Blechhammer

This article is about World War II military facilities. For other uses, see Blechhammer (disambiguation). For Blechhammer strategic bombings, see Oil campaign chronology of World War II.

Blechhammer
Part of Provinz Oberschlesien of Greater German Reich[1]
Located in Upper Silesia
Blechhammer map of Bahnhofslager/Judenlager[clarification needed]
CoordinatesNorth plant 50°21′N 18°18′E / 50.350°N 18.300°E / 50.350; 18.300

South plant 50°18′N 18°15′E / 50.300°N 18.250°E / 50.300; 18.250
Nearby camps & plants:
Korzonek camp
Heydebreck plant
Cosel plant

Odertal plant 50°25′N 18°8′E / 50.417°N 18.133°E / 50.417; 18.133[2]: 160 
Site history
In use1942–1945 (50,000 POWs)[citation needed]
Battles/warsOil Campaign of World War II
Events1944-05: flak guns added[3]

1945-01-21:[4] The March (1945)
1945-01: Soviet occupation[5]

Post-war: Area recovered by Poland

The Blechhammer (English: sheet metal hammer) (nowadays Blachownia Śląska, district of the City of Kędzierzyn-Koźle) area was the location of Greater German Reich chemical plants, prisoner of war camps, and forced labor camps (German: Arbeitslager Blechhammer; also Nummernbücher).[6] Labor camp prisoners began arriving as early as June 17, 1942,[7] and in July 1944, 400–500 men were transferred from the Terezin family camp to Blechhammer. The mobile "pocket furnace"[8] (German: Taschenofen) crematorium was at Sławięcice.)[9] 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.[10] Blechhammer synthetic oil (aka synthetic fuel[11]) production began April 1, 1944 with 4000 prisoners,[12] with the slave labor camp holding these prisoners during April 1944, becoming a satellite camp of the dreaded Auschwitz extermination camp, as Arbeitslager Blechhammer.[13]

  1. ^ Gilbert, Martin (2004). The Second World War: A Complete History. Henry Holt and Company. p. 2-PA524. ISBN 978-0-8050-7623-3.
  2. ^ Cite error: The named reference Stranges was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  3. ^ Levine, Alan J. (1992). The Strategic Bombing of Germany, 1940-1945. ISBN 9780275943196.
  4. ^ Gregory, Mackenzie J. "Norman "Nobby" Hayes was on the Voltaire". Ahoy - Mac's Web Log. ahoy.tk-jk.net. Retrieved 18 April 2009.
  5. ^ "I.G. Farbenindustrie - Blechhammer". Archived from the original on 13 December 2007. Retrieved 30 April 2009.
  6. ^ "Glossary of ITS terms and abbreviations" (PDF). Registry of Holocaust Survivors. United States Holocaust Memorial Museum.
  7. ^ Schwarzfitter, Jacob (28 August 1946). "Voices (Jacob Schwarzfitter)". Interview Archive. Archived from the original on 12 July 2007. Retrieved 19 March 2009.
  8. ^ "Pressac". www.mazal.org. Archived from the original on 4 March 2010. Retrieved 21 April 2009.
  9. ^ "Wyniki wyszukiwania-Urząd Miasta Kędzierzyn-Koźle-www.kedzierzynkozle.pl". Archived from the original on 7 October 2011. Retrieved 21 April 2009.
  10. ^ Cite error: The named reference Hutson was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  11. ^ Parramore, Col Woody W. "The Combined Bomber Offensive's Destruction of Germany's Refined-Fuels Industry." Air & Space Power Journal 26.2 (2012).
  12. ^ Gilbert, Martin (June 2004). The Second World War: A Complete History. ISBN 9780805076233.
  13. ^ Bohnstedt, Douglas (2004). "Blechhammer - 15af.org" (PDF). 15thaf.org. 15thaf.org. Retrieved 25 January 2018. In April 1944 Blechhammer became a satellite camp of Auschwitz, named Arbeitslager Blechhammer, a.k.a. Labor Camp Blechhammer.