Entering Nazi camp meant a death sentence, says Stutthof survivor
Manfred Goldberg was 13 when he was sent to Stutthof concentration camp near the coast of the Baltic Sea in August 1943.
Most of the original detainees were local Poles and Jews when Stutthof was built in 1939 as the first Nazi camp outside Germany's borders in World War Two. The camp is east of modern-day Gdansk and a short walk from the sea. Gas chambers had been in operation in Nazi death camps since 1942 in German-occupied Poland but it was not until June 1944 that Zyklon B gas was used at Stutthof.
Although young, he remembers becoming part of an indispensable group of 300 prisoners who spent a year repairing railway tracks at junctions blown up by Allied forces. It was during this time as a slave labourer that he met lifelong friend Zigi Shipper. As Soviet forces closed in on Stutthof in late April 1945, the Nazis decided to abandon the camp and sent the remaining inmates on a death march. Such marches became common, as the Nazis sought to erase evidence of their crimes, and many of the detainees were killed as the war neared its end.
Australia Latest News, Australia Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
'Secretary of Evil' is found guilty of helping Nazis murder 10,500 peopleA 97-year-old former Nazi teenage concentration camp secretary has been sentenced for her role in assisting in more than 10,000 murders.
Read more »
Former Nazi concentration camp secretary, 97, convicted of aiding more than 10,000 murdersBREAKING: A 97-year-old former secretary to the SS commander of Nazi Germany's Stutthof concentration camp has been found guilty of being an accessory to 10,505 murders. Sky's SiobhanRobbins has the latest. 📺 Sky 501, Virgin 602, Freeview 233, YouTube
Read more »
Support charity and win a set of Winter Wonderland gaming peripherals by entering our giveaway!We've teamed up with SpecialEffect, OverclockersUK, endgamegear and DuckyChannel to bring you a delightfully seasonal gaming peripheral giveaway!
Read more »
Former Nazi worker, 97, escapes jail sentence after conviction for aiding 10,505 murdersIn perhaps the last ever Nazi war crimes trial, Irmgard Furchner attended court for more than a year as prosecutors outlined their case against her.
Read more »
'Secretary of evil', 97, who worked at Nazi concentration camp awaits verdictThe so-called 'secretary of evil' was just 18 years old when she went to work for the commander of the Stutthof camp, where more than 60,000 people perished.
Read more »
New security gates to be erected at Glasgow Queen Street after vandalismNew security gates are to be erected at Queen Street Station as vandals have been ramming through automatic doors and entering during hours of…
Read more »