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Aschach POW camp ( Austria ) Beginning with the invasion of northern France and the victory of Tannenberg, hundreds of thousands of POWs fell into the Germans' hands. Subsequent battles would net the Germans and Austrians many millions of Entente prisoners. This necessitated the creation of a monetary system for the camps. Beginning in 1915, many dozens of camps operated both by Army Corps and by industries would produce Kriegsgefangenlagergeld, until the end of WWI... Aschach was one of these camps. Buchenwald Concentration Camp ( Germany ) Buchenwald opened on July 16, 1937, originally called "Konzentrationslager Ettersberg" its name was changed to Konzentrationslager Buchenwald (Buchenwald Concentration Camp) on August 6, 1937. The official goal of Buchenwald was the destruction of the prisoners by work. It is estimated that more than 56.000 people died in this camp. This estimate does not include 13000 inmates transferred to Auschwitz and other extermination camps. Buchenwald was liberated on April 11, 1945, by the US Army. The notes from Buchenwald come in two major types. Type 1... These notes have "Aussenkommando" printed diagonally across the face. Aussenkommando refers to the use of these notes to pay for field work. Type 1... These notes did not have "Aussenkommando" printed on them, this scrip was also used in subcamps of Buchenwald. Some notes are overstamped with the name of subcamps. Dachau Concentration Camp ( Germany ) Dachau was Germany's first concentration camp, established in March 1933 in the small town of Dachau, about ten miles (15 km) north-west of Munich. Dachau started as a camp for political offenders, but later Jews and other victims were sent here as well. By 1943 Dachau controlled a vast network of subcamps stretching as far Austria. Although not an extermination camp, a large number of inmates were murdered. Out of Dachau's 206,206 registered prisoners there were over 31,000 registered deaths. Dachau prisoners were forced to work in many industries, some of these industries were SS-owned: road construction, gravel pits. Dachau is distinctive because it was here that SS personnel trained for work in newer camps such as Auschwitz. Dachau was liberated by units of the US Army on April 29, 1945. Approximately 32,000 persons were liberated. Holysov / Holleischein labour camp ( Czechoslovakia ) This Concentration Camp was a subcamp of Flossenburg it was located near Prague. An issue of script was produced for use by the prison labourers at the Metallwerks Holleischen GmbH munitions plant. The script resembles a small ticket and is made of cardboard. It has a "MWH" logo. This script was issued in 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 15, 20, 40, phennig and 1, 2, and 5 marks. Litzmannstadt Ghetto ( Poland ) The Litzmannstadt ghetto was located in the northern part of Lodz, which was the second largest city in Poland. During its existence, over 200,000 Jews passed through its gates. It was officially closed off to the the rest of the world in May 1940. Lodz was a mill town; consequently, the ghetto occupants were used as laborers in the textile mills. Approximately 43,000 people died in this camp between 1940-1944. When the Russian army liberated this ghetto in 1945 they found only 877 Jewish survivors. Theresienstadt: The "Model" Ghetto ( Czechoslovakia ) This so called "model" ghetto was used by the Germans to impress the international community. There were seven notes issued, printed by the National Bank in Prague 1, 2, 5, 10, 20, 50 and 100 Kronen notes are dated January 1, 1943. On May 3, 1945, the Ghetto Theresienstadt was placed under the protection of the International Red Cross. Westerbork ( Netherlands ) Westerbork was originally a refugee camp for the Jews leaving Germany in the 1930s. After the invasion, and occupation of Holland by the Germans in May 1940, Westerbork was turned into a transit concentration camp. There were four notes printed for this camp 10, 25, 50 and 100 cents, each of these notes were printed in three series: AA, BB, and CC. |
