Ravensbrück was the largest Nazi concentration camp specifically for women, yet its history remains far less discussed than that of camps like Auschwitz or Dachau. Located in northern Germany, Ravensbrück housed over 130,000 female prisoners between 1939 and 1945. These women endured forced labor, medical experiments, and extreme cruelty at the hands of their captors. While the camp’s horrors are known to some extent, many aspects of the suffering of its female prisoners have been overlooked or downplayed in historical narratives.
The Scale of Sexual Violence
One of the most disturbing aspects of Ravensbrück’s history is the widespread sexual violence inflicted upon female prisoners. Unlike in mixed-gender camps, where sexual abuse was often opportunistic, at Ravensbrück, it was systemic. Women were raped by SS officers, forced into sexual slavery, and even subjected to forced pregnancies.
Some were later transferred to SS-run brothels in other concentration camps, where they were forced to serve male prisoners and Nazi officers. This horrific aspect of the Holocaust remains one of the least discussed, partly because many survivors were too ashamed to speak about it, and post-war societies were reluctant to acknowledge it.
The Brutality of Medical Experiments
While the horrific experiments of Auschwitz are well-documented, Ravensbrück was also a major site for Nazi medical atrocities. SS doctors, including Karl Gebhardt, conducted gruesome procedures on female prisoners, particularly Polish political prisoners known as the Rabbits due to their use as test subjects.
These experiments included deliberately infecting wounds with bacteria, inserting foreign objects into their bodies, and performing bone and muscle removal surgeries—all without anesthesia. Many women died from these procedures, while others were left permanently disabled. Even after the war, many survivors suffered lifelong pain and health issues, yet their experiences were not widely acknowledged in historical records.
Forced Labor and Starvation
Women in Ravensbrück were subjected to backbreaking labor, often in freezing conditions with little food. They worked in SS-owned factories producing military uniforms, munitions, and other war supplies. Some were even used as living test subjects for clothing experiments, forced to wear thin garments in extreme cold to study hypothermia.
Pregnant women, elderly prisoners, and those too weak to work were often executed or left to die. As the war neared its end, mass killings increased, with thousands of women murdered in gas chambers or sent on death marches.
Why Was This History Overlooked?
The suffering of female prisoners at Ravensbrück was largely ignored after the war for several reasons. Many survivors found it difficult to speak about their experiences, especially those who endured sexual violence. Additionally, post-war narratives often prioritized military history and male resistance fighters, leaving women’s suffering in the shadows.
However, as more survivor testimonies and research emerge, the hidden truths of Ravensbrück are finally coming to light. The history of these women—mothers, daughters, resistance fighters, and innocent victims—deserves to be fully recognized, ensuring that their suffering is never forgotten.
