Female Fascist Guards and Camp Auxiliaries
The School of Violence: Nazi Guard Trainer Dorothea Binz at Ravensbrück
11m
As Nazi Germany built its concentration camp system, thousands of women became part of its machinery of terror. At Ravensbrück — the largest concentration camp for women — Dorothea Binz rose from a teenage recruit to deputy chief overseer and trainer of female guards.
Born in 1920, she joined the camp at 19 and advanced rapidly. Binz supervised punishments, participated in selections for executions and medical experiments, and helped turn Ravensbrück into what survivors described as a “school of violence.” She trained and directed numerous female guards who later served across the Nazi camp network.
Between 1939 and 1945, more than 132,000 women passed through Ravensbrück; over 92,000 perished.
After the war, Binz was brought to trial and ultimately paid for her crimes.
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