The BLOODY END of the Bergen-Belsen guards: INHUMANE EXECUTIONS

Bgen Belsen was a camp of concentration where violence does not did not only come from orders superiors, but also of those who guarded the prisoners daily. Among them, the guards contributed to the suffering daily in a place marked by hunger, disease and neglect. After the liberation, the horrors that were presented highlighted the urgent need of justice through trials military.

 Abuse, punishment and systematic cruelty towards prisoners were revealed. All guards did not manage to escape to the consequences. Several were arrested, tried and sentenced during procedures aimed at putting an end to impunity. The gravity of what had been lived in the camp left a injury difficult to heal. The testimonies, documents and images collected after release left no doubt about what had happened.

 But what happened to these women who had participated in the terror of the camp? Do they really paid for what they had done? Music, the discovery liberation of the horror. In April 1945, British forces and Canadians arrived at the camp concentration of Bergen Belsen in low Sax in Germany. Although the reports claimed that he only holds prisoners of war, what they found was much worse.

 dozens thousands of unburied corpses and about 600 people alive but seriously ill. Most of they were Jewish. On April 15, the soldiers of the 63rd regiment anti-British were the first to enter the camp. Nothing they had seen during the war had prepared for something as terrible. piles of bodies, barely conscious survivors and illnesses out of control.

 From today, around 500 people die every day because of the epidemic of tyfus and malnutrition. Although Bergen Belsen was not created as extermination camp, conditions extremes made it one of the most more deadly. Just in the last months before his release, almost 35,000 prisoners died. The first contact took place when a German emissary with a white flag called for a truce, alerting the British on the spread of tyfus.

 At first, the officers hesitated but they decided to move forward towards the camp. When they arrived, they saw immediately that the situation was much worse than expected. After the liberation, new problems arose. Many survivors died during the first week because their bodies couldn’t tolerate the rich foods they are given gave.

 The lack of experience in this type of emergency made the management of the very difficult crisis. The British organized the burial of thousands of deaths. They forced Nar the guards Captured SS to pick up and bury them body, working without gloves or protection. This task exposed a lot of them to tifus and others diseases.

 In the following weeks, ten SS personnel died from tifus. In addition, three were shot after trying to escape. In the first days there was confusion in the camp. As there was no enough British personnel to control the situation, they allowed Hungarian troops to continue to do so keep. This led to incidents where certain prisoners, seeking desperate for food, were killed.

 The Tifus epidemic continued to spread propagate. There was not enough medications, nor even the conditions minimal hygiene. Many prisoners were transferred to a former nearby military camp where they began to receive better care. Although it was already too late for thousands of them, the scene inside the camp was desolate. single children, adults unable to walk, bodies without life mixed with mud and a stench unbearable which permeated everything the environment.

 The few hospitals improvised rooms filled up immediately. Over time, the  The British succeeded in reestablishing a certain order. They installed at field hospitals, distributed a suitable food for severe malnutrition of survivors and began to clean the place. They Daisy forced the former SS guards to bury the dead in the same way humiliating with which they had not dealt their victims.

 We did not give them enough food or protection and they worked under threats constants. The Liberation of Bergen Belsen brought freedom but it also showed that the suffering of much was far from finished. The physical and emotional after-effects were going to last a long time. This event became one of the most memorable moments more important to show the world the horrors of concentration camps.

Images captured by soldiers British circulated widely and served as crucial evidence during the war crimes trial. The trials of Belsen, the beginning of justice. 5 months after the liberation of Bergen Belsen, the trials to judge the responsible began. This process known as the Bellescè Trial was one of the first major efforts to bring to justice those who had participated in the crime of the regime Nazi.

 The British military tribunal was installed in a former gymnasium the city of Lunburg in Germany. The trial attracted attention considerable international scope because it publicly exposed the extent of the abuse committed in concentration camps. 45 and 480 men who had there work as guards or members of the staff were charged.

 Among them are found there were TV figures Kir Grz, Johanna Borman and Elizabeth Folkenrat. All face serious accusations, including torture, murder and inhumane treatment of prisoners. One of the most striking aspects of the trial was the presentation film as proof. It was the first time in history that video recordings were used to prove war crimes.

 The images have the horror discovered to me Bergen Belsen and left a indelible impression on the judges, the lawyers and spectators. The process judicial revealed many details about daily life in the camp. Brutal punishment, forced march, use of dogs to attack prisoners and starving conditions extremes.

 Survivor stories also emerged those who, despite their weakness, testified courageously against their elders executioners. The trial lasted 2 months. At the At the end, 67 people were sentenced during of various procedures held in the British zone of Germany between 1945 and 1949. Among them, two thirty were condemned to death.

 The executions were mainly carried out at the prison of Hamelin. Albert Pierrepo, the executioner most experienced in Great Britain, was responsible for executing sentences. At total, 180. 11 men and 1 women were hanged under his supervision. Among the women executed were Irma Grè, Johanna Borman and Elizabeth Volkenrat.

 They were hanged on the 13th December 1945 after their crimes have been proven by evidence direct and testimonials. During the trial, some tried to defend by asserting that they were just following orders. However, the victims’ testimonies and the evidence showed that many had acted with cruelty on their own initiative.

 In several cases, witnesses described how the guards beat the prisoners, send them to death or humiliate them without any necessity. Others testified to the use of dogs trained to attack those who did not obey quickly enough. The trial also underlined the role that the end played as a  tool control. Many prisoners die not only from diseases but of severe malnutrition deliberately inflicted.

 The court applied the law British military to judge these crimes. Although some defendants have received lighter sentences, cases the most serious ended with death sentences. The organization of trial made it possible to collect testimonies and documentation that would be essential for trials later ones like those of Nuremberg. Despite the seriousness of the procedures, all the criminals were not brought to justice justice.

 Some managed to escape or receive punishment lesser. However, Belle’s trial scene marked a first concrete effort to hold accountable those who had participated in the atrocities. The impact of this trial was immediate. Public opinion in Britain and other countries Allies were shocked to learn of the details of what had happened.

 The images of corpses, stories of survivors and confessions of the accused served to show in a way irrefutable the extent of the horror. The Bellscè trial not only judged the culprits, but also became a reminder for the world. He showed that the mass crimes would not remain bad not go unpunished and set a precedent for international justice in years to come.

 Although the survivors could not recover everything they had lost, at least they saw their executioner face the consequences of their actions. Albert Pierre Point, the executioner of sentences. When the Belsen trials took place end, the execution phase of the condemned began. Laties a fight with Albert Pierrepo, the worst executioner experienced from Great Britain.

Pierre Point came from a dedicated family to this profession. His father and uncle had also been executioner official. From a young age, Albert knew that he wanted to follow the same voice. In 1932, at the age of 27, he completed his first run as wizard and in 1941, he was already acting as executioner main.

 He was known for his professionalism and precision. He always carefully calculated the length of the rope depending on the weight and height of the person to ensure a quick death. During of his career, Pierre Po performed more of 600 people, including common criminals, spies and after the war of the criminals of Nazi war.

 For executions in Germany, he was transferred to prison from Hamelin in lower Saxony. There, a special gallows was installed in a wing separated from the main building. The structure allowed hangings doubles, although in some cases the executions were carried out one at a time times. December 13, 1945 was one of most intense days.

 That morning, Pierre Po hanged three women and 10 men, all convicted of crimes Bergen Belsen. Among them were Irma Grez, Johanna Borman and Elizabeth Volkenrat. Executions of women should be supervised by a prison officer.  Nevertheless, Pierre-P insisted on directing personally all procedures. According to reports, Irma, barely aged 22 years old, walked to the gallows without lose your cool.

 She tried to resist the establishment of the hood, but the guards mastered. They say she  shouted: “Schnell!” Just in German before Pierre Point activates the lever. Grise’s execution was not as fast as usual.  The rope adjustment was not correct. And the young woman died strangulation instead of rupture immediately.

 Some witnesses interpreted this as an act deliberate by Pierre Point. Although the official reports do not confirm this, Johanna Borman was next. From small size and completely dejected, she offered no resistance. His death was quick and uncomplicated. Elizabeth Volkenrat, who also faces serious charges, mounted on the scaffold afterwards.

 She had been responsible for supervising prisoners of Aoschwitz and Bergen Belsen. His execution was carried out quickly. After women, Pierre Po proceeded to hang the 10 men. On the double gallows, they did fall two at a time, reducing the time required to execute the sentences. Pierre Point worked with a small team which included assistants to manage the process and prepare the condemned.

 Every movement was quick and calculated. During his stay in Germany, Pierre Point executed 226 people between 1945 and 1949. Some days he completed more than 10 executions. Despite its effectiveness, Pierre Point considered his work as a duty, not as a source of personal satisfaction. He was trying to make each execution as fast and humane as possible within the limits of the procedure.

 In 1956, after a disagreement with the government on payment questions, Pierre Point decided to retire. He submitted his resignation immediately and did not exercise never again. He spent his last years running a pub with his wife in Southport, near Liverpool. He died in 1992 at the age of 87. Greekez, the beast of Auschwitz and Bergbelson.

 Irma Greece is one of the most popular names memorable among the guardians of Nazi concentration camps. Sound history began in 1923 in Vrechen in  Germany. She grew up in a modest family and faced a childhood marked by tragedies family issues such as the suicide of his mother when she was only 13 years old.

 After having left school at the age of 14, she worked on farms and local businesses. In, she joined a sanatorium run by Nazi doctors as as an assistant. There she was exposed to medical experiments on prisoners. An experience that would influence their future behavior. To At the age of 18, Grce entered the prison camp concentration of Ravensbruck to be trained as a guard.

 In 1943, she was assigned to Auschwitz where she acquired quickly gained notoriety for its cruelty. She supervised more than 18 hours thousand prisoners, many of whom were Hungarian Jews. His presence was marked by his impeccable uniform, his leather whip lined with cellophane and his pistol. She was known for brutally beating the prisoners, especially during calls where all error or delay was punished with blows whip or blow.

 Grace used also two big dogs like part of his domination in the camp. She often released them against prisoners who could not follow during forced marches or who committed minor offenses. Among the worst accusations against her shows his participation in the selections for gas chambers. Alongside figure like Joseph Mengellé, she was responsible for deciding who would live and who would die.

 Many witnesses declared that they selected the youngest and oldest prisoners beautiful to send them to death. To Auschwitz, Gressé was feared no only for his physical brutality but also for his behavior personal. He was attributed intimate relationships with SS officers and certain prisoners who were then cruelly punished.

 At the beginning of 1945, while the Soviet army progressed, Greece was transferred to Bergen Belsen with other members of the Aschwitz staff. There she continued his sadistic behavior despite the increasingly desperate conditions of the camp. In Bergen Belsen, conditions sanitary conditions are disastrous. Hunger, tyfus and lack of water caused hundreds of deaths every day.

Despite this, Greece continued to impose brutal punishments. She beat the starving prisoners who tried to obtain food and forced to do physical exercises until they collapse. The 15th April 1945, when the forces British liberated the camp, Greece was captured with other guards. During interrogation, she admitted certain abuses.

 Although she tried to minimize its liability in claiming she was only obeying to orders. At the Belle Scène trial, writer witnesses stopped crime in detail. Several survivors recounted how Greece beat, whipped and sent hundreds of prisoners to death. The test against them was overwhelming. Grace was found guilty and sentenced to death.

 She was only 22 years old at the time of its execution, becoming youngest woman executed under British law in the 20th century. The 13th December 1945, in Hamelin prison, Albert Pierre Point proceeded to his execution. It is said that she walked towards the gallows with coldness and even tried to resist the establishment of the hood.

 The story of Irmagrze is one clearest examples of how of which a young person could become one of the cruelest instruments of a regime based on hatred and violence. Elizabeth Volkenrat, ascension and fall of a supervisor. Elizabeth Volkenrat was one of the guardians most feared in concentration camps Nazi.

 She was born in Germany in 1919 and started as a guard at the camp Ravensbruck in 1941. From her earliest days, she demonstrated an efficiency in her work which soon led to occupying positions of greater responsibility. In early 1942 she was transferred to Auschwitz where she first served as guard then as supervisor of women’s sections.

 Although she was not not characterized by extreme sadism like some other guards, her firmness and his involvement in the selections for fired gas chambers of her a feared figure. During his stay at Auschwitz, Volkenrat married a SS officer named Heines Volkenrat, a block leader who also participated actively in the selections and punishments of prisoners.

 Together they formed a couple who, according to testimonies of survivors, showed very little compassion towards victims. When the Soviet army approached Auschwitz, Ellisabeth was sent to Bergen, Belsen. There she continued her work as supervisor of prisoners. Although the conditions in the camp there is much worse. In Bergenbelsen, overpopulation, lack of food and the spread disease like tifus causes hundreds of deaths every day.

 In this atmosphere of despair, Paul maintain discipline in a manner brutal. According to witnesses, she participated in physical punishments, beatings and refusal medical assistance to prisoners sick. Although some have tried to describe her as a civil servant who was only following orders, testimonies of survivors indicated that she was taking her own decisions that increased suffering detainees.

 Volkenrad was captured by the British forces when they liberated Bergen Belsen in April 1945. During her trial, she attempted to justify her actions by saying that she was only doing his duty. However, the evidence against her was overwhelming. There was no evidence presented his involvement in the selections for Gas chambers Aushwitz, as well as his behavior cruel in Bergen Belsen.

 The testimonies spoke of beatings of sick prisoners, humiliation constant and merciless treatment of the most vulnerable. The court military declared her guilty and she was sentenced to death. Ellabeth Volkenrat was hanged on December 13, 1945 at the Hamelin prison with two others goalkeepers of Bergan Belsen. She walked towards the scaffold without showing any resistance. His death was quick.

Unlike that of others condemned, this was one of the cases where the justice overtook those who had abused of their merciless powers. The name of Elizabeth Falkenrat became associated with worst abuses of the camp system Nazi concentration. Johanna Borman, the sitter and her dog. Johanna Borman was one of the camp guards of concentration that went down in history for his brutality.

 She was born in Germany in 1893 and before the war worked as domestic and animal sitter. In 1938, she joined the staff of the Ltenburg camp where she began career as a goalkeeper. She was then transferred to Ravensbrook, a camp woman, then to Aushwitz where her reputation hardness increases rapidly. To Auschwitz, Borman became known for his cruel treatment of prisoners.

 She was recognized for patrolling with a German Shepherd that she had trained to attack those who disobeyed his orders. According to multiple testimonies, she ordered the animal to bite the prisoners as a punishment. At the end of 1944, while the Soviets advanced from the east, Borman was transferred to Bergenbelsen.

There she continued to exercise her authority mercilessly in the midst of chaos and poverty that reigned in the camp. Borman regularly imposed punishments physical. She beat the prisoners sick and weakened and participated often to the selections which decided n which inmate transferred or disposed of. After the camp was liberated by the British forces in April 1945, Borman was arrested with other members of Bergen Belsen staff.

 During her interrogation, she admitted to having used his dog to maintain order, although she minimized the abuse. At the Belle Scène trial, several witnesses testified against her. They told how she mistreated the prisoners and used the dog as a tool of terror. His participation in the transition to tobacco and its indifference to suffering were vividly described detail.

 Borman was convicted of war crimes. The court determined that his conduct demonstrated a lack total humanity and respect for human life. She was sentenced to death. On December 13, 1945, Johanna Borman was executed at the prison of Hamelin with other guardians of Bergen Belsen. She was 52 years old at moment of his death.

 She walked towards the scaffold without resistance. Sound execution was rapid and marked the closing of one of the most important chapters dark crimes committed in the camps. Johanna Borman’s story serves reminder of how people ordinary people became performers of violence and terror under the Nazi system.

 Herta Alert, the goalkeeper who admitted his guilt. Herta Alert was one of the rare guardians of Nazi concentration camps to have openly acknowledged his involvement in abuse. She was born in Germany in 1905 and began his career as supervisor at the Ravensbruck camp. Before joining the camp system, she worked as a cook’s helper in civilian establishments.

 She had no military training or experience in the field of security. However, the need for female personnel of the Nazi regime led to join the SS in administrative roles. His first important assignment was Ravensbrook where she received basic training in discipline and control of prisoners. He was taught to impose order by strength and to follow the instructions without ask questions.

 From there she was transferred to Maidanek where she continued its monitoring functions and more late at Aushwitz. alert was responsible of the supervision of the barracks women. Although its reputation for cruelty has not reached that of figure like Irma, several testimonies indicated that it imposed severe physical punishments and participated in the selections for the forced labor.

 It was mentioned that she beat prisoners who did not did not follow the rules or who collapsed enormously from exhaustion during their tasks. At the beginning of 1945, while the situation of the 3rd Reich is deteriorated and the fronts retreated, alert was transferred to Bgenbelsen. There she served as an assistant in the organization of the camp during its last and worst months.

 In Bergen Belsen, life was almost unbearable. The diseases spread in such a way uncontrollable. There was not enough food and bodies piled up without being buried. In the middle of this chaos, Alerte tried to maintain a semblance of order although by brutal methods. Despite the conditions extremes, it continued to impose discipline among the prisoners.

After the liberation of the forces camp British, alert was stopped. When During her interrogation, she admitted to having beat prisoners and use strength to impose discipline. She recognized that the conditions of the camp were torific, but claimed to have tried to keep the  going control in a desperate situation.

At the Belle Scène trial, his attitude differed from that of the other accused. There is no abuse, although she tried to justify them by saying that she followed the orders of his superiors and acted in the extreme conditions of camp. She also stated that she had sometimes tried to help some prisoners when possible.

 Sound testimony attracted attention by the frankness with which she described the internal functioning of the camps and the role played by the guards. She explained how the selections, punishments and daily chores were organized. These confessions helped provide understanding clearer power dynamics operating within the camps concentration.

Although she accepted responsibility, the seriousness of his actions led to his conviction. However, she did not receive not the death penalty. She was condemned to 15 years in prison. Alert not purging only part of his sentence. She was released in 1953 after serving less than half of the sentence imposed thanks to an amnesty general.

 She then lived a life quiet in Germany until his death. His case stands out among the post-war procedures world, because unlike many other accused, she didn’t have her participation and did not attempt to minimize the facts. However, his acceptance of guilt did not change nothing to the pain caused to the victims. Herta alert represents a face less visible from the camp system.

 of individuals who, without being at the highest level of power, carried out policies of violence and repression in a direct and routine manner. Herta Beux, force and repression was one of the guards who entered history for his participation in abused in concentration camps Nazi.

 She was born in 1921 in Tetero in Germany. Before the war, she worked as a caregiver. In 1942, she was recruited to serve as a guard in the camps. Its size close to an m80 and its build imposing led some to the nicknamed the giantess of Belle Scène. She started at Ravensbrook, the main training camp for members women of the SS.

 After his training, Botte was sent to several camps, notably Auschwitz and later Bergen Belsen. During his stay in his places, numerous witnesses reported of his violent behavior towards prisoners at Aushwitz. She worked to supervise groups of prisoners assigned to forced labor. She was known for beating brutally detainees with a stick wood that she always carried with her.

The force of these attacks left many victims seriously injured. When she was transferred to Bergen Belsen in March 1945, the camp was already in a state of extreme abandonment. Hunger, disease and filth dominated the places. Despite this, Bot maintained a attitude of implacable harshness. Several witnesses claimed to have seen Boot beating prisoners without apparent reason.

 She punished with a particular violence, that which collapsed from a point of weakness or didn’t follow orders enough quickly. Upon release of Bergan Belsen, Bot was captured with other SS personnel. At Belles Scène trial, his presence did not go unnoticed because of its size and appearance. During his defense, Herta admitted to having beaten prisoners, but claimed to have acted to maintain order and prevent total chaos.

 However, the testimonies against her revealed a pattern of abuse systematic. In court, several survivors identified her as one of the most violent guards. She told him how she used her strength to mercilessly punish the one who could barely stand. Unlike other babysitters were tried, bot sentenced to death. She received a 10-year prison sentence.

 Its sentence sparked debate because many believed that these actions deserved  a more severe punishment. Bot was released in 195 et1 after having served only one part of his sentence. After his release from prison, she led a discreet life in Germany. She stayed away from the public tension and lived under another last name to avoid being recognized.

 She held jobs modest and avoided talking about his past. In 1999, in a rare television interview, Bot spoke about his participation in the camps. During the interview, she claimed to have been forced to accept his  post and didn’t have killed anyone. These declarations generated negative reactions, particularly among groups of survivors of the Holocaust.

Many considered from his position as a lack of responsibility for the acts committed. The show in which it appeared was broadcast in Germany and sparked a public debate on the role of individuals within the Nazi system. Although Bot claimed that she was only doing her job, to much, she was an example of the way in which denial facts remained now even decades later.

 Hertabot died in the year 2000. His figure remains forever associated with the brutality suffered by thousands of prisoners in the camps of concentration. Irene Hashke the abu from the kitchen. Irene Hashke is one of the lesser known names among the female personnel who served at the camp concentration of Bergen Belsen. However, its role within the system of abuse reflects how the violence was maintained not only by figures foreground, but also by those occupying secondary positions.

 that worked mainly in the camp kitchen, a post which, far to be insignificant, gave him a significant control over distribution of food. A vital resource for the survival of the prisoners. In Bergen Belsen, the extreme end was part of daily punishment. Those who worked in the kitchen could directly or indirectly decide to the life or death of the detainees.

Access to food became a instrument of power. Miscellaneous testimonies collected after the liberation of the camp indicated that HQ didn’t just accomplish tasks administrative, but also participated actively in the mistreatment of prisoners. She beat those who approached only from the kitchen to the looking for remainder or trying to get extra food.

 Sound working in the kitchen didn’t keep him away acts of brutality which characterized  the camp. At On the contrary, several survivors designated as a feared figure in reason for his behavior  aggressive and his lack of compassion. When the British forces liberated Bergen Belsen in April 1945, Hashke was arrested with other members staff.

 When captured, she offered no resistance. She was quickly identified by some prisoners who recognized her as one of those responsible for the bad treatments. During the interrogations preliminaries, she tried to minimize her role, pretending that she was not that a minor worker without authority over prisoners. She insisted that she was not only followed orders and did not participate not make important decisions.

However, the test presented as well as testimonies of survivors proved that his responsibility was beyond the kitchen tables.  His active participation in the acts of violence placed her among the accused at Belle scene trial. During the legal process, HQ faced war crimes charges. Its defense attempted to present it as a unimportant figure within the camp system, trying to distance yourself from the worst abuses.

 The survivors, however, offered a different story. They testified that Hashk beat the prisoners weakened, refused food to the one on the verge of collapse and sometimes insult those who asked help. These acts, well as individuals, were part of a structure of cruelty which permeated every corner of Bergen Bzen. Ultimately, the court concluded that although that his role was not one of direction, she had significantly contributed to the suffering of the detainees.

She was found guilty and sentenced to the prison. His sentence was shorter compared to that of the main responsible. This difference reflected the hierarchy of responsibilities within the camp, but did not exempt its personal involvement. After having served his sentence, the public record by Irene Hashk got lost.

 It does not exist clear document on his life after the prison. We assume that like many other former staff concentration camps, she led a discreet life avoiding scrutiny public. His story is an example of how whose system of oppression in the concentration camps did not depend only eminent figures, but also many collaborators who, from more discreet positions, actively contributed to the suffering.

 Irene Hashke, although less known than other guardians, were part of a machinery of violence where each participant, whatever whatever his position, wore a responsibility. The case of Hashko demonstrates that the brutality in the camps was not limited to acts of great scale. Small daily actions such as refusing food or beating a vulnerable prisoner strengthened a system which was based on a constant dehumanization, revenge in the last days.

 The liberation from Bergen Belsen on April 15, 1945 by the British forces did not put only end to Nazi control over the camp, but also triggered episodes of violence among prisoners, themselves who came to be released. After years of abuse, of hunger and death, the accumulated rage of many detainees exploded against the SS personnel and the so-called Capos, privileged prisoners who collaborated with the guards in exchange better conditions.

 The capos were eager for most prisoners who had taken on roles of control within the camp. They organized the work, maintained order and often participate in punishments. For the other prisoners, they represented an extension of daily oppression. With the fall of the Nazi system in Bergen Belsen, the British were overwhelmed by the scale of the humanitarian crisis and could not immediately control all areas of the camp.

 In this void of power, spontaneous acts of revenge broke out. Several witnesses recounted that in the following days liberation, some capos were beaten to death by groups of angry prisoners. Others were dragged out of the barracks and summarily executed. The violence was also directed against SS personnel captured in the camp.

 Although the The British tried to protect the prisoners of reprisals uncontrolled, in several cases, they do not were able to prevent lynchings. The chaotic conditions, hunger, illness and  lack of structure made mass and almost impossible to maintain order during the first days. The British officers concentrated their efforts to save lives, controlling the spread of tifus and the burial of the dead, leaving other questions in the background.

 The resentment against the hoods does not not limited to their role of collaborator. In many cases, they were accused of having profited during that others were suffering. Some had abused their position, mistreating other prisoners or stealing the meager food rations. The absence of immediate justice  pushed many survivors to take things in hand.

 For them to see their former oppressors suffer represented a form of justice straight after so much pain accumulated. There are no numbers exact on the number of hoods and guards who died in these episodes of revenge. Official reports British men mention incidents isolated, but the priority is to document each event was weak due to from the public health emergency to which he was facing.

As order is established in the camp, the British took measures to protect all survivors, including former hood and captured SS personnel. A lot were then transferred to prisons to face procedures judicial. These acts of revenge, although understandable from a point of view human view, showed the level of despair and trauma that prisoners had endured.

 Violence of stays was a direct response to the system of brutality which had characterized life in Bergen Belsen. The revenge killings were neither organized or formally directed. They were a spontaneous reaction in a environment where law and order had collapsed and where the pain and the injustice accumulated over the years found an immediate outlet.

 The errors after the fall of the camp. The liberation of Bergen Belsen by the British forces on April 15, 1945 was a decisive moment, but it also led to a series of errors which cost many lives that could have been saved. To their arrival, the British found a scene of devastation complete. thousands of bodies no buried, diseases out of control and tens of thousands of survivors in critical condition.

The scale of the tragedy exceeded all pre-existing action plans. One of the main errors was to underestimate the seriousness of the situation sanitary. Although the tyfus was already massively propagated, the measures of quarantine were slow to come applied effectively. In the first days, many prisoners released roam freely in the camp and its surroundings.

 This lack of control contributed to the spread of disease fatal among survivors and British soldiers themselves. Another serious problem was the distribution of food. In an attempt to help, the British distributed ration kits standard military like meat canned and hard biscuits. For prisoners who had been in a state of extreme malnutrition for months or years, these foods were impossible to digest.

 Many survivors died in two gastrointestinal complications  caused by consumption of such heavy food. The lack knowledge about how to feed correctly for people suffering from severe famines had consequences fatal. Additionally, there was a shortage medical staff initial specialized. Although the British mobilized healthcare teams health, these were insufficient to take care of tens of thousands seriously ill people.

 The field hospitals set up could not meet the demand. From many prisoners died waiting for medical attention or without receive no effective help. Another mistake was to entrust tasks of surveillance of foreign troops like the Hungarian soldiers who were now present at the camp. There were reports of abuse and murder committed by his guards against prisoners released in the first days.

 There also had problems with the administration of justice immediate. Some staff members SS were detained in the same camp side of the released prisoners, which created tensions and acts of violence. With time, the British began to correct some of these errors. They do future of nutrition experts for develop special diets, established larger hospitals and separated the prisoners from the elders guards.

 However, for many, these Improvements came too late. We estimates that between 13,000 and 14,000 prisoners died within weeks following release due to diseases, severe malnutrition and errors in processing initials. British commanders they themselves later recognized that although they acted in good faith, their lack of preparation to face a humanitarian catastrophe  of such magnitude contributed to the number high number of deaths.

 The Bergen experience Belsen served up painful lessons. During subsequent camp liberations in other parts of Germany, the allied forces acted with more caution, learning from mistakes committed in Belsen. The liberation of Bergen Belsen was an act of humanity, but it also revealed the difficulties in managing suffering massive and the consequences of being wrong prepared to face a disaster of this magnitude.

 Joseph Crammer, the man facing justice. Joseph Cramer was one of the most important figures most prominent within the system of Nazi concentration camps. He was born in 189 in Munich, Germany and joined the Nazi Party and the SS in 1932. His career in the camps concentration began at Dacho where he served as a guard.

 He then worked in Saxonousen and Mountosen acquiring experience in the administration of prisoners. In 1940 he was transferred to Aushwitz where he held roles administrative and supervisory. During his stay in Auschwitz, he was involved in the internal organization of camp and in work supervision forced.

 In 1944, Cramer was appointed commander of Chwitz Birkenau, the main extermination center of Doschwitz complex. He supervised the arrival of prisoner transports and the selections which decided Yum which would be sent to the gas chambers. Sound passage to Birkeno was marked by his efficiency in order execution of the Nazi regime.

 He was described as a cold, methodical and completely loyal to his superiors. When the Soviet troops advanced towards Auschwitz, end of 1944, Kamer was transferred to Berg Belsen for assume command of the camp during its final phase. Unlike Achwitz, Bergen Belsen did not have extermination facilities  like gas chambers. However, under his leadership, Camp conditions deteriorated.

Quickly, overpopulation, lack of food and the collapse of sanitary facilities led to a humanitarian catastrophe. Of thousands of prisoners die every week of hunger, disease and negligence. During his administration, Kramer showed little initiative in improve the living conditions of prisoners.

 Although he was aware of the situation, he did not implement effective measures to stop deaths massive. When the forces British arrived at Berg Belsen, she found a Cramer at the camp. He was immediately arrested and photographed as he walked through the site with British soldiers showing the inhumane conditions he had permitted.

 During the interrogations, Cramer claimed to have asked for help to improve the situation in the camp, but that these requests had been ignored by his superiors. However, the testimonies of survivors and other officials showed that he had not taken concrete action to protect prisoners. At trial of Belsè, Kamer faced war crimes charges.

 He was one of the main accused due to his role as commander. The testimonies presented against him detailed the lack of medical care, absence of adequate food and treatment inhumane prisoners under his command. Cramer was recognized guilty and sentenced to death. The 13th December 1945, he was hanged at the prison of Hamelin with other members of the Bergen Belsen staff.

 His face remains engraved in history as that of a bureaucrat of horror. someone who, without giving a direct order to physical violence, permitted and facilitated the conditions which led to the death of tens of thousands people. The case of Joseph Kramer demonstrates that the responsibility of war crimes are not only based on those who commit acts of violence, but also on those who occupy positions of command and allow the suffering of continuing without intervening.

In April 1945, British forces liberated Beragen Belsen and discovered a place of death and extreme suffering. Of tens of thousands of prisoners, mainly Jews, dead gays or slowly die of starvation and illness. What they found was beyond all the horror they had seen previously. Despite efforts to saving lives, the lack of preparation and errors in the treatment of survivors resulted in additional losses.

Many died of infections, severe malnutrition and complications after receiving food inappropriate. With the Belsè trials, the directly responsible for these crimes were brought to justice. Figures such as Irma Grz, Elizabeth Volkenrat and Joseph Kramer were tried, convicted and executed.

 It was demonstrated that the cruelty of those who gave the orders like those who  executed would not be ignored. The executions carried out by Albert Pierre Point closed one of the chapters darkest of the camp. Desires like those of Herta Elert, Herta Beauté and Irenè Hashke clearly showed that even those who had minor roles were part of the oppressive system.

In the days following the release, some prisoners took justice themselves, attacking old hood and collaborators. These spontaneous acts showed in the depth of the suffering accumulated after years of violence. The history of Bergen Belsen teaches that horror can be born only acts of direct violence, but also negligence and indifference.

 and it serves as a reminder that even in the midst of chaos, the need of justice is a necessary step to deal with open wounds. Bergen Belsen remains a warning permanent on the risks of dehumanization and the importance of never forget the horrors that were one day possible.