Former Nazi Guard, 100, Investigated Over Sadistic Killings At POW Camp For Brit Soldiers

A 100-year-old former Nazi guard has been charged with the alleged sadistic killings of POWs at a World War Two camp where British soldiers were held.

The case concerns Stalag VI A, a prisoner of war camp in Hemer, Germany, where more than 200,000 prisoners were held between 1939 and 1945 and where about 24,000 of them died from inhumane conditions or were killed by guards.

Those held there reported included British, Polish, French, and, in large numbers, Soviet soldiers.

The Dortmund Prosecutor’s Office said on 22nd November that the man was suspected of having taken part in killings at the camp from 6th December 1943 until at least 22nd September 1944.

Andreas Brendel, senior public prosecutor in Dortmund, said: “The accused is charged with having been involved in the killings at Stalag VI A in Hemer during that time.”

He said the investigation into the centenarian had not yet been completed.

Brendel added: “Investigations are ongoing. Further information is not being provided at the moment.”

The case was initiated by the Central Office of the State Justice Administration for the Investigation of National Socialist Crimes in Ludwigsburg, which opened the preliminary inquiry before handing it to Dortmund prosecutors, who are responsible for Nazi crime cases in North Rhine-Westphalia.

The Central Office in Ludwigsburg, founded in 1958, has conducted 7,698 preliminary investigations into Nazi crimes, with the Hemer case currently its final matter still active before a public prosecutor’s office.

Conditions at the Hemer camp were described as catastrophic, including overcrowding, poor sanitation, infestations and the spread of diseases such as dysentery and tuberculosis.

Prisoners were undernourished, receiving only 250 grammes of bread a day, and were forced into heavy labour, including mining.

Thousands died from the severe living conditions, and some were murdered by guards described as sadistic, with inmates effectively killed through forced labour and starvation.