Wanda Klaff was one of the female guards who served at the Stutthof concentration camp during World War II, a notorious facility located near Gdansk (then Danzig), Poland. Stutthof was the first concentration camp established by the Nazis outside of Germany and became infamous for its brutal treatment of prisoners, particularly Jews, political prisoners, and Soviet POWs. Like many other female guards, Klaff was involved in the horrific day-to-day operations of the camp, where she carried out orders that contributed to the suffering and death of thousands of people.
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Klaff's role at Stutthof involved overseeing prisoners who were subjected to forced labor, starvation, torture, and eventual extermination. Guards at the camp, including Klaff, were notorious for their cruelty, and many survivors later testified to the brutality they endured under the guards' supervision. While specific details about her personal actions remain unclear, she was implicated in the general violence that characterized Stutthof's operations.
Following the liberation of Stutthof by the Soviet Red Army in 1945, the camp's staff, including Klaff, were arrested and put on trial for war crimes. In the aftermath of the war, there were numerous trials across Europe as part of the effort to bring Nazi war criminals to justice. Wanda Klaff was tried for her involvement in the abuse and murder of prisoners.
Klaff’s execution occurred as part of a broader wave of retribution against former Nazis involved in war crimes. Public executions of Nazi officials, including guards like Klaff, were seen by many as an essential part of the process of seeking justice for the victims of the Holocaust. While the public execution served as a form of justice for those who suffered under her watch, it also served as a somber reminder of the immense human cost of Nazi atrocities during World War II.