The Forgotten Women Who Guarded Nazi Concentration Camps

The SS-Gefolge Women’s Division

(By Oakes, H (Sgt) No 5 Army Film & Photographic Unit — This photograph BU 4065 comes from the collections of the Imperial War Museums., Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=4370657)

Women have always played an integral part in war. While the men get most of the glory and commit most of the atrocities on the front lines, women work diligently behind the scenes to ensure that the homefront continues to function while the male population is called away. Sometimes that is a double-edged sword. In many cases, women are painted as benign, hopeful, and helpful in times of war. But that is not always the case.

During World War II, thousands of women were coopted into joining the SS-Gefolge, the women’s division of the feared Schutzstaffel or SS. At first, the women who joined the SS-Gefolge were volunteers, and their numbers were small. The women were not fully conscripted soldiers but were rather civilian contractors working under the SS umbrella.

One of the primary functions of the SS-Gefolge was to guard Nazi Germany’s growing concentration camps. As the war dragged on, Germany needed every able-bodied man at their disposal to continue the fight. This led Germany to enlist the help of women in guarding concentration camps.

Women were trained in advanced disciplinary techniques, espionage and sabotage detection, and escape prevention. Some women also served as nurses, where they attempted to keep the…