Concentration-Camp Kauen

(Handwritten: 59)

Copy

Concentration-Camp Kauen

Command HQ

FileNo.: Work.Deploy. 16/2.44-AU. The 8th of February 1944

Subj.: Deployment of Jewish Workforce

Reference: verbal meeting on January 13th 44

Attachments: 3 Applications

To

V.P./East/562

Vilna.

Referring to the meeting on the occasion of the review of the places of employment with Major Plagge about the offset against the Jewish labourers working for company REITZ attention is invited to the following:

It cannot be dismissed that the prisoners employed at the companies Reitz and Herbert Meier are a burden for the offices there. Still it must be welcomed and acclaimed that V.P./East/ successfully strives to employ productively elsewhere those prisoners, which are not employed in the vehicle workshops. But as it is otherwise not acceptable that the accounting of the labourers of V.P./East and the companies is done between them, it is invited to renew the application for release of labourers for the vehicle workshops of V.P./East/ at this headquarter on the attached forms. On this application only those prisoners are allowed to be listed, which actually employed there. For the companies Reitz as well as Herbert Meier the information is needed by V.P./East/ which and how many labourers are employed for these firms in the repair shop and knitting room respectively, as for these separate applications by the firms must be handed in. The remaining rest of labourers is to be distributed by percentage to the three employers, as it is here prisoners, which are detached to run the camp functions and whose costs the three have to share.

At this opportunity it is invited to send SS-Unterscharfuehrer Richter (Golosheijko?) together with the as well attached applications to the companies, as so the applications can be belaboured in total after reception.

Immediate execution is invited.

sig. G o e k e

SS-Obersturmbannfuehrer and

Camp Commandant

For correctness of the copy.:

(hand-written signature)

Captain and Adjutant

Vehicle Park (East) 562

___Letter Book No 12069/44

O.U. the 17th February 1944.

Subj.: Employment of Jewish Labourers.

Ref.: Letter from Concentration Camp Headquarter Kauen File: Work. Deploy.

16/2.44-Au. dated 8.2.44 to V.P./East/ 562.

To

Army-Housing Administration 190

V i l n a .

At disbandment of the Jewish Ghettos in Vilna V.P./East/562 achieved by immediate protest at the superior SD-Command in Riga / Superior Leader Piffrader/ that ca. 500 Jewish specialist labourers shall be preserved for V.P.E. 562 for vehicle repair tasks. The pre-condition was set up that these were to be employed in a closed concentration camp.

As the motivation and effectiveness of the Jewish labourers is essentially dependent of the fact that not only the men but also their wives and children can remain in Vilna, by expressed accordance by the SD the associated women and children were held back as well and transferred to the work camp Subocz street. At this time are 1243 Jewish persons are in the work camp. Out of these are 499 men, 554 women and 190 children.

To get the at first unemployed women post-haste to productive work, these by consultation with the War-Economy Extern HQ Vilna / Capt. Klipfl/ were brought to employment as well. For this purpose 311 women were attached to (Fa. = firm) Reitz Uniform works and (firm) Herbert Meier, which have to perform assignments for Army- and Air Force clothing offices. Within the work camp appropriate rooms were provided, where those firms have established their machines and installations for the repair of blankets, coats, stockings etc.

During month November the Concentration Camp of V.P./East/562 in the wake of regulation valid for all C.C. in the East released by the SS_Economy Main Administration - Office D 2, Oranienburg-Berlin was taken over administratively and sub-ordinate to C.C. Kauen. From this time on all prisoners are distributed and charged on application to the pertinent offices, in this case V.P.E. 562 and accounted at Marks 4.- for a specialist, Marks 3.- for an assistant worker, M 3.- for a female specialist and M. 2.50 for an assistant female worker. The invoices as have handed in by now were forwarded for balance and control respectively to H.U.V. 190.

please turn

By letter dated 8.2.44, which is attached in copy, C.C. Kauen now asks by now for separate applications for those labourers in the vehicle work shops and those employed at the firms, whereas the firms have to hand in the applications themselves.

At this procedure the park sees a danger insofar, as the SS is now in a position, to control the female labourers at will and transfer them in case even to a non-local work-site f.e. in the C.C. Kauen. This case could materialise particularly then, when by lack of materials the firms operating in the work camp have only a need for a lower number of labourers than the existing, or if for other reasons for the SS the employment in Vilna appears less important than at another place.

Hereby not only the principle would be broken that strictly the male specialists of V.P.E. 562 in the interest of their motivation will stay with their wives, but also the cantonment Vilna will be deprived of most valuable labourers. Therefore the park proposes the following:

H.U.V. 190 in Vilna requests all male and female Jewish labourers existing in the work camp at the SS-Economy Main Administration and controls the distribution of these forces to the single users of Army and Air Force in Vilna, whereby the firms Reitz Uniform Works and Herbert Meier, producing for the Army- and Air Force clothing offices will be kept included. Also V.P./East/ 562 claims it's specialists at H.U.V. 190 and accounts about the dues with this.

A principle decision is invited, if shall be acted according to the proposal of V.P.E. 562.

1 Attachment Plagge

Major and Park Commandant

Army Lodging Administration 190 Vilna, the 21st February 1944

FileNo: 27 d______

Subj.: Employment Jewish Labourers

Reference: Your letter dated 17.2.44 letter book No. 12069/44

To

Vehicle Park East 562

V i l n a

To the proposal as made in the letter mentioned above, the administration cannot concede, as the necessary labour force is missing.

It is invited to contact in this respect the War Economy Forward office in Vilna, as this has a better overview on the employment of certain Jewish labourers at the different demand holders of Army and Air Force, as well as private firms.

As the case may be this authority could set up contacts on the take over of the work camp.

hand-written name tag

My remarks:

Plagge had "upgraded" his proposal by inserting into the official letter book of his unit. This letter book was kept at all units to document important written material. The letter book also served Plagge as a document to demonstrate at any time his intentions, which were aimed officially only on highest possible productivity of the HKP!

The "War Economy Forward office in Vilna" was the superior office to HUV 190 - run as well by "warrant officers". The head of HUV 190 simply ducked away. His last sentence gives clear evidence what was the true topic of the discussion: the "take over" of Subocz street by HKP, doubtlessly to get rid of any SS-guards, -controls and creatures like SS-sergeant Richter. The word "take over" (Übernahme) also clarifies that the "missing of labour force" included the men to guard Subocz street. In February 1944 the Wehrmacht was on retreat at all Russian fronts, the invasion of France was expected and every man, able to fight was needed in the front-line units, or - like Plagges men - highly needed as specialists, who were not meant to be "waisted" on dull guard jobs. (Here I remember my early days in service, when briefly I had to guard an ammunition depot....)

It is really interesting, which stories such a brief letter can tell.

(The following is further explanation with organizational charts created by Joerg Fiebelkorn regarding the structure of the SS and Wehrmacht in Vilna illuminating the bureaucratic meanings found “between the lines” in these letters)

Dear Michael, Dear All,

It goes without saying (to me) that Plagge knew what happened in Ponary and he knew that the SS would take any chance to get hold of anyone whom they saw "unemployed" - even against the interest of the Wehrmacht. Therefore Plagge tried to convince the Wehrmacht
administration that it would be preferable to have the women of the HKP-workers available for any kind of work at any time and without administrational troubles like setting up daily lists for the request for labor force at the SS. Undoubtedly - and in rather frank words
- Plagge proposed a new system, which would have given him the power to employ and save all at the HKP camp on Subocz street…. Plagges proposal is simply aimed at a complete hand over - or kind of "rent-out" of all inmates of Subocz Street (which until then was nothing but a dependent of the Concentration camp in Kaunas) to HUV 190, the pertinent local administrational body of the Wehrmacht. This would have drawn Subocz street away from SS-supervision. Unfortunately HUV did not accept the proposal. Their statement "we do not have the manpower..." not only included the need for additional administrational work by the Plagge proposal, but also for the guards for Subocz street, which in this case would have become the duty of HUV and Wehrmacht men. Commander Goeke did anything else but leaving the women to the responsibility of others! What he demanded was that in difference to the actual procedures wherein the uniform manufacturers requested and paid for the women in their workshops at HKP 562, they should deal directly with the Concentration Camp in Kaunas. To my impression SS officer Goeke somehow mistrusted all the beautiful arguments of Plagge, supposing some deals between Plagge and the uniform manufacturers out of his direct control and against his never ending zeal to get hold of any "unuseful" worker for Ponary. And although disguised by the bureaucratic language, the mistrust of SS-officer Goeke is seen in the threatening undertone in his letter to Plagge. It was a clear "affront" to Major Plagge and therefore the proof for the mistrust, to send a low ranking sergeant, Richter, to control the handling of the name-lists at HKP and the uniform works. Just to answer your question about "wages": The figures given for the workers, such as "4 Marks for skilled worker, 3 Marks for unskilled" and so forth are the values, which the employers - HKP or the uniform manufacturers - had to PAY to the SS!

Kind regards

Joerg Fiebelkorn

3: Plagges Proposal