In the grim aftermath of World War II, justice caught up with many who had participated in the crimes of the Holocaust. Among them was Elsa Ehrich, a former SS guard at the Stutthof concentration camp, and one of the few women to be tried and executed for war crimes after the war. Her case, and the execution that followed, became a dark symbol of accountability for atrocities committed during the Holocaust.
Stutthof was one of the lesser-known Nazi concentration camps, located near Gdańsk, Poland. Originally established for Polish political prisoners, it later expanded into a killing center with gas chambers and crematoria. More than 110,000 people were imprisoned there, including Jews, Soviet POWs, and others. Tens of thousands died from starvation, disease, forced labor, and executions.
Female SS guards—some barely out of their teens—played active roles in prisoner abuse. They were known for their cruelty, sometimes even surpassing their male counterparts in violence.
The Role of Female Guards at Stutthof
Among the guards was Jenny-Wanda Barkmann, sometimes referred to in the press as the “Beautiful Beast” because of her striking appearance and savage behavior. Barkmann was known for personally selecting women and children for the gas chambers and beating inmates without provocation. She had volunteered for service in the SS and rose quickly through the ranks.
Witnesses described her as sadistic and merciless. Despite her young age—she was only in her early 20s when captured—she was held fully responsible for her crimes.
The Stutthof Trials: Justice in Poland
In 1946, Polish authorities held the Stutthof trials in Gdańsk. The proceedings targeted 13 former camp personnel, including six women. The trials were among the first to address female participation in the Holocaust.
Barkmann and others were found guilty of war crimes, including torture and the mass murder of civilians. The verdict was death.
On July 4, 1946, just one year after the war’s end, Jenny-Wanda Barkmann and ten other convicts were executed by public hanging. The executions took place in Gdańsk in front of thousands of onlookers—survivors, local residents, and military officials.
A Chilling Scene
Photos and reports from that day show the condemned being led to makeshift gallows. Barkmann, though described as calm, showed signs of fear in her final moments. It is said that some in the crowd cheered—not out of bloodlust, but from a deep, painful desire to see justice done.
The public nature of the execution was intentional: a message to the world that those responsible for genocide and cruelty would face consequences.