Ravensbrück: Life and Death
in Hitler’s Concentration Camp
by Sarah Helm
Reviewed by
Geoffrey W. Sutton, Ph.D.
Ravensbrück offers an organized collection of
women’s voices documenting the diverse ways individuals and tribal groups of European
women responded to Nazi enslavement, violence, and murder.
The
collection of stories is organized chronologically. But themes emerge because
policies and war events change. Changes
in policy sometimes mean changes in leaders. But changes in policy also reflect
changes in the war, which in turn, result in changes in the size and character
of the camp’s victims.
We
have heard stories of the brutality of Nazi leaders in the death camps focused
on the extermination of Jews. But at Ravensbrück we learn that Nazis, governed
by superiority myths and emboldened by conquest, systematically destroyed the
lives of European women after extracting every ounce of strength as they
labored for the Reich on the trail toward oblivion.
Survival
was not a result of imbuing constant pain with meaning but rather that curious
mix of physicality with willpower, connectedness, and copious amounts of chance
events mediated by the capricious death merchants that simply didn’t get to a
group before the predatory liberators added rape to the memories of those who
lived beyond the Nazi surrender.
We
get considerable detail about life in the camp for women assigned to different tasks
mostly in support of the war. We also get an insiders’ look at their ever-deteriorating
starvation rations, limited sleeping space, tortuous inspections, and constant
intimidation.
When
there are different perspectives, we get more than one quote to help discover
the way horror deferentially impacted these women.
We
learn of prisoners as guards promoted to carry out crimes against their fellow
prisoners. We learn lessons of plunder, methods of violence, and bizarre
biological procedures. We see how creative humans can be when they think of
ways to make others suffer before removing the last breath from their bodies.
Here
and there we learn of small acts of kindness. We see that some bravely find
ways to communicate their horror to the outside world, hoping that someone
somewhere will hear their cry. We feel disgusted by the impotence of the Red Cross
and cheer when the Swedes find ways to bring about a dramatic rescue in the
face of orders to hide all evidence, including people who are barely alive.
Then
we cheer when the Russian liberators arrive. We see the caring response of
hardened soldiers faced with the emaciated remnants of Nazi terror. But then a
wave of disgust arises as these liberators become sexual predators attacking
vulnerable prey like wolves in sheep’s clothing.
Ravensbrück is not for the faint of heart, but it is an important read to understand the lack
of boundaries when it comes to violence against women.
Notes: Ravensbrück was liberated 30 April 1945. The number of deaths is unknown. Reports range from 30,000 to 90,000 died or killed.
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Reference
Helm,
S. (2016). Ravensbrück: Life and death in Hitler’s concentration camp. New
York: Penguin Random House.
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