Blechhammer

This article is about World War II military facilities. For other locations with the same name, see Blechhammer (disambiguation). For Blechhammer prisoners and strategic bombings, see Category:Blechhammer prisoners of World War II and Oil Campaign chronology of World War II.

Main articles: Polish areas annexed by Nazi Germany, Monowitz concentration camp, Oil Campaign of World War II, and Territorial changes of Poland after World War II

Blechhammer
Part of Provinz Schlesien of Greater Germany[1]
Located in Upper Silesia
Blechhammer map of Bahnhofslager/Judenlager
Coordinates	North plant South plant Nearby camps & plants: Korzonek camp Heydebreck plant Cosel plant Odertal plant
Site history
In use	1942-1945 (50,000 POWs)
Battles/wars	Oil Campaign of World War II
Events	1944-05: flak guns added [2] 1945-01-21: The March (1945) 1945-01: Soviet occupation [3] Post-war: Area recovered by Poland

The Blechhammer (English: sheet metal hammer) area was the location of Nazi Germany chemical plants, prisoner of war (POW) camps, and forced labor camps (German: Arbeitslager Blechhammer; also Nummernbücher). Labor camp prisoners began arriving as early as June 17, 1942, and in July 1944, 400-500 men were transferred from the Terezin family camp to Blechhammer. The mobile “pocket furnace” (German: Taschenofen) crematorium was at Sławięcice.) and Bau und Arbeits Battalion (BAB, English: Construction Battalion) 21 was a mile from the Blechhammer oil plants and was not far from Kattowitz and Breslau. Blechhammer synthetic oil production began April 1 with 4000 prisoners.[4]

Chemical plants

Two plants in the area, Blechhammer North (south of Sławięcice) and Blechhammer South at Azoty (5 miles (8.0 km) from the labor camp) were nicknamed "Black Hammer" by Allied bomber aircrews. The facilities were approximately 2 miles (3.2 km) apart with each occupying a 3,000 x 5,000 ft area in open country. Similar to the Gelsenberg plant,[5] the Blechhammer plants used bituminous coal in the Bergius process to synthesize Ersatz oil. In June 1944, the United States Army Air Forces considered Blechhammer one of the four "principal synthetic oil plants in Germany", and after the Fifteenth Air Force had dropped 7,082 tons of bombs on Blechhammer, the Blechhammer plants were dismantled post-war by the Soviets.

Evacuation

The March (1945) evacuated POWs (one camp went to Regensburg, BAB 21 [6] went to Landshut) and on January 25, labor camp prisoners were force-marched for five days to Bergen Belsen (about 20% died en route).[7]. Some small groups did manage to escape (see František R. Kraus).

The "7 Company" was the guard battalion for Blechhammer,[8] and the 1945 Belsen Trial convicted Blechhammer staff members Karl Francioh and Ansgar Piche.

POW Camps: BAB 21 (E794), 40, 48; E3, E714, E769, Camp 139 [9]

External images
Map of oil plants
North damage
BAB 21 group

External links

• Life at Blechhamer and the work parties is described in "Captive Plans", the POW diary of Reg Beattie: Published P.O.W. Diary of Reg Beattie
• http://www.obozy-blechhammer.eu - Polish website depicting Zwangsarbeitslager fur Juden in Blechhammer/Arbeitslager Blechhammer camp