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During World War II, a number of German armament factories were relocated underground as a result of Allied air raids. In August 1944, a work detail of the Buchenwald concentration camp was established near the village of Walbeck, in the central German state of Saxony-Anhalt, to bring about one such relocation. Around 500 male prisoners from this subcamp were tasked with expanding the production halls for the armaments industry underground. The men lived and worked in extremely poor conditions at this site (codenamed ‘Gazelle’) in the Lappwald, until the barracks camp was liberated by American troops on 12 April 1945.
The Walbeck-Weferlingen camp was one of several built in Saxony-Anhalt in connection with armaments production, none of which have ever been subject to archaeological excavations. A large-scale metal-detector survey was therefore carried out of the entire site, followed by several weeks of excavation by the State Office for Heritage Management and Archaeology (LDA) of Saxony-Anhalt, in cooperation with the Association for Walbeck History and Local Heritage. The focus of these excavations was on the barracks site and the area surrounding the camp.
This research produced extensive insights into the structure of the camp, revealing the remains of buildings and barrier fences, as well as into the period following its liberation. Archaeologists also found many traces of the prisoners’ everyday lives, including personal belongings, revealing details beyond those that can be gleaned from written sources.
These findings have dramatically improved our understanding of this subcamp and similar forced labour sites. They highlight the value of archaeological sources to the study of the crimes of National Socialism and the commemoration of its victims.
Text: Amy Brunskill / Image: © State Office for Heritage Management and Archaeology Saxony-Anhalt, Lukas Augustat
