''Schutzhaftlagerführer'', or head of the "preventive detention camp" - ', lit. protective custody, being a Nazi euphemism for

preventive detention Preventive detention is an imprisonment that is putatively justified for non- punitive purposes, most often to prevent further criminal acts. Preventive detention sometimes involves the detention of a convicted criminal who has served their sente ...

- was a paramilitary title of the SS, specific to the concentration and extermination camps '' Totenkopfverbande'' ("Death's-Head units"). A ''Schutzhaftlagerführer'' was in charge of the economic function of the camp. Usually, there was more than one SS man performing that function at each location due to their enormous size. ''Schutzhaftlagerführers'' received orders from the central offices in Berlin, such as

DEST German Earth and Stone Works (, ) was an SS-owned company created to procure and manufacture building materials for state construction projects in Nazi Germany. DEST was a subsidiary company of ''Amtsgruppe W'' (''Amt. W'') of SS Main Economic ...

run directly by the SS. Prisoners' lives were entirely in their hands. Their orders, which usually involved routine maltreatment of condemned victims, were carried out through "assignments" so they would not have to deal with the dead resulting from them. The ''Schutzhaftlagerführer'' and his adjutant were responsible for the operation of the camp. The ''Schutzhaftlagerführer'' had to maintain order, take care of daily routines, roll calls and so on. Under him were the ''Rapportführer'', the ''Arbeitseinsatzführer'' and the '' Oberaufseherin'' (if there was a women's camp). They were directly responsible for order in the camp and they assigned prisoners to the outside work details. The ''Blockführer'', each of whom was responsible for one or more barracks, were subordinate to them.

References

*Zentner, Christian & Bedürftig, Friedemann, ''The Encyclopedia of the Third Reich'', (Macmillan), New York (1991)

Additional sources

* :de:Karin Orth: ''Die Konzentrationslager-SS''. dtv, München 2004, . * Wolfgang Kirsten: ''Das Konzentrationslager als Institution totalen Terrors''. Centaurus, Pfaffenweiler 1992, . * Hermann Langbein: ''Menschen in Auschwitz.'' Frankfurt am Main, Berlin Wien, Ullstein-Verlag, 1980, . *

Eugen Kogon Eugen Kogon (2 February 1903 – 24 December 1987) was a German historian and Nazi concentration camp survivor. A well-known Christian opponent of the Nazi Party, Kogon was arrested more than once and spent six years at Buchenwald concentration ...

: '' :de:Der SS-Staat. Das System der deutschen Konzentrationslager'', Alber, München 1946: Heyne, München 1995, {{DEFAULTSORT:Schutzhaftlagerfuhrer Nazi paramilitary ranks Nazi concentration camp occupations

See also

References

Additional sources