  Poles increase from 633 to 834.  Prisoners in protective custody
fluctuate; as in the previous month, a large number of these are apparently
transferred to GUSEN (figures of 14 Jan.).  GUSEN rises to a maximum of
7568 on 14 Jan. and drops again to 7061 on 25 Jan.; the
chief fluctuations are in the protective custody column.
 
  (d) BUCHENWALD (GPCC.D). The total increases from 9022 on 16 Dec. to 10913 on
25 Jan.  The figures for political prisoners and Poles show an increase;
the figures for preventative custody rise from 207 on 2 Jan. to 370 on 25 Jan.
Of the 523 Russian P/W present on 31 Dec. 451 are capable of work (344b8).
On 4th January 100 prisoners are transferred to SACHSENHAUSN. (384b39).
 
  (e) FLOSSENBUERG (GPCC.E). The total rises from 3574 on 15 Dec. to 4121 on
25 Jan. and the camp can take a total of 5000. (364b7).  There is a very marked
increase in the number of Poles, from 476 to 840.  50 women are included in
the January returns.  They are probably working at the porcelain works at
NEUROHLAU (360b20,22; 363b1).  The question of a gang for the Messerschmitt

 
ZIP/OS 6/28.1.43 (Page: 5)
 

works is also discussed and 100 workers may be sent elsewhere (356b11,24)
 
  (f) AUSCHWITZ. (GPCC.F.1) and 3) (a) The men’s camp increases from 24962
on 15 Dec. to 28350 on 25 Jan.  The Jews decrease from 12360 to 11332;  the
Poles increase from 8904 to 12646; prisoners in preventative custody jump to
1456 on 20 Jan.  6000 Poles are to be quarantined so that they can be sent
to other camps early in February: (356b5).  The Bunawerk is still employing
2210 men of whom 1100 are on actual work (364b24).  Jewish watchmakers
are sent to SACHSENHASUEN where they are urgently needed (359b25; 356b1).

     Typhus cases continue to be reported although strenuous measures have
been adopted and 36 cases were found among the new batch of prisoners on
22 Jan. (360b4, 367b6; 36634; 363b12.)  (b) The women’s camp also shows
an increase in all its columns raising the total from 5231 to 8255 on 25th Jan.
 
  (i) NIEDERHAGEN. (GPCC.I)  The total increases from 781 to 1235 on 14th
Jan., falls to 869 and rises again to 1191.  The increase is in Soviet civilians
and Poles, the fall is caused by the moving of 350 Russian civilians to
SACHSENHAUSEN (356b32).  The departures in December are almost entirely covered
by 113 deaths (348b45.)
 
(j) LUBLIN. (GPCC:J 1 and 5)  One camp shows a large decrease from 6856 to
4284, and the other remains steady at about 2500.  That typhus is partly
responsible for the decrease seems likely from the facts quoted last month;
and on 5 Jan. an urgent request is made to other camps for washing apparatus,
lack of which has caused the typhus epidemic (349b5.)  The decrease in the
first camp is in Jews which more than offsets an increase of Poles, who, having
fallen to 579 on 11 Jan., rise to 1140 on the 12th; on the 21st a new column
takes off 191 of the Polish prisoners; The message (354b51) proves that this
column is for “suspected partisans”, who are therefore Polish.  On the same day
a new column also appears in the second camp;  it is therefore certain that the
fifth column in the GPCC.J.3. figures contains Poles and probable that the
fourth contains Jews.

 
ZIP/OS 6/28.1.43 (Page: 6)

                       M O S T    S E C R E T.
 
For Information only.   The Contents of this document may not be disclosed
to anyone other than a duly authorised recipient.  No extract from, summary
of or reference to its contents maybe made except under such conditions as
may be generally or specially approved by the Director, Government Code
and Cypher School.
___________________________________________________________________________
 
           THIS DOCUMENT IS TO RECEIVE CX/MSS SECURITY TREATMENT
 

III Miscellaneous.
 
  (a) Labour. The Dutchmen at DNIIEPROPETROWSK, who were described last month
as preferable to Italians, are now said to be unwilling, idle, and addicted
to sabotage and desertion (335d32).  253 of them were sent to MAIKOP before
11 Jan.  (355d12) and the HSSuPf. Kaukasien duly apprised of their character-
istics. (GPD.1232K3)
 
  (b) Transport. Difficulties continue.  A transport for SS. Wirtschafter
Bei HSSuPf. Kaukasien will have to be unloaded at LUBLIN, and await a new
Fahrtur. (327b26).  Transports for Div. Wiking were misdirected (327b33,35).
One transport only reached LEMBERG where it was split up into small parties
all of which did not arrive. (334d22)  On 19 Jan. leave trains returning to
the Eastern front are to be stopped and the men held back at KRAKAU. (363a33)
 
  (c) Supplies. Div. Wiking is till without large amount of supplies requested
in September and October. (324d16/17).  SS. Kav.Div. repeats request that 600
pairs of felt boots be dropped.  This supply by air had been refused by
Heeresgruppe Mitte (324d33) cf: 325d43.  Oberfuehrer MARTIN, Nachschub
Kommandantur Russland Mitte, says the Lettenkomp. cannot go on duty in present
weather conditions owing to lack of footgear and asks for 180 pairs of boots
urgently (352d54).???  The falling temperature also causes MARTIN to ask SS. RHA
to release 100 O.T stoves as it is no longer possible to hear the huts with
the small stoves for dugouts. (360d24)
 
  (d) Pillage in the Ukraine.  Nachschubkdtr at DNIIEPROPETROWSK is asked
urgently for 8 N.C.O’s and men as those they have are on duty day and night.
The Russian soldiers are plundering the District of food, cattle, hay and
seeds necessitating the posting of at least one man in every parish. (358d10)
 
  (e) War Economy. LIEBEHENSCHEL asks KL. Mauthausen and KL. Flossenbuerg for
a reply concerning the further use of sewage water fat from the Waffen SS
Barracks and concentration camps (363b15).  HINZERT collected 2 Kgs. human hair
in December (348b14).
 
  (f) January 30th  TERBOVEN is told the Fuehrer has ruled that in the Reich
Jan. 30th will not be a holiday and flags will not be flown.  Therefore the
special measures TERBOVEN had planned are cancelled. (367a2.)
 
  (g) Norway. The Reichskommissar has refused to allow a conference of the
Germanische Landdienst or the recruiting of 200 men for a Ski camp.  Instead
a Wehrertuechtigungslager for 17 yr. olds is proposed as a means of producing
volunteers for the Waffen SS.
 
  (h) A.A Courses. The Luftwaffe is holding training courses for members of
the Flakwaffe in the first quarter of 1943. SS. Pz. Gren. Div. “Wiking” is
urged to take full advantage of this opportunity as new units with special
weapons will be formed in the very near future. (356d9-15).
 
(i) Einsatz REINHARDT. SS und Pol.fuehrer LUBLIN sends the Befehlshaber der
Sipo KRAKAU a report on Einsatz REINHARDT for the 14 days up to 31.1.42.
Increase to 31.12.42: L12761, B 0, S515, T 10335, altogether 23611.  Totals on
31.12.42: L24733, B 434508, S 101370, T 71355: altogether 1274166 (355a 13).


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