Early Life and Recruitment
Elisabeth Volkenrath was born on September 5, 1919, in Schönau, Germany. Little is known about her early life, but she eventually joined the Nazi Party and became a member of the SS. In 1942, she was assigned to serve as a guard at Auschwitz-Birkenau, the largest and deadliest of the Nazi concentration camps.
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Role at Auschwitz
As a female SS guard at Auschwitz, Volkenrath was directly involved in the systematic murder and abuse of prisoners. She participated in the selection process upon arrival, determining who would be sent to the gas chambers and who would be subjected to forced labor. Witnesses described her as particularly brutal and sadistic, taking pleasure in the suffering of the inmates.
Transferred to Bergen-Belsen
In 1944, Volkenrath was transferred to Bergen-Belsen concentration camp in Germany. By this time, the Nazi regime was crumbling, but the horrors inflicted upon the prisoners at Bergen-Belsen continued unabated. Volkenrath's arrival at the camp only intensified the suffering of the inmates, as she wielded her authority with ruthless efficiency.
Sadistic Cruelty
Witnesses recounted Volkenrath's acts of sadistic cruelty at Bergen-Belsen, where she routinely beat, starved, and tortured prisoners. She showed no mercy, even to the weakest and most vulnerable inmates. Her reign of terror instilled fear and despair among the prisoners, who lived in constant dread of her presence.
Trial and Execution
After the liberation of Bergen-Belsen by British forces in April 1945, Volkenrath was arrested and held accountable for her crimes. She was tried by a British military tribunal along with other SS personnel and was found guilty of war crimes and crimes against humanity. On December 13, 1945, Elisabeth Volkenrath was executed by hanging for her role in the atrocities committed at Auschwitz and Bergen-Belsen.