Blechhammer
| Blechhammer | |
|---|---|
| Part of Provinz Oberschlesien of Greater German Reich | |
| Located in Upper Silesia | |
Blechhammer map of Bahnhofslager/Judenlager | |
| Location | |
| Coordinates | North plant 50°21′N 18°18′E / 50.350°N 18.300°E South plant 50°18′N 18°15′E / 50.300°N 18.250°E |
| Site history | |
| In use | 1942–1945 (50,000 POWs) |
| Battles/wars | Oil Campaign of World War II |
| Events | 1944-05: flak guns added 1945-01-21: The March (1945) |
The Blechhammer (English: sheet metal hammer) (nowadays Blachownia Śląska, district of the City of Kędzierzyn-Koźle) area was the location of Greater German Reich chemical plants, prisoner of war camps, and forced labor camps (German: Arbeitslager Blechhammer; also Nummernbücher). Labor camp prisoners began arriving as early as June 17, 1942, and in July 1944, 400–500 men were transferred from the Terezin family camp to Blechhammer. The mobile "pocket furnace" (German: Taschenofen) crematorium was at Sławięcice.) and Bau und Arbeits Battalion (BAB, English: Construction Battalion) 21 was a mile from the Blechhammer oil plants and was not far from Kattowitz and Breslau. Blechhammer synthetic oil (aka synthetic fuel) production began April 1, 1944 with 4000 prisoners, with the slave labor camp holding these prisoners during April 1944, becoming a satellite camp of the dreaded Auschwitz extermination camp, as Arbeitslager Blechhammer.