Satellite Camp Bachmanning
Establishment of the satellite camp
The “Deutsche Ausrüstungswerke GmbH”, which was owned by the SS, acquired the “Forst- und Sägewerksbetriebe GmbH, Bachmanning” in early 1942. The initial plan was to use prisoners for work in the production of wood frames for windows and lockers. Bachmanning Subcamp appears for only one single day as an independent subcamp to former Mauthausen Concentration Camp in the registries. As of 15 September 1943, it was listed as being under sub-command of Großraming Subcamp. On that day, the number of prisoners at Großraming Concentration Camp was raised from 918 to 937 in the documents of the camp administration.
Location
There is no information on the accommodation of the prisoners at Bachmanning Concentration Camp. There was an additional subcamp in Bachmanning, a subcamp to Dachau Concentration Camp, called “Bad Ischl”. It was established on 18 June 1942 and shut down on 19 December 1942. It is not known whether there was a connection between the subcamp of Mauthausen Concentration Camp. The sawmill is in Unterseling.
Prisoners
According to a report on changes from 13 September 1943 (Source: Archive of the Mauthausen memorial site), 20 prisoners were transferred from Mauthausen Concentration Camp to Bachmanning on that day, 18 of whom were Spanish Republicans and two were prisoners from Poland. On the other hand, there is also a thesis stating that the prisoners were only put to work in Bachmanning subcamp during the work week but were still registered as prisoners of Mauthausen Concentration Camp. However, the prisoner arrival books (Häftlingszugangsbücher) of Mauthausen Concentration Camp do contain notes on transfers to Bachmanning.
Forced labor
The prisoners were used to work in a sawmill and to work in the production of wood frames and lockers. The products were intended for housing developments in the occupied territories in Eastern Europe.
Guarding
To date, there is no information on the guard of the camp.
Schließung
The prisoners’ personal data cards of two Polish prisoners show “Bachmanning” as their assignments between 13 September 1943 until 25 and 28 August 1944. For this reason, it can be assumed that Bachmanning Subcamp was shut down at the same time as Großraming Subcamp.
Commemoration and remembrance
The following prisoners of Bachmanning Subcamp are listed on a memorial plaque that was put up at Bachmanning town hall in June 2011: Sinti family Rosenfels-Jungwirth, resistance fighter Alois Steiner as well as Paul and Wladimir (children of forced labourers from Poland and Ukraine). The local branch of the Mauthausen Committee Austria organises regular memorial ceremonies [1] in Bachmanning.
