Elsa Erich

Elsa Erik (or Elsa Ehrich) was an Nazi SS wardress during World War II. She worked as an Aufseherin at Ravensbrück concentration camp, and was later transferred to Majdanek as an Aufseherin.

Life

Little personal information is known about Erich.

Camp

In August 1940 Erich volunteered to be a warden in KZ Ravensbrück, in 1942 she was transferred to Majdanek.

Because of good performance in Majdanek, Erich became SS-Oberaufseherin over thirty other SS women. She ran a camp where over 100,000 women and children were gassed, shot, beaten, starved or otherwise killed. Several prisoners testified of Erich's sadistic attitude when she took part in beatings and selections, in which she was often helped by Hermine Braunsteiner.

In mid-1944, at the approach of the Soviet Army, Erich went to Kraków-Płaszów concentration camp in April 1944 as chief wardress. From there, in June 1944, the SS posted Erich at a Neuengamme subcamp (it is unknown which one).

Trial

In 1948, Erich was tried by a Polish court in Lublin and sentenced to death. The former SS woman was hanged soon after sentencing.

Links

* [http://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/jsource/Holocaust/WarCrime4.html Biodata]