Greta Bösel
Encyclopedia
Greta Bösel (May 9, 1908 – May 3, 1947) was a trained nurse. Born in Wuppertal-Elberfeld
, Germany
, she became a camp guard at Ravensbrück
some time between 1939 and 1943.
Her rank at the camp was Arbeitseinsatzführerin (Work Input Overseer). In November 1944, Bösel was supposed to have been one of the staff members to select prisoners for the gas chamber
, or for transfer to Uckermark
. She is known to have told another SS guard "If they [prisoners] cannot work, let them rot."
After the death march of prisoners out of Ravensbrück
following the impending liberation by the Red Army
of Soviet
troops, Bösel fled the camp with her husband. She was later caught and arrested by British troops.
Bösel, along with other female guards including Dorothea Binz
, stood accused at the Hamburg Ravensbrück Trials, which took place between December 1946 and February 1947 in Hamburg
, Germany. The court found her guilty of maltreatment, murder and taking part in the "selections". She was executed for her crimes, hanged along with Elisabeth Marschall
at 9:55 am on May 3, 1947.
Elberfeld
Elberfeld is a municipal subdivision of the German city of Wuppertal; it was an independent town until 1929.-History:The first official mentioning of the geographic area on the banks of today's Wupper River as "elverfelde" was in a document of 1161...
, Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
, she became a camp guard at Ravensbrück
Ravensbrück concentration camp
Ravensbrück was a notorious women's concentration camp during World War II, located in northern Germany, 90 km north of Berlin at a site near the village of Ravensbrück ....
some time between 1939 and 1943.
Her rank at the camp was Arbeitseinsatzführerin (Work Input Overseer). In November 1944, Bösel was supposed to have been one of the staff members to select prisoners for the gas chamber
Gas chamber
A gas chamber is an apparatus for killing humans or animals with gas, consisting of a sealed chamber into which a poisonous or asphyxiant gas is introduced. The most commonly used poisonous agent is hydrogen cyanide; carbon dioxide and carbon monoxide have also been used...
, or for transfer to Uckermark
Uckermark concentration camp
The Uckermark concentration camp was a small Nazi concentration camp for girls near the Ravensbrück concentration camp in Fürstenberg/Havel, Germany and then an "emergency" extermination camp....
. She is known to have told another SS guard "If they [prisoners] cannot work, let them rot."
After the death march of prisoners out of Ravensbrück
Ravensbrück concentration camp
Ravensbrück was a notorious women's concentration camp during World War II, located in northern Germany, 90 km north of Berlin at a site near the village of Ravensbrück ....
following the impending liberation by the Red Army
Red Army
The Workers' and Peasants' Red Army started out as the Soviet Union's revolutionary communist combat groups during the Russian Civil War of 1918-1922. It grew into the national army of the Soviet Union. By the 1930s the Red Army was among the largest armies in history.The "Red Army" name refers to...
of Soviet
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....
troops, Bösel fled the camp with her husband. She was later caught and arrested by British troops.
Bösel, along with other female guards including Dorothea Binz
Dorothea Binz
Dorothea Binz was an SS supervisor at Ravensbrück concentration camp during the Second World War.-Life:Born to a middle class German family in Försterei Dusterlake, Binz attended school until she was fifteen...
, stood accused at the Hamburg Ravensbrück Trials, which took place between December 1946 and February 1947 in Hamburg
Hamburg
-History:The first historic name for the city was, according to Claudius Ptolemy's reports, Treva.But the city takes its modern name, Hamburg, from the first permanent building on the site, a castle whose construction was ordered by the Emperor Charlemagne in AD 808...
, Germany. The court found her guilty of maltreatment, murder and taking part in the "selections". She was executed for her crimes, hanged along with Elisabeth Marschall
Elisabeth Marschall
Elisabeth Marschall was the Head Nurse at the Ravensbrück concentration camp. Her duties included selecting prisoners for execution, overseeing medical experiments, and selecting which prisoners would be shipped to Auschwitz...
at 9:55 am on May 3, 1947.