Elisabeth Volkenrath, one of the most notorious female guards of the Nazi concentration camps, became infamous for her sadistic cruelty toward prisoners. As a senior SS overseer at Auschwitz and later Bergen-Belsen, Volkenrath played a direct role in the suffering and deaths of countless innocent people. Her reign of terror ended with her execution by hanging in 1945, marking a brutal yet justified conclusion to her heinous crimes.
The Rise of a Monster
Born in 1919 in East Prussia, Elisabeth Volkenrath joined the SS auxiliary in 1941, initially working as a camp guard. Her willingness to enforce brutality earned her rapid promotions. By 1943, she was transferred to Auschwitz, where she became the chief female overseer, a role she carried out with horrifying zeal.
Volkenrath was responsible for overseeing the selection of prisoners at Auschwitz. Women and children deemed "unfit" for labor were sent directly to the gas chambers under her supervision. Survivors of the camp later recounted her cold indifference and, at times, outright enjoyment of the suffering she inflicted.
When Auschwitz was evacuated in January 1945, Volkenrath was relocated to Bergen-Belsen, where she continued her sadistic role as chief guard.
Horrors at Bergen-Belsen
Bergen-Belsen was not an extermination camp like Auschwitz, but the conditions were equally horrifying. Starvation, disease, and cruelty claimed thousands of lives in its overcrowded barracks. Volkenrath, far from alleviating the prisoners' misery, added to their torment.
Witnesses described her as a heartless figure who mercilessly beat prisoners, especially women, and enforced her authority through sheer brutality. She often wielded a whip and was infamous for her harsh punishments, many of which resulted in the death of those under her watch.
Capture and Trial
In April 1945, Bergen-Belsen was liberated by British forces. The liberators discovered unspeakable horrors: piles of emaciated corpses, dying prisoners, and a camp in utter chaos. Volkenrath was among the SS personnel captured at the camp.
At the subsequent Belsen Trial, held in Lüneburg from September to November 1945, Volkenrath was tried alongside other notorious figures, including Josef Kramer, the camp commandant, and Irma Grese, another infamous female guard.
During the trial, survivors provided harrowing testimony about Volkenrath's sadism. One witness described how she would beat women until they collapsed, often for minor infractions. Another recalled her direct role in the gas chamber selections at Auschwitz.
Volkenrath showed no remorse during the proceedings, maintaining a cold, detached demeanor as the evidence of her crimes mounted. The tribunal found her guilty of war crimes and crimes against humanity.