Margot Elisabeth Dreschel, also spelled Drechsler, or Drexler (17 May 1908 – May/June 1945), was a prison guard at

Nazi concentration camps From 1933 to 1945, Nazi Germany operated more than a thousand concentration camps, (officially) or (more commonly). The Nazi concentration camps are distinguished from other types of Nazi camps such as forced-labor camps, as well as concen ...

during World War II. Before her enlistment as an SS auxiliary, she worked at an office in

Berlin Berlin ( , ) is the capital and largest city of Germany by both area and population. Its 3.7 million inhabitants make it the European Union's most populous city, according to population within city limits. One of Germany's sixteen constitue ...

. On 31 January 1941, Dreschel arrived at

Ravensbrück concentration camp Ravensbrück () was a German concentration camp exclusively for women from 1939 to 1945, located in northern Germany, north of Berlin at a site near the village of Ravensbrück (part of Fürstenberg/Havel). The camp memorial's estimated figure o ...

to receive guard training. At first she was an Aufseherin, a lower-ranking female guard at Ravensbrück camp in charge of interned women. She trained under

Oberaufseherin Aufseherin was the position title for a female guard in the Nazi concentration camps during World War II. Of the 50,000 guards who served in Nazi concentration camps, about 5,000 were women. In 1942, the first female guards arrived at Auschwitz a ...

(Senior Overseer)

Johanna Langefeld Johanna Langefeld (5 March 1900, Kupferdreh, Germany – 26 January 1974) was a German female guard and supervisor at three Nazi concentration camps: Lichtenburg, Ravensbrück, and Auschwitz. Early life Born in Kupferdreh (now Essen, Germany) ...

in 1941, and quickly became an ''SS-Rapportführerin'' (Report Overseer), a higher-ranked guard.

Auschwitz-Birkenau

On 27 April 1942, Dreschel was selected for transfer to the newly opened Auschwitz II – Birkenau concentration camp in

occupied Poland ' (Norwegian: ') is a Norwegian political thriller TV series that premiered on TV2 on 5 October 2015. Based on an original idea by Jo Nesbø, the series is co-created with Karianne Lund and Erik Skjoldbjærg. Season 2 premiered on 10 October 2 ...

. Dreschel began her duties at Birkenau in August 1942 as soon as the women's camp was established there, with women transferred from Auschwitz to Birkenau during expansion. She served under

Maria Mandel Maria Mandl (also spelled Mandel; 10 January 1912 – 24 January 1948) was an Austrian '' SS- Helferin'' (" SS helper") known for her role in the Holocaust as a top-ranking official at the Auschwitz-Birkenau extermination camp, where she is be ...

and worked as an associate of

Dr Mengele , allegiance = , branch = Schutzstaffel , serviceyears = 1938–1945 , rank = '' SS''-''Hauptsturmführer'' (Captain) , servicenumber = , battles = , unit = , awards = , commands = , s ...

. Dreschel was head of all camp offices in Auschwitz. Her appearance was reportedly repellent, as one female Auschwitz prisoner recounted: "camp leader Dreschel was there, her buck teeth sticking out, even when her mouth is closed." Inmates described her as vulgar, thin and ugly. After the war, many survivors testified of her notoriously brutal beatings. She carried out indoor selections wearing a white coat and white gloves, disguised as a doctor.

Margot regularly moved between the Auschwitz I camp and

Birkenau Auschwitz concentration camp ( (); also or ) was a complex of over 40 concentration and extermination camps operated by Nazi Germany in occupied Poland (in a portion annexed into Germany in 1939) during World War II and the Holocaust. It con ...

, and involved herself in selections of women and children to be sent to the

gas chamber A gas chamber is an apparatus for killing humans or other animals with gas, consisting of a sealed chamber into which a poisonous or asphyxiant gas is introduced. Poisonous agents used include hydrogen cyanide and carbon monoxide. Histor ...

s. On 1 November 1944, she went to

Flossenbürg concentration camp Flossenbürg was a Nazi concentration camp built in May 1938 by the SS Main Economic and Administrative Office. Unlike other concentration camps, it was located in a remote area, in the Fichtel Mountains of Bavaria, adjacent to the town of F ...

as an Oberaufseherin and as a trainer of enlisted overseers. In January 1945, she was moved back to the Ravensbruck subcamp at

Neustadt-Glewe Neustadt-Glewe is a German town, in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, in the district of Ludwigslust-Parchim. History Neustadt-Glewe was mentioned for the first time in a document in 1248. Hans Axel Holm, a Swedish writer and journalist, documente ...

, and fled from there in April 1945 as

Nazi Germany Nazi Germany (lit. "National Socialist State"), ' (lit. "Nazi State") for short; also ' (lit. "National Socialist Germany") (officially known as the German Reich from 1933 until 1943, and the Greater German Reich from 1943 to 1945) was ...

surrendered. In May 1945, several former Auschwitz prisoners recognized her on a road from

Pirna Pirna (; hsb, Pěrno; ) is a town in Saxony, Germany and capital of the administrative district Sächsische Schweiz-Osterzgebirge. The town's population is over 37,000. Pirna is located near Dresden and is an important district town as well as ...

Bautzen Bautzen () or Budyšin () is a hill-top town in eastern Saxony, Germany, and the administrative centre of the district of Bautzen. It is located on the Spree river. In 2018 the town's population was 39,087. Until 1868, its German name was ''Budis ...

in the Soviet zone, and took her to the Soviet Military Police. The

Soviets Soviet people ( rus, сове́тский наро́д, r=sovyétsky naród), or citizens of the USSR ( rus, гра́ждане СССР, grázhdanye SSSR), was an umbrella demonym for the population of the Soviet Union. Nationality policy in th ...

condemned her to death and executed her in May or June 1945 by hanging in

Notes

References

Margot Drexler (1908-1945) biodata
. *Brown, D. P.: ''The Camp Women: The Female Auxiliaries Who Assisted the SS in Running the Nazi Concentration Camp System''; Schiffer Publishing 2002; . * Matthaus, Juergen. ''Approaching an Auschwitz Survivor: Holocaust History and its Transformations'' Oxford University Press, 2009; . {{DEFAULTSORT:Dreschel, Margot 1908 births 1945 deaths Holocaust perpetrators in Poland People from Ebersbach-Neugersdorf People from the Kingdom of Saxony Female guards in Nazi concentration camps Auschwitz concentration camp personnel Ravensbrück concentration camp personnel Flossenbürg concentration camp personnel Nazis convicted of war crimes Executed Nazi concentration camp personnel Executed people from Saxony Executed German women Date of death unknown Nazis executed by the Soviet Union by hanging Executed mass murderers

Auschwitz-Birkenau

See also

Notes

References