Militaria Archive

Das Konzentrationslager Sachsenhausen - NKVD 'Special Camp Nr. 7'

Sachsenhausen Oranienburg Concentration Camp (Das Konzentrationslager Sachsenhausen) was built in the summer of 1936 by the National Socialist (Nazi) government about 35km from Berlin, Germany. Until April 1945 approximately 20,000 ‘enemies of the state’ died there. Approximately 3,000 sick prisoners were liberated by the Soviet Army (along with Polish troops) in April 1945. In August 1945 a few months after World War 2 had ended the camp was reopened by the Communists, this time being used to imprison ‘enemies of the Soviet state’. It was controlled by NKVD (Stalinist secret police & predecessor of the KGB) and renamed ‘Special Camp Number 7’. 60,000 people were imprisoned from August 1945 until the camp closure in 1950. Families were not notified. Of these people imprisoned by the Communists at least 12,000 died in this camp alone. After the camp closed in 1950 remaining prisoners were transferred to East German prisons.