Blechhammer

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title: "Blechhammer" type: doc version: 1 created: 2026-02-28 author: "Wikipedia contributors" status: active scope: public tags: ["province-of-upper-silesia", "kędzierzyn-koźle", "oil-campaign-of-world-war-ii", "world-war-ii-prisoner-of-war-camps-in-germany", "nazi-war-crimes-in-germany", "auschwitz-concentration-camp", "reich-security-main-office"] topic_path: "history" source: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blechhammer" license: "CC BY-SA 4.0" wikipedia_page_id: 0 wikipedia_revision_id: 0

::data[format=table title="Infobox military installation"]

FieldValue
nameBlechhammer
partofProvinz Oberschlesien of Greater German Reich
locationLocated in Upper Silesia
coordinatesNorth plant

| | Odertal plant {{coord|50|25|N|18|8|E|region:PL_type:landmark_source:GNS-enwiki|notes | }} | | image | Map of blechhammer v2.jpg | | image_size | 325px | | caption | Blechhammer map of Bahnhofslager/Judenlager | | used | 1942–1945 (50,000 POWs) | | battles | Oil Campaign of World War II | | events | 1944-05: flak guns added | | 1945-01-21:<ref name | Gregory The March (1945) | | 1945-01: Soviet occupation{{cite web |url | http://www.fischer-tropsch.org/primary_documents/gvt_reports/MofFP/ig_farb_at_leuna/ig_blechhammer.htm |title=I.G. Farbenindustrie - Blechhammer |access-date=2009-04-30 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071213151452/http://www.fischer-tropsch.org/primary_documents/gvt_reports/MofFP/ig_farb_at_leuna/ig_blechhammer.htm |archive-date=2007-12-13 |url-status=dead }} | ::

::callout[type=note] World War II military facilities ::

|name = Blechhammer |partof = Provinz Oberschlesien of Greater German Reich |location = Located in Upper Silesia |coordinates = North plant

South plant

Nearby camps & plants:

Korzonek camp

Heydebreck plant

Cosel plant

Odertal plant |image = Map of blechhammer v2.jpg |image_size = 325px |caption = Blechhammer map of Bahnhofslager/Judenlager |type = |code= |built = |builder = |materials = |height = |used = 1942–1945 (50,000 POWs) |demolished= |condition= |ownership= |open_to_public = |controlledby= |garrison = |current_commander= |commanders= |occupants= |battles = Oil Campaign of World War II |events = 1944-05: flak guns added

1945-01-21: The March (1945)

1945-01: Soviet occupation

Post-war: Area recovered by Poland

The Blechhammer (**) (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 (). 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" () crematorium was at Sławięcice.) and Bau und Arbeits Battalion (BAB, ) 21 was a mile from the Blechhammer oil plants and was not far from Kattowitz and Breslau.) 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.

Chemical plants

Two plants in the area, Blechhammer North (south of Sławięcice) and Blechhammer South at Azoty (5 mi from the labor camp) The facilities were approximately 2 mi apart with each occupying a 3,000 × 5,000 ft (914 × 1524 m) area in open country. Similar to the Gelsenberg plant, the Blechhammer plants used bituminous coal from Upper Silesian Coal Basin In June 1944, the United States Army Air Forces considered Blechhammer one of the four "principal synthetic oil plants in Germany", and after the Fifteenth Air Force had dropped 7,082 tons (14,164,000 lbs; 6,424 tonnes) of bombs on Blechhammer, Bombing the European Axis Powers -- the Blechhammer plants were dismantled post-war by the Soviets. : : :

Evacuation

In March 1945 the POWs were evacuated. One camp went to Regensburg, went to Landshut) and on January 25, labor camp prisoners were force-marched for five days to Bergen Belsen Some small groups did manage to escape (see František R. Kraus).

The "7 Company" was the guard battalion for Blechhammer, and the 1945 Belsen Trial convicted Blechhammer staff members Karl Francioh and Ansgar Pichen.

Camps

The Blechhammer complex contained a number of POW Camps: BAB 21 (E794), 40, 48; E3, E714, E769, Camp 139.

Life at Blechhamer and the work parties is described in Captive Plans, the POW diary of Reg Beattie and by a Czech survivor, journalist František R. Kraus.

References

References

  1. Gilbert, Martin. (2004). "The Second World War: A Complete History". Henry Holt and Company.
  2. (1992). "The Strategic Bombing of Germany, 1940-1945". Bloomsbury Academic.
  3. Gregory, Mackenzie J.. "Norman "Nobby" Hayes was on the Voltaire". ahoy.tk-jk.net.
  4. "I.G. Farbenindustrie - Blechhammer".
  5. "Glossary of ITS terms and abbreviations". United States Holocaust Memorial Museum.
  6. Schwarzfitter, Jacob. (August 28, 1946). "Voices (Jacob Schwarzfitter)". Interview Archive.
  7. "Pressac".
  8. "Wyniki wyszukiwania-Urząd Miasta Kędzierzyn-Koźle-www.kedzierzynkozle.pl".
  9. Blechhammer synthetic oil (aka [[synthetic fuel]] Parramore, Col Woody W. "The Combined Bomber Offensive's Destruction of Germany's Refined-Fuels Industry." Air & Space Power Journal 26.2 (2012).
  10. (June 2004). "The Second World War: A Complete History". Macmillan.
  11. Bohnstedt, Douglas. (2004). "Blechhammer - 15af.org".
  12. Withington, Ted. (1993). "Flight to Black Hammer: the letters of a World War II pilot". Biddle Publishing Company.
  13. "June 1944". 461st Bombardment Group Missions.
  14. (2000-08-31). "The German Chemical Industry in the Twentieth Century". Springer.
  15. Ludmer, Henry. (March 28, 1946). "Oil in Germany". University of Toledo.
  16. Cruickshank, Earl. (March 2025). "The Ploesti Mission of 1 August 1943". Army Air Forces Reference History (AAFRH)-3.
  17. "Winter 2004".
  18. Hutson, Fred. (April 2006). "Fred Hutson". MurrayArmstrong.com.
  19. "Auschwitz-Birkenau - Auschwitz III-Monowitz Concentration Camp".
  20. Jones, Chris. (19 September 2004). "Message 1 - blechammer, el tahag and chieti". BBC.co.uk.
  21. "Anlage zu § 1 Verzeichnis der Konzentrationslager und ihrer Außenkommandos gemäß § 42 Abs. 2 BEG". Bundesministerium der Justiz.
  22. "The Wartime Memories Project - STALAG 8b (344) POW Camp". WarTimeMemories.co.uk.
  23. "6. DV-BEG - Einzelnorm".
  24. Beattie, Trevor (ed.) (2011). ''Captive Plans: The Pow Diary of Reg Beattie''. {{ISBN. 9780956956309.

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province-of-upper-silesiakędzierzyn-koźleoil-campaign-of-world-war-iiworld-war-ii-prisoner-of-war-camps-in-germanynazi-war-crimes-in-germanyauschwitz-concentration-campreich-security-main-office