Soviet prisoners in the SS Auschwitz

Keeping record of the Soviet prisoners of war in «Russisches Kriegsgefangenen Arbeitslager»

Record-keeping system for the Soviet prisoners of war (POWs) had been introduced in the concentration camp since the arrival of the «Russisches Kriegsgefangenen Arbeitslager» prisoners.

The system involved a separate register, personal file cards, Soviet prisoners’ death register book as well as making records on prisoners into the daily personnel registers. In October and partially in November of 1941 and in February of 1942 10 thousand people were entered into the register. 7641 file cards (numbers 2 to 9997) have been preserved. Some of the cards contained the previous numbers the prisoners had in POW camps they arrived from (Kenn. Nr.) besides the Auschwitz concentration camp numbers (Gef. Nr.). Personal details were also entered into the file cards; however such information was not always complete and is entirely missing in 369 cards. Only 174 cards include the information on the place of residence of the prisoner before the war.

Branding of the prisoners took place alongside with compiling the card index. Soviet POWs were the first group of Auschwitz prisoners to be tattooed with their identification numbers. It is presumed that the full-face, side-on, half-face headwear-on photos were taken at the same time as branding occurred. A prisoner’s number would be placed at the bottom of the photograph. Yet no photos of the Soviet prisoners of war have survived.