Size of the Female Inmates’ Detail
As stated, there were no fluctuations within the female inmates’ detail. The number of inmates, namely 23, of Jehovah’s Witnesses remained unchanged for the whole period the concentration camp existed. The only exception is a not quite certain returning of a Polish Bible Student to Ravensbrück camp, probably just after setting up the women’s camp at St. Lambrecht. Thereafter the number of inmates remained the same.1All survivors of the women’s concentration camp St. Lambrecht interviewed by me could remember neither entries nor transfers back into the main camp.
When the so-called Publikationsstelle Wien2Publication Centre Vienna. took possession of a few rooms at the SS property in 1944, a greater need for cleaners arose. So, supervisor Wilfried Krallert3Wilfried Krallert additionally held a management position with the Amt VI G des RSHA. This department stemmed from the Auslandsnachrichtendienst (Foreign Intelligence Service) under the SS-Sicherheitsdienst (SS Security Service), (see Seiler 1994, p. 44). wrote to Oswald Pohl in June 1944:
‘The group VI G of the Reichssicherheitshauptamt4Reich Security Main Office. has established a retreat in the monastery of St. Lambrecht (Styria) where the processing of maps, records and other documents takes place.
‘We request that you provide us with four female Bible Students for cleaning the work and living areas.
‘St. Lambrecht houses the estate administration (SS-Obersturmbannführer Erhard) [sic], that comes under the Wirtschafts- und Verwaltungshauptamt.5Business Administration Main Office of the SS. There are a great number of female Bible Students available for cleaning work. Therefore, we request the same kind of workers, because these can be housed and can eat with the workers at the property, which yields an important administrative reduction of providing for the cleaning personnel. It is impossible to employ local workers. The use of other female prisoners meets with great difficulties regarding housing and providing food.’6AMM, Materialsammlung Lauritsch: Korrespondenz Berlin – St. Lambrecht.
The costly evacuation of the enormous collection of maps and huge library to St. Lambrecht, as well as organising working space for about forty staff members of the institute was not to Erhart’s liking. He refused to accommodate the staff members of the Publikationsstelle in ‘his’ monastery and refused to provide meals from the kitchen.7See Seiler 1994, p. 45. The bad relationship between the monastery Verwalter and the management of the Publikationsstelle resulted in a rejection of the request by the St. Lambrecht retreat for the assignment of four female Bible Students and that no extra Jehovah’s Witnesses were sent to St. Lambrecht. The number of inmates remained unchanged.
It cannot be ascertained whether the Jehovah’s Witnesses already at St. Lambrecht were also put to work at cleaning the work rooms of the Publikationsstelle or for washing the staff members’ clothing, but it is quite likely.
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