Blechhammer

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Blechhammer
Part of Provinz Schlesien of Greater Germany[1]
Located in Upper Silesia
Map of blechhammer v2.jpg
Blechhammer map of Bahnhofslager/Judenlager[clarification needed]
Coordinates North plant Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.

South plant Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
Nearby camps & plants:
Korzonek camp
Heydebreck plant
Cosel plant

Odertal plant Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
Site history
In use 1942-1945 (50,000 POWs)[1]
Battles/wars Oil Campaign of World War II
Events 1944-05: flak guns added [2]

1945-01-21:[2] The March (1945)
1945-01: Soviet occupation [3]

Post-war: Area recovered by Poland


The Blechhammer (English: sheet metal hammer) area was the location of Nazi Germany chemical plants, prisoner of war (POW) camps, and forced labor camps (German: Arbeitslager Blechhammer; also Nummernbücher).[3] Labor camp prisoners began arriving as early as June 17, 1942,[4] and in July 1944, 400-500 men were transferred from the Terezin family camp to Blechhammer. The mobile “pocket furnace” (German: Taschenofen) crematorium was at Sławięcice.) and Bau und Arbeits Battalion (BAB, English: Construction Battalion) 21 was a mile from the Blechhammer oil plants and was not far from Kattowitz and Breslau.[5] Blechhammer synthetic oil production began April 1[when?] with 4000 prisoners.[4]

Chemical plants
Two plants in the area, Blechhammer North (south of Sławięcice) and Blechhammer South at Azoty (5 miles (8.0 km) from the[clarification needed] labor camp)[4] were nicknamed "Black Hammer" by Allied bomber aircrews.[6] The facilities were approximately 2 miles (3.2 km) apart with each occupying a 3,000 x 5,000 ft area in open country.[7] Similar to the Gelsenberg plant,[5] the Blechhammer plants used bituminous coal[8] in the Bergius process to synthesize Ersatz oil.[9] In June 1944, the United States Army Air Forces considered Blechhammer one of the four "principal synthetic oil plants in Germany",[10] and after the Fifteenth Air Force had dropped 7,082 tons of bombs on Blechhammer, the Blechhammer plants were dismantled post-war by the Soviets.[8]
Evacuation
The March (1945) evacuated POWs (one camp went to Regensburg,[11] BAB 21 [6] went to Landshut)[5] and on January 25, labor camp prisoners were force-marched for five days to Bergen Belsen[4] (about 20% died en route).[7][verification needed]. Some small groups did manage to escape (see František R. Kraus).

The "7 Company" was the guard battalion for Blechhammer,[8] and the 1945 Belsen Trial convicted Blechhammer staff members Karl Francioh and Ansgar Piche.

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POW Camps:[11] BAB 21 (E794), 40, 48; E3,[12] E714,[13] E769, Camp 139 [9]

External images
image icon Map of oil plants
image icon North damage
image icon BAB 21 group

References

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External links