Margot Dreschel
Encyclopedia
Margot Dreschel was a prison guard at concentration camps who was born in Neugersdorf
, Germany
.
Before her enlistment as an SS auxiliary, she worked at an office in Berlin
. On January 31, 1941, Margot Dreschel arrived at Ravensbrück to begin guard training. At first she was an Aufseherin, a low-ranking female guard, at Ravensbrück
(a concentration camp primarily for internment of women). She trained under Oberaufseherin (Senior Overseer) Johanna Langefeld
in 1941, and quickly became a Rapportführerin (Report Overseer), a higher ranked guard.
On April 27, 1942, Dreschel was selected for transport to the newly opened Auschwitz-Birkenau I camp in Poland
. Dreschel began her duties at Birkenau in August 1942 when the women's camp was established, when all the women were transferred from Auschwitz to Birkenau. She was very devoted to her work there and served under Maria Mandel
. Dreschel was also head of all camp offices in Auschwitz. Dreschel's appearance was reportedly repellent, as one female Auschwitz prisoner recounted: "And Camp Leader Dreschel was there, her buck teeth sticking out, even when her mouth is closed." Inmates described her as vulgar, thin and ugly. After the war, many survivors testified of her brutal treatment. She carried out indoor selections wearing a white coat and white gloves, disguised as a doctor.
She regularly moved between the Auschwitz I camp and Birkenau, and involved herself in selections of women and children to be sent to the gas chamber
s. On November 1, 1944, she went to Flossenbürg concentration camp
as a Rapportführerin.
In January 1945, she was moved back to the Ravensbruck subcamp at Neustadt-Glewe
, and fled from there in April 1945 as Nazi
Germany
fell.
In May 1945, several former Auschwitz prisoners recognized her on a road from Pirna
to Bautzen
, and took her to the Russian Military Police. The Soviets condemned her to death and executed her in May or June 1945 by hanging in Bautzen. This fact is disputed by an Auschwitz survivor who claimed to have seen her in Munich in January 1960.
Neugersdorf
Neugersdorf is a town in the district Görlitz, in the Free State of Saxony, Germany. It is situated on the border with the Czech Republic, 4 km south of Ebersbach, and 17 km northwest of Zittau. Since 1 January 2011, it is part of the town Ebersbach-Neugersdorf. It has many wooded areas...
, Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
.
Before her enlistment as an SS auxiliary, she worked at an office in Berlin
Berlin
Berlin is the capital city of Germany and is one of the 16 states of Germany. With a population of 3.45 million people, Berlin is Germany's largest city. It is the second most populous city proper and the seventh most populous urban area in the European Union...
. On January 31, 1941, Margot Dreschel arrived at Ravensbrück to begin guard training. At first she was an Aufseherin, a low-ranking female guard, at Ravensbrück
Ravensbrück concentration camp
Ravensbrück was a notorious women's concentration camp during World War II, located in northern Germany, 90 km north of Berlin at a site near the village of Ravensbrück ....
(a concentration camp primarily for internment of women). She trained under Oberaufseherin (Senior Overseer) Johanna Langefeld
Johanna Langefeld
Johanna Langefeld was a German female guard and supervisor at three Nazi concentration camps.-Early life:Born in Kupferdreh , Johanna Langefeld was brought up in a Lutheran-Protestant, nationalistic family. Her father was a blacksmith. In 1924 she moved to Mülheim and married Wilhelm Langefeld,...
in 1941, and quickly became a Rapportführerin (Report Overseer), a higher ranked guard.
On April 27, 1942, Dreschel was selected for transport to the newly opened Auschwitz-Birkenau I camp in Poland
Poland
Poland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north...
. Dreschel began her duties at Birkenau in August 1942 when the women's camp was established, when all the women were transferred from Auschwitz to Birkenau. She was very devoted to her work there and served under Maria Mandel
Maria Mandel
Maria Mandel was an Austrian SS-Helferin infamous for her key role in The Holocaust as a top-ranking official at the Auschwitz-Birkenau extermination camp where she is believed to have been directly responsible for the deaths of over 500,000 female prisoners.-Life:Mandel was born in Münzkirchen,...
. Dreschel was also head of all camp offices in Auschwitz. Dreschel's appearance was reportedly repellent, as one female Auschwitz prisoner recounted: "And Camp Leader Dreschel was there, her buck teeth sticking out, even when her mouth is closed." Inmates described her as vulgar, thin and ugly. After the war, many survivors testified of her brutal treatment. She carried out indoor selections wearing a white coat and white gloves, disguised as a doctor.
She regularly moved between the Auschwitz I camp and Birkenau, and involved herself in selections of women and children to be sent to the gas chamber
Gas chamber
A gas chamber is an apparatus for killing humans or animals with gas, consisting of a sealed chamber into which a poisonous or asphyxiant gas is introduced. The most commonly used poisonous agent is hydrogen cyanide; carbon dioxide and carbon monoxide have also been used...
s. On November 1, 1944, she went to Flossenbürg concentration camp
Flossenbürg concentration camp
Konzentrationslager Flossenbürg was a Nazi concentration camp built in May 1938 by the Schutzstaffel Economic-Administrative Main Office at Flossenbürg, in the Oberpfalz region of Bavaria, Germany, near the border with Czechoslovakia. Until its liberation in April 1945, more than 96,000 prisoners...
as a Rapportführerin.
In January 1945, she was moved back to the Ravensbruck subcamp at Neustadt-Glewe
Neustadt-Glewe
Neustadt-Glewe is a German town, in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, in the district of Ludwigslust-Parchim.-Sights and monuments:* The Alte Burg, a 13th-century castle, considered to be the oldest military castle in Mecklenburg....
, and fled from there in April 1945 as Nazi
Nazism
Nazism, the common short form name of National Socialism was the ideology and practice of the Nazi Party and of Nazi Germany...
Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
fell.
In May 1945, several former Auschwitz prisoners recognized her on a road from Pirna
Pirna
Pirna is a town in the Free State of Saxony, Germany, capital of the administrative district Sächsische Schweiz-Osterzgebirge. The town's population is over 40,000. Pirna is located near Dresden and is an important district town as well as a Große Kreisstadt...
to Bautzen
Bautzen
Bautzen is a hill-top town in eastern Saxony, Germany, and administrative centre of the eponymous district. It is located on the Spree River. As of 2008, its population is 41,161...
, and took her to the Russian Military Police. The Soviets condemned her to death and executed her in May or June 1945 by hanging in Bautzen. This fact is disputed by an Auschwitz survivor who claimed to have seen her in Munich in January 1960.
Alternative spellings of surname
- Margot Drexler
- Margot Dreschler
- Margot Drechsel
- Margot Drexel
External links
- Bio-sketch (in German).
Literature
- Brown, D. P.: The Camp Women: The Female Auxiliaries Who Assisted the SS in Running the Nazi Concentration Camp System; Schiffer Publishing 2002; ISBN 0-7643-1444-0.
- Matthaus, Juergen. "Approaching an Auschwitz Survivor: Holocaust History and its Transformations" Oxford University Press, 2009; ISBN 0195389158.