Prigionieri di guerra in Italia trasferiti nel Terzo Reich

British Prisoners of War ceded to Germany


From Pow camp 73 Fossoli di  Carpi to labour camps at Blechhammer, Heydebreck e Auschwitz.

Between 19 and 21 July 1943 a total of 2,379 British1 prisoners of war who had been captured in North Africa and held for a considerable time in Italian Prisoner of War (POW) camps were “ceded” to Germany, after which they were transferred a number of German-run work camps located on Polish soil.

From lists held in the archives of the Italian Red Cross it has been possible to ascertain the names of all the prisoners transported, along with the dates on which they left and the places from which they set out. By consulting various British sources it has emerged that the final destination for most of them was the huge camp at Lamsdorf or some of its numerous 'work detachments' (labour camps).

What is not known however is the motive behind this operation. Why did the Italian Prisoner of War Office, which came under under the aegis of the War Ministry, decide to hand over to the German authorities more than 2,000 of the prisoners being held in its camps at that time? Was this a common form of collaboration between allies during times of war? Was it the outcome of a request by the Italian authorities, who were seeking to lessen the pressure on their increasingly overcrowded camps? Or even the consequence of a German request for the extra manpower needed to sustain the war effort? Could it have been a commonplace military strategy – the moving of British prisoners to a more secure location following the Allied landings in Sicily? Was this handing over of 2,379 prisoners the only instance of its type, or were there others?

Whilst awaiting other information which will help answer the above questions we can begin to retrace some of the steps leading up to this internment. In particular we can describe the events involving the 332 prisoners of war transferred from Camp PG 73 Fossoli di Carpi.2

On 6 May 1942 the go-ahead was given for the opening of a camp at Carpi in the province of Modena, intended to house 4,000 prisoners. The camp – initially made up of tents, some of which were gradually substituted by barracks during the winter of '42-'43 – had come to house more than 5,000 prisoners by February 1943. Attached to the camp, designated PG3 73, there were some labour camps set up to provide wood-cutters for the forestry companies which were active in the Modena area.

The prisoners being held in Camp PG 73 – almost all of whom were British – had been captured during the military campaigns in North Africa and transferred to Italy during what became a general procedure: firstly they were held in a transit camp in Libya, then they were sent by ship to temporary camps in the south, from where a further transfer – not always the final one – took them to yet another camp.

For example Sapper Donald Henderson, a plumber from Edinburgh who had been captured in the Libyan desert during the Battle of Gazala on 27 May 1942, was interned initially in transit camp PG 66 at Capua and then, from July 1942, in Camp PG 73 at Fossoli.4 Bombardier Stanley C. Collins, Royal Artillery, a fitter's mate from London, was captured at Tobruk on 21 June 1942 and was transferred to Camp PG 87 at Cardoncelli (Benevento). After having been admitted to two different hospitals, given that he was suffering from malaria, in December 1942 he was dispatched to Camp PG 73.5

Henderson and Collins were two of the 332 prisoners on the list of soldiers who, having been ceded to Germany, left Fossoli on 21 June 1943. According to British documentary sources the destination of almost all these prisoners of war was the camp at Lamsdorf, Stalag 3446, an enormous German-run camp near to the Polish village of Łambinowice through which passed, according to various estimates, around 100,000 prisoners of war of different nationalities. Amongst them were considerable numbers of Italian soldiers who had been captured by the Wehrmacht following the armistice of 8 September 1943.

Dependent on the Stalag at Lamsdorf were hundreds of Kriegsgefangenen Arbeitskommando, or satellite 'work detachments'(labour camps) for prisoners of war. According to a British report,7 in February 1944 there were around 10,000 British prisoners of war at Lamsdorf whilst a further 9,000 were being held in 255 associated labour camps.

From a preliminary and partial analysis arrived at through the study of some Liberation Reports,8 it would appear that most of the British prisoners held in these associated work detachments were providing a labour force for the German chemical industry. Arbeitskommandos BAB 21, BAB 48, and E3 were based at the industrial complex at Blechhammer Nord; BAB 20, BAB 40, E769, E711 and E711A were inside the chemical plant at Heydebreck (or Blechhammer Sud); and lastly work detachment E715 was at Buna-Auschwitz.

The industrial complex at Blechhammer near to Slawęcice in Lower Silesia was set up during the course of the Second World War by two exponents of the German chemical industryOberschlesische Hydrierwerke AG at Blechhammer Nord and I. G. Farben at Heydebreck (or Blechhammer Sud) – to manufacture coal-based synthetic oil which would be used to fuel German tanks and military aircraft. The construction of I.G. Farben's Buna factory, designed to produce synthetic rubber, was begun in 1941 on a site about six kilometres from Auschwitz concentration camp.9

Between March 1942 and 21 January 1945 about 2,000 British prisoners of war worked in the Arbeitskommandos at Blechhammer (Nord and Sud). Of the ten prisoners from Fossoli whose liberation reports have been consulted, half declared that they had worked at Blechhammer: Sapper Donald Henderson, Drivers John L. Hughes and John Yeats, Private Harry Salter and Trooper Eric Watson. Another, Driver Robert Cossar, indicated Arbeitskommando E715 at Buna-Auschwitz as being his work detachment.10

Other sources also confirm that throughout this period British prisoners of war who had been ceded to Germany and who had left Fossoli on 21 July 1943 were present at Blechhammer and Buna-Auschwitz.

For example, it is known that during the repeated heavy bombing of the chemical plants at Blechhammer and Buna-Auschwitz by the United Sates Army Air Force, two British prisoners from Fossoli were killed and another was seriously wounded. Private J. T. Taylor suffered a series of fractures as a result of the Blechhammer bombing raid of 2 December 1944 which caused the deaths of thirty British prisoners of war. The first Allied bombing of the I.G. Farben plant at Buna on 20 August 1944 led to the deaths of Private Michael Black and Sapper Frederick Hughes.
In the Appendix of Auschwitz. A British Pow's eyewitness account,11 a book which tells the story of Driver Arthur Dodd, a prisoner ceded to Germany from Camp PG 82 at Laterina on 22 July 1943, there is a list of British prisoners of war who were held in the work detachment at Buna-Auschwitz. Amongst them are twelve soldiers who had come from Fossoli: H. Burns, W. Cole, R. Cossar, J. Daniels, W. Deakin, W. Driscoll, L. Gordon Brown, F. Norman, G. O'Mara, C. Quartermaine, I. Rolls e V. Squires.

Furthermore, two prisoners of war from Camp PG 73 at Fossoli di Carpi lost their lives during the long and terrible march which followed the evacuation of Blechhammer, of which more will be said later: Trooper Aubrey F. Ogden (who died on 18 February 1945) and Driver Raymond Rogers (who died on il 21 February 1945).

Information about the living and working conditions to which the prisoners of war at Blechhammer were subjected can be gleaned from reports produced by the International Red Cross and also from documentation supporting the accusation of illegal treatment of British prisoners of war (not in line with what was laid down in the Geneva Convention).

At Blechhammer the British prisoners of war worked on average 10 hours a day for a total of 55 hours a week. Generally speaking their free time was from Saturday afternoon to Sunday evening, but in certain periods the only free time they had was one Sunday in three. The prisoners' remuneration was around 70 pfennig a day. The work they did was described as being arduous.12

Several accidents took place at work. For example, Private Harry Salter (number 227 on the Fossoli list) had to have his right index finger amputated. It turned septic after having been penetrated by a steel chip.13

Several testimonies refer to episodes of physical and verbal violence on the part of the guards. Marine Norman Liversedge describes the particularly aggressive behaviour of a group of guards at Arbeitskommando BAB 21: “The guards of this company frequently beat up British prisoners for no reason at all. It was almost a daily occurrence for a prisoner to be knocked out. The guards would use their rifle butts in addition to kicking and striking prisoners. On one occasion Marine Tuck was beaten up by two guards and seriously injured. […] there must be a minimum number of prisoners to each working party. The result of this was that when there was a heavy sick list for the day prisoners who had reported sick and who had been excused by British M.O. were called upon to complete the strength of the working party irrespective of their physical condition. I have known cases where prisoners actually in the Sick Bay have been forced to leave their beds and join a working party".14

Contact with other prisoners and civil workers was strictly forbidden. After having been accused of having a relationship with a German woman, a British prisoner of war was imprisoned for over forty days despite there not having been any formal accusation on the part of the German authorities.15

On occasions this brutality on the part of the guards went as far as homicide. Private Thomas S. Blythe refers to the killing of two men at Heydebreck. The first victim was a prisoner who shared his barracks, J. Gribbin, killed by a guard for having refused to carry out a job considered by him to be too heavy. A few days later Gunner Miller was killed, possibly because he had been caught smoking.16

There was also a case of homicide in Arbeitskommando E715 at Buna-Auschwitz in which the victim was a British prisoner of war. In March 1944 Corporal Reynolds was killed in cold blood by a guard employed on the I.G. Farben building site for refusing to carry out a task he considered to be too dangerous, namely to climb to the top of an iron girder in difficult weather conditions.17

On the other hand, thanks to their status and to help from the International Red Cross, the British prisoners enjoyed relatively decent living conditions which were undoubtedly better than those enjoyed by the prisoners and deportees coming from other nations.

The short distance (just a few hundred metres) between Monowitz concentration camp and l'Arbeitskommando E 715 at Buna-Auschwitz allowed a fair number of British prisoners of war who were being held in the latter to witness the treatment meted out to the Jewish slave labourers at I.G. Farben, who were literally worked to death.

Driver Robert Cossar, sent from Fossoli to E715 and interned there between 20 September 1943 and 20 January 1945, alludes to it somewhat laconically in his Liberation Report. In reply to the question as to whether there was any other matter he wished to bring to the notice of the authorities he wrote: “Treatment meted out to political prisoners and Jews at the local concentration camp.”18

Starting from the summer of 1944 the industrial sites at Blechhammer and Buna-Auschwitz were repeatedly the objects of American air raids which, as has already been indicated, caused the deaths of many British prisoners of war. The Geneva Convention, which regulated the treatment of prisoners of war, was constantly violated, and at no time did the prisoners enjoy any type of protection from this danger. During the first air raids the German guards even prevented the British prisoners of war from leaving their work place, a concession which was made however to the German civilian workers. Only after a considerable number of protests, and many dead, did the British prisoners of war manage to obtain permission to build adequate protection for themselves and to leave the factory upon hearing the air raid sirens. The request that their work camps be relocated to a more secure place less exposed to danger was never granted.

The continuing air raids, and more importantly the Soviet Army's westward advance, finally forced the Germans to abandon the factories at Blechhammer and Buna-Auschwitz.

On 21 January 1945 all 2,000 British prisoners of war present in the various work detachments at Blechhammer lined up in columns and sent on a 13-week march which took them to Stalag VII A at Moosburg, in Bavaria, where they arrived on 12 April 1945.

The accounts of this march are dramatic. Once again Marine Norman Liversedge paints a vivid picture: “The winter conditions were extremely severe. There was some 28 to 30 degrees of frost. Marching was an agony and before long many of the men were suffering from frost bite. […] We commenced the march with four days' rations and a Red Cross parcel. When this had been consumed we only received one meal per day consisting of soup and potatoes and sometimes some bread. We averaged some 15 miles per day […] I know of six prisoners who died from the effects of the march”.19

Amongst the dead, as has been already indicated, were two of the prisoners who had been transferred from Fossoli.

“In the course of this march I saw numbers of Jews, political prisoners and occasionally Russians, either left dead or dying by the side of the road”. 20

One day in the middle of March, 1945, the column was in Czechoslovakia and the Czechs would throw the prisoners food and cigarettes. On this day I left the column of march (to) pick up some bread which was thrown. Unteroffizier Menzel attacked me. He struck me with his rifle (which) broke when I became unconscious. He split open my skull. It was six weeks before I recovered from my injuries”.21

On 29 April 1945 the British prisoners of war at Stalag VIIA Moosburg were liberated by American troops.

Janet Dethick e Andrea Giuseppini (2016)

note 1
The term British includes prisoners of war from the British Dominions – Canada, South Africa, Australia, New Zealand and India.
note 2
The other prisoners of war ceded and transported to Poland came from camps at Laterina (317 POWs who left on 22 July 1943) and Sforzacosta (first group - 800 POWs who left on 19 July 1943, second group - 772 POWs who left on 20 July 1943 and third group – 150 POWs who left on 21 July
note 3
PG - Prigionieri di guerra – Prisoners of war.
note 4
The National Archives, (TNA), Liberation Report, WO 344/141/1.
note 5
TNA, Liberation Report,  WO 344/69/2.
note 6
Specifically, 307 POWS were sent to Stalag 344 Lamsdorf, four to Stalag 357 Kopernicus, three to Stalag 4 B Mühlberg, and one to Stalag 3 A Luckenwalde. Two of the Prisoners of war who departed from Fossoli do not appear in British documentation (TNA, Germany and German Occupied Territori
note 7
TNA, War Office. Casualties (P.W.), 0103/5725/ 9 August 1944, Official Reports on the Camps,  WO 361/1871.
note 8
Liberation Reports are short questionnaires which the British military secret services  M.I.9 required former prisoners to compile immediately following their liberation, that is straight after the events they describe.  For the preliminary phase  of this research we
note 9
A large number and variety of labour camps was associated with the chemical plants at Blechhammer, Heydebreck and Buna-Auschwitz: concentration camps for Jews (the best-known is that of Monowitz next to the Buna factory); prisoners of war camps for different nationalities; punishment
note 10
The remaining four prisoners in our  sample declared that they had been held prisoner in the main Stalag at Lamsdorf (in three cases) or that they  had worked initially in a sugar beet factory  and then in a coal mine (one case).
note 11
C. Rushton, Auschwitz. A British Pow's eyewitness account, Summersdale Publishers Ltd, ed. Revised version 2013.
note 12
TNA, International Red Cross Committee, Bau-und Arbeitsbataillon 20, visited on 29 April 1944 by Dr. Rossel and Dr. Lehner, WO 361/1871.
note 13
TNA, Liberation Report,  WO 344/276/2.
note 14
TNA, Affidavit, Marine Norman Liversedge, London, 7 September 1945, WO 311/187.
note 15
TNA, International Red Cross Committee, Bau-und Arbeitsbataillon 21, visited 1 May 1944 by Dr. Rossel and Dr. Lehner, WO 361/1871.
note 16
TNA, Affidavit, Private Thomas Swinburne Blythe, Gosforth, August 1945, WO 311/187.
note 17
TNA, WO 309/1063.
note 18

TNA, WO 344/74/1 Sappers Robert W. Ferris  and  Reginald A. Hartland  –  amongst the British prisoners of war ceded to Germany who on 20 July  1943 left POW Camp 53 at  Sforzacosta (Macerata) – also had as their destination Work Detachment E 715 di A

note 19
TNA, affidavit, Marine Norman Liversedge, London, 7 September 1945, WO 311/187.
note 20
TNA, Affidavit Robert Robertson, 26 October  1945, WO 311/187 Sheet  123.
note 21
TNA, Affidavit James Sudds, 14 November 1945, WO 311/187 Sheet 126.
AEL Arbeitserziehungslager
The workers' re-education camps (AEL) were set up in 1940 by the Gestapo in order to re-educate individuals accused of acts of industrial sabotage or who, for some reason, were held to be “reluctant” to work. In effect, these camps were also a means of exploiting forced labour. It has been estimated that in Germany and the German-occupied territories around 200 Arbeitserziehungslager had been set up in which around 500,000 people had been imprisoned.
Bau-und Arbeits Battallion B.A.B.
During the Second World War the Germans established prisoner of war units known as Bau-und Arbeits Battaillon (shortened to B.A.B.). The B.A.B. were made up on average of 600 prisoners of war who were used as forced labour. The distinguishing feature of these forced labour units was that they were mobile; unlike the prisoners who were being held in the Stalag, these workers were not stationed in a specific location but were moved around according to necessity.
I.G. Farben
The I.G. Farben Company was founded in 1925 from the merger of several different German industries. During the Second World War it was the main producer of chemicals for Nazi Germany. I.G. Farben made more use of forced labour than any other industry, particularly during the construction of the plants at Auschwitz. The directors of I.G. Farben were among the accused at the Nuremberg Trials of 1947/48. At the end of the war the decision was taken to split up the industry into its original component parts.
Kriegsgefangenen Arbeitskommando
The Arbeitskommando were work camps detachments for prisoners who had been captured by the Germans. Usually made up of a few hundred prisoners, they were set up near to places of employment (factories, mines, agricultural establishments etc.). They were run from a central Stalag (prisoner of war camp), which may have been responsible for hundreds of work detachments. The work detachments for Allied prisoners of war were visited on a regular basis by representatives of the Red Cross.
Ispettorato Militare del Lavoro (Military Work Inspectorate)
The Military Work Inspectorate was set up in October 1943 with the aim of organising a workforce which was to construct territorial defences for the Italian Republic of Salò and repair the damage caused by air raids. Known as the “Organizzazione Paladino” (Paladino Organisation) after its founder and commanding officer, and operating in strict collaboration with, and at times directly employed by, the Germans, it took on several tens of thousands of workers.
Todt Organisation
The Todt Organisation was begun in Germany at the end of the 'Thirties with the aim of setting up a workforce which would build military defences. The idea of Fritz Todd, who was also its director until his death in 1942, during the war it exploited forced labour in German-occupied countries. In Italy it played a fundamental role in the construction of defences along the Appenines in support of the Wehrmacht, employing tens of thousands of men.
Paladino Francesco
Born in Scilla (Reggio Calabria) in 1890, he volunteered for the Corps of Engineers as a telegraphist in 1907. In 1908 he rose to the rank of sergeant, a rank he held throughout the War in Libya. In 1914 he was promoted to the rank of second lieutenant and during the First World War he was made captain.
Afterwards he remained in the Armed Forces and in 1932 he was promoted to the rank of lieutenant colonel. In 1936 he took part in the War in Ethiopia, during which he was promoted to the rank of colonel.
In the Second World War, he returned to Italy after participating in the Greek campaign and was assigned to the Bolzano Corps. In 1942 he was promoted to brigader general. After the armistice he joined the Italian Social Republic for which he created the Military Labour Inspectorate.
He finally retired in 1945 and in 1970 he was awarded the honorary grade of major general.
He died in 1974.
Sauckel Fritz

Fritz Sauckel, born in 1894, was a local Nazi party official. In 1942 he was nominated plenipotentiary for the organisation of work throughout all the German-occupied territories. In practice, he was responsible for the compulsory engagement of forced labour. In Italy his organisation tried to round up hundreds of thousands of men to send to the German Reich, with scarce results. He was tried at Nuremberg and condemned to death, the sentence being carried out in 1946.

Speer Albert
Albert Speer, born in 1905, was an architect who enjoyed an excellent personal relationship with Adolf Hitler. Even though he was not an ardent Nazi, he was the brains behind the staging of the Party parades, thereby assuring for himself the esteem and trust of the dictator. In 1942, after the death of Fritz Todt, he was put in charge of the Ministry of Arms and Munitions, which oversaw the Todt organisation. He was tried at Nuremberg and condemned to twenty years imprisonment. He died in London in 1981.
Stalag
A German prisoner of war camp. The living conditions in the Stalag varied considerably according to the nationality of the prisoners (Allied, Russian, Italian military internees, etc.)
Todt Fritz
Fritz Todt was a German engineer who was responsible, in the 'Thirties, for building the motorway system as desired by Hitler. At the end of the 'Thirties he set up the Todt Organisation, with the aim of supplying forced labour to be used in the building of defences along the French border. During the war his organisation oversaw the use of forced labour in the occupied territories. He died in a plane crash in 1942.
Gemeinschaftslager
The Gemeinschaftslager, like the Wohnlager, were unsupervised camps for foreign workers, while the Arbeitslager were supervised. Generally speaking, the concept of forced labour is applied only to the latter, but at the present time historians are undoubtedly tending to review the concept of forced labour, extending it to include work situations which are apparently free but in reality are forced. More specifically, the current discussion tends to be orientated towards a concept of forced labour which includes these three distinctive elements:
- from a legal point of view, it is impossible for the worker to dissolve the relationship with his employer
- from the social point of view, the possibilities of significantly influencing employment conditions are limited
- there is a high mortality rate, which indicates a higher than average workload and a provision of means of sustenance below the necessary requirements.
See: [https://www.bundesarchiv.de/zwangsarbeit/geschichte/auslaendisch/begriffe/index.html]
AEL Arbeitserziehungslager
The workers' re-education camps (AEL) were set up in 1940 by the Gestapo in order to re-educate individuals accused of acts of industrial sabotage or who, for some reason, were held to be “reluctant” to work. In effect, these camps were also a means of exploiting forced labour. It has been estimated that in Germany and the German-occupied territories around 200 Arbeitserziehungslager had been set up in which around 500,000 people had been imprisoned.
Bau-und Arbeits Battallion B.A.B.
During the Second World War the Germans established prisoner of war units known as Bau-und Arbeits Battaillon (shortened to B.A.B.). The B.A.B. were made up on average of 600 prisoners of war who were used as forced labour. The distinguishing feature of these forced labour units was that they were mobile; unlike the prisoners who were being held in the Stalag, these workers were not stationed in a specific location but were moved around according to necessity.
I.G. Farben
The I.G. Farben Company was founded in 1925 from the merger of several different German industries. During the Second World War it was the main producer of chemicals for Nazi Germany. I.G. Farben made more use of forced labour than any other industry, particularly during the construction of the plants at Auschwitz. The directors of I.G. Farben were among the accused at the Nuremberg Trials of 1947/48. At the end of the war the decision was taken to split up the industry into its original component parts.
Kriegsgefangenen Arbeitskommando
The Arbeitskommando were work camps detachments for prisoners who had been captured by the Germans. Usually made up of a few hundred prisoners, they were set up near to places of employment (factories, mines, agricultural establishments etc.). They were run from a central Stalag (prisoner of war camp), which may have been responsible for hundreds of work detachments. The work detachments for Allied prisoners of war were visited on a regular basis by representatives of the Red Cross.
Ispettorato Militare del Lavoro (Military Work Inspectorate)
The Military Work Inspectorate was set up in October 1943 with the aim of organising a workforce which was to construct territorial defences for the Italian Republic of Salò and repair the damage caused by air raids. Known as the “Organizzazione Paladino” (Paladino Organisation) after its founder and commanding officer, and operating in strict collaboration with, and at times directly employed by, the Germans, it took on several tens of thousands of workers.
Todt Organisation
The Todt Organisation was begun in Germany at the end of the 'Thirties with the aim of setting up a workforce which would build military defences. The idea of Fritz Todd, who was also its director until his death in 1942, during the war it exploited forced labour in German-occupied countries. In Italy it played a fundamental role in the construction of defences along the Appenines in support of the Wehrmacht, employing tens of thousands of men.
Paladino Francesco
Born in Scilla (Reggio Calabria) in 1890, he volunteered for the Corps of Engineers as a telegraphist in 1907. In 1908 he rose to the rank of sergeant, a rank he held throughout the War in Libya. In 1914 he was promoted to the rank of second lieutenant and during the First World War he was made captain.
Afterwards he remained in the Armed Forces and in 1932 he was promoted to the rank of lieutenant colonel. In 1936 he took part in the War in Ethiopia, during which he was promoted to the rank of colonel.
In the Second World War, he returned to Italy after participating in the Greek campaign and was assigned to the Bolzano Corps. In 1942 he was promoted to brigader general. After the armistice he joined the Italian Social Republic for which he created the Military Labour Inspectorate.
He finally retired in 1945 and in 1970 he was awarded the honorary grade of major general.
He died in 1974.
Sauckel Fritz

Fritz Sauckel, born in 1894, was a local Nazi party official. In 1942 he was nominated plenipotentiary for the organisation of work throughout all the German-occupied territories. In practice, he was responsible for the compulsory engagement of forced labour. In Italy his organisation tried to round up hundreds of thousands of men to send to the German Reich, with scarce results. He was tried at Nuremberg and condemned to death, the sentence being carried out in 1946.

Speer Albert
Albert Speer, born in 1905, was an architect who enjoyed an excellent personal relationship with Adolf Hitler. Even though he was not an ardent Nazi, he was the brains behind the staging of the Party parades, thereby assuring for himself the esteem and trust of the dictator. In 1942, after the death of Fritz Todt, he was put in charge of the Ministry of Arms and Munitions, which oversaw the Todt organisation. He was tried at Nuremberg and condemned to twenty years imprisonment. He died in London in 1981.
Stalag
A German prisoner of war camp. The living conditions in the Stalag varied considerably according to the nationality of the prisoners (Allied, Russian, Italian military internees, etc.)
Todt Fritz
Fritz Todt was a German engineer who was responsible, in the 'Thirties, for building the motorway system as desired by Hitler. At the end of the 'Thirties he set up the Todt Organisation, with the aim of supplying forced labour to be used in the building of defences along the French border. During the war his organisation oversaw the use of forced labour in the occupied territories. He died in a plane crash in 1942.
Gemeinschaftslager
The Gemeinschaftslager, like the Wohnlager, were unsupervised camps for foreign workers, while the Arbeitslager were supervised. Generally speaking, the concept of forced labour is applied only to the latter, but at the present time historians are undoubtedly tending to review the concept of forced labour, extending it to include work situations which are apparently free but in reality are forced. More specifically, the current discussion tends to be orientated towards a concept of forced labour which includes these three distinctive elements:
- from a legal point of view, it is impossible for the worker to dissolve the relationship with his employer
- from the social point of view, the possibilities of significantly influencing employment conditions are limited
- there is a high mortality rate, which indicates a higher than average workload and a provision of means of sustenance below the necessary requirements.
See: [https://www.bundesarchiv.de/zwangsarbeit/geschichte/auslaendisch/begriffe/index.html]
AEL Arbeitserziehungslager
The workers' re-education camps (AEL) were set up in 1940 by the Gestapo in order to re-educate individuals accused of acts of industrial sabotage or who, for some reason, were held to be “reluctant” to work. In effect, these camps were also a means of exploiting forced labour. It has been estimated that in Germany and the German-occupied territories around 200 Arbeitserziehungslager had been set up in which around 500,000 people had been imprisoned.
Bau-und Arbeits Battallion B.A.B.
During the Second World War the Germans established prisoner of war units known as Bau-und Arbeits Battaillon (shortened to B.A.B.). The B.A.B. were made up on average of 600 prisoners of war who were used as forced labour. The distinguishing feature of these forced labour units was that they were mobile; unlike the prisoners who were being held in the Stalag, these workers were not stationed in a specific location but were moved around according to necessity.
I.G. Farben
The I.G. Farben Company was founded in 1925 from the merger of several different German industries. During the Second World War it was the main producer of chemicals for Nazi Germany. I.G. Farben made more use of forced labour than any other industry, particularly during the construction of the plants at Auschwitz. The directors of I.G. Farben were among the accused at the Nuremberg Trials of 1947/48. At the end of the war the decision was taken to split up the industry into its original component parts.
Kriegsgefangenen Arbeitskommando
The Arbeitskommando were work camps detachments for prisoners who had been captured by the Germans. Usually made up of a few hundred prisoners, they were set up near to places of employment (factories, mines, agricultural establishments etc.). They were run from a central Stalag (prisoner of war camp), which may have been responsible for hundreds of work detachments. The work detachments for Allied prisoners of war were visited on a regular basis by representatives of the Red Cross.
Ispettorato Militare del Lavoro (Military Work Inspectorate)
The Military Work Inspectorate was set up in October 1943 with the aim of organising a workforce which was to construct territorial defences for the Italian Republic of Salò and repair the damage caused by air raids. Known as the “Organizzazione Paladino” (Paladino Organisation) after its founder and commanding officer, and operating in strict collaboration with, and at times directly employed by, the Germans, it took on several tens of thousands of workers.
Todt Organisation
The Todt Organisation was begun in Germany at the end of the 'Thirties with the aim of setting up a workforce which would build military defences. The idea of Fritz Todd, who was also its director until his death in 1942, during the war it exploited forced labour in German-occupied countries. In Italy it played a fundamental role in the construction of defences along the Appenines in support of the Wehrmacht, employing tens of thousands of men.
Paladino Francesco
Born in Scilla (Reggio Calabria) in 1890, he volunteered for the Corps of Engineers as a telegraphist in 1907. In 1908 he rose to the rank of sergeant, a rank he held throughout the War in Libya. In 1914 he was promoted to the rank of second lieutenant and during the First World War he was made captain.
Afterwards he remained in the Armed Forces and in 1932 he was promoted to the rank of lieutenant colonel. In 1936 he took part in the War in Ethiopia, during which he was promoted to the rank of colonel.
In the Second World War, he returned to Italy after participating in the Greek campaign and was assigned to the Bolzano Corps. In 1942 he was promoted to brigader general. After the armistice he joined the Italian Social Republic for which he created the Military Labour Inspectorate.
He finally retired in 1945 and in 1970 he was awarded the honorary grade of major general.
He died in 1974.
Sauckel Fritz

Fritz Sauckel, born in 1894, was a local Nazi party official. In 1942 he was nominated plenipotentiary for the organisation of work throughout all the German-occupied territories. In practice, he was responsible for the compulsory engagement of forced labour. In Italy his organisation tried to round up hundreds of thousands of men to send to the German Reich, with scarce results. He was tried at Nuremberg and condemned to death, the sentence being carried out in 1946.

Speer Albert
Albert Speer, born in 1905, was an architect who enjoyed an excellent personal relationship with Adolf Hitler. Even though he was not an ardent Nazi, he was the brains behind the staging of the Party parades, thereby assuring for himself the esteem and trust of the dictator. In 1942, after the death of Fritz Todt, he was put in charge of the Ministry of Arms and Munitions, which oversaw the Todt organisation. He was tried at Nuremberg and condemned to twenty years imprisonment. He died in London in 1981.
Todt Fritz
Fritz Todt was a German engineer who was responsible, in the 'Thirties, for building the motorway system as desired by Hitler. At the end of the 'Thirties he set up the Todt Organisation, with the aim of supplying forced labour to be used in the building of defences along the French border. During the war his organisation oversaw the use of forced labour in the occupied territories. He died in a plane crash in 1942.
AEL Arbeitserziehungslager
The workers' re-education camps (AEL) were set up in 1940 by the Gestapo in order to re-educate individuals accused of acts of industrial sabotage or who, for some reason, were held to be “reluctant” to work. In effect, these camps were also a means of exploiting forced labour. It has been estimated that in Germany and the German-occupied territories around 200 Arbeitserziehungslager had been set up in which around 500,000 people had been imprisoned.
Bau-und Arbeits Battallion B.A.B.
During the Second World War the Germans established prisoner of war units known as Bau-und Arbeits Battaillon (shortened to B.A.B.). The B.A.B. were made up on average of 600 prisoners of war who were used as forced labour. The distinguishing feature of these forced labour units was that they were mobile; unlike the prisoners who were being held in the Stalag, these workers were not stationed in a specific location but were moved around according to necessity.
I.G. Farben
The I.G. Farben Company was founded in 1925 from the merger of several different German industries. During the Second World War it was the main producer of chemicals for Nazi Germany. I.G. Farben made more use of forced labour than any other industry, particularly during the construction of the plants at Auschwitz. The directors of I.G. Farben were among the accused at the Nuremberg Trials of 1947/48. At the end of the war the decision was taken to split up the industry into its original component parts.
Kriegsgefangenen Arbeitskommando
The Arbeitskommando were work camps detachments for prisoners who had been captured by the Germans. Usually made up of a few hundred prisoners, they were set up near to places of employment (factories, mines, agricultural establishments etc.). They were run from a central Stalag (prisoner of war camp), which may have been responsible for hundreds of work detachments. The work detachments for Allied prisoners of war were visited on a regular basis by representatives of the Red Cross.
Ispettorato Militare del Lavoro (Military Work Inspectorate)
The Military Work Inspectorate was set up in October 1943 with the aim of organising a workforce which was to construct territorial defences for the Italian Republic of Salò and repair the damage caused by air raids. Known as the “Organizzazione Paladino” (Paladino Organisation) after its founder and commanding officer, and operating in strict collaboration with, and at times directly employed by, the Germans, it took on several tens of thousands of workers.
Todt Organisation
The Todt Organisation was begun in Germany at the end of the 'Thirties with the aim of setting up a workforce which would build military defences. The idea of Fritz Todd, who was also its director until his death in 1942, during the war it exploited forced labour in German-occupied countries. In Italy it played a fundamental role in the construction of defences along the Appenines in support of the Wehrmacht, employing tens of thousands of men.
Paladino Francesco
Born in Scilla (Reggio Calabria) in 1890, he volunteered for the Corps of Engineers as a telegraphist in 1907. In 1908 he rose to the rank of sergeant, a rank he held throughout the War in Libya. In 1914 he was promoted to the rank of second lieutenant and during the First World War he was made captain.
Afterwards he remained in the Armed Forces and in 1932 he was promoted to the rank of lieutenant colonel. In 1936 he took part in the War in Ethiopia, during which he was promoted to the rank of colonel.
In the Second World War, he returned to Italy after participating in the Greek campaign and was assigned to the Bolzano Corps. In 1942 he was promoted to brigader general. After the armistice he joined the Italian Social Republic for which he created the Military Labour Inspectorate.
He finally retired in 1945 and in 1970 he was awarded the honorary grade of major general.
He died in 1974.
Sauckel Fritz

Fritz Sauckel, born in 1894, was a local Nazi party official. In 1942 he was nominated plenipotentiary for the organisation of work throughout all the German-occupied territories. In practice, he was responsible for the compulsory engagement of forced labour. In Italy his organisation tried to round up hundreds of thousands of men to send to the German Reich, with scarce results. He was tried at Nuremberg and condemned to death, the sentence being carried out in 1946.

Speer Albert
Albert Speer, born in 1905, was an architect who enjoyed an excellent personal relationship with Adolf Hitler. Even though he was not an ardent Nazi, he was the brains behind the staging of the Party parades, thereby assuring for himself the esteem and trust of the dictator. In 1942, after the death of Fritz Todt, he was put in charge of the Ministry of Arms and Munitions, which oversaw the Todt organisation. He was tried at Nuremberg and condemned to twenty years imprisonment. He died in London in 1981.
Todt Fritz
Fritz Todt was a German engineer who was responsible, in the 'Thirties, for building the motorway system as desired by Hitler. At the end of the 'Thirties he set up the Todt Organisation, with the aim of supplying forced labour to be used in the building of defences along the French border. During the war his organisation oversaw the use of forced labour in the occupied territories. He died in a plane crash in 1942.