Bergen - Belsen Timeline 1944

Year
Month
Date
Timeline
1944
      
Jan - Dec
   
 
Breakdown, by religion, of the 2048 prisoners who died in 1944 is as follows:

1239 Catholic
418 Israeli
198 Evangelic
73 Greek Orthodox
51 Muslim
59 Unknown/No religion
9 Believers in God
1 Buddhist[10]

The remaining 307 dead where from the Sternlager, thus it is reasonable safe to assume they were Jewish.
Jan
1-31
8 prisoners die[10]
12
1024 prisoners arrive from Westerbork and are housed in the Sternlager[10]
25
283 prisoners transported to Theresienstadt from the Sternlager[10]
31
 83 prisoners arrive from Modena (Fossoli) and are housed in the Sternlager[10]
Approximately 300 jewish neutral/Spanish nationals held in the Neutralenlager are transported to Barcelona on two seperate trains. All arrive by 14 February 1944. The majority of which were later sent on to a transit camp in Fedala, Morroco.[4]
Feb
    
 
40 Soviet prisoners escape from the Häftlingslager by digging an underground passage from their Block under the camp fence.
120 prisoners transported to Neuengamme from the Häftlingslager [10]
Approx 200 prisoners transported to Auschwitz (Oświęcim) from the Sonderlager[10]
1-28
10 prisoners die[10]
1
906 prisoners arrive from Westerbork and are housed in the Sternlager[10]
3
182 prisoners transported to Spain from the Neutralenlager[10]
7
183 prisoners transported to Spain from the Neutralenlager[10]
16
773 prisoners arrive from Westerbork and are housed in the Sternlager[10]
18
83 prisoners transported to Internierungslager Liebenau/Laufen from the Sternlager[10]
22
8 prisoners arrive from Hamburg and are housed in the Sonderlager[14]
23
The Baukommando in the Häftlingslager is dissolved and the remaining prisoners, approx 500, are transported to Sachsenhausen.
24
70 prisoners arrive from Arezzo and are housed in the Sternlager[10]
Mar
    
 
Bergen-Belsen is redesignated an Ehrholungslager (Recovery Camp) for prisoners from other concentration camps, who are considered too weak to work.
1-31
32 prisoners die[10]
15
210 prisoners arrive from Westerbork and are housed in the Sternlager[10]
16
11 prisoners arrive from Theresienstadt and are housed in the Sonderlager and Neutralenlager[14]
20
45 prisoners arrive from Theresienstadt[10]
27
3 prisoners arrive from Vienna/Reichenau and are housed in the Sonderlager[14]
1000[10] invalided prisoners mostly suffering from Tuberculosis arrive from Buchenwald, Außenkommando "Dora" and are housed in the Häftlingslager. Only 57 of these prisoners live to see the end of the war.
31
150[10] prisoners arrive from Buchenwald, Außenkommando Saalfeld and are housed in the Häftlingslager
Apr
    
1-30
390 prisoners die[10]
6
101 prisoners arrive from Westerbork and are housed in the Sternlager[10]
8
An allied aircraft attacks the camp killing 19 prisoners and wounding approx 30.
14
174 prisoners arrive from Athens and are housed in the Neutralenlager[10]
21
14 prisoners arrive from Malines/Mechelen and are housed in the Sonderlager[14]
23

Exchanges and prices in the camp:[12]

16 cigarettes - 1 portion of bread (3 ounzes)
1 portion of bread - 40 pieces of Urotropine (an inflammable tablet)
1 dress - 2 portions of bread
1 chocolate bar - 1 pound of sugar
1 haircut - 3 cigarettes.
28

5 prisoners arrive from Radom and are housed in the Sonderlager[14]
End
Approx 500 prisoners arrive from Buchenwald, Außenkommando "Dora" and are housed in the Häftlingslager[10]
May
    
1-31
217 prisoners die[10]
1
Outbreak of Typhus in the Häftlingslager[11]
3
3 prisoners arrive from Prague and are housed in the Sternlager[14]
4
70 prisoners arrive from Drancy and are housed in the Sternlager[10]
5
74 prisoners arrive from Drancy and are housed in the Sternlager[10]
17
145 prisoners transported to Internierungslager Vittel from the Sonderlager[10]
19
1 prisoner arrives from Frankfurt am Main and is housed in the Sternlager[14]
20
240 prisoners arrive from Westerbork and are housed in the Sternlager[10]
163 prisoners arrive from Fossoli and are housed in the Sternlager[10]
23
35 prisoners arrive from Milan and are housed in the Sternlager[14]
24
147 prisoners transported to Auschwitz (Oświęcim) from the Sonderlager[10]
26
6 prisoners arrive from Krakow and are housed in the Sternlager[14]
28
154 prisoners arrive from Buchenwald, Außenkommando Saalfeld and are housed in the Häftlingslager[10]
Jun
    
 
307 prisoners arrive from Sachsenhausen and are housed in the Häftlingslager[10]
1-30
186 prisoners die[10]
3
96 prisoners arrive from Ravensbrück and are housed in the Häftlingslager[10]
9
2 prisoners arrive from Krakow and are housed in the Sternlager[14]
13
1 prisoner arrives from Krakow and is housed in the Sternlager[14]
23
437 Italian prisoners arrive from Belgrade and are housed in the Sternlager[10]
26
100 prisoners arrive from Ravensbrück and are housed in the Häftlingslager[10]
27
Approx 200 prisoners arrive from Neuengamme and are housed in the Häftlingslager[10]
28
70 prisoners are transported to Internierungslager Vittel from the Sternlager[10]
29
222 Jews leave for Palestine from the Sternlager[10] via neutral Turkey. They consist of:
Age Male Female
1-5 3 3
6-9 3 7
10-15 4 12
16-20 1 10
21-30 2 20
31-40 3 11
41-44 3 11
45-50 4 15
51-60 21 32
61-70 18 24
71-80 9 4
81+ 0 2
They arrive in Haifa 10 July 1944.
Jul
    
 
Frauenlager (Women's Camp) is established to contain women and girls moved from camps near the eastern front. Most of these women had to live in large tents during the construction of further huts.
250 exchange Jews exchanged for German nationals.
Start of the arrival of female prisoners especially from Auschwitz-Birkenau (Oświęcim-Brzezinka).
Approx 250 prisoners live in the Neutralenlager . This figure increases to 366 by early March 1945 and includes 155 Spanish, 19 Portugese, 35 Argentinians and 105 Turks.
500 Italian military internees are transferred to the Bergen-Belsen POW hospital
Approx 200 invalid prisoners suffering from Tuberculosis arrive from Sachsenhausen and are housed in the Häftlingslager[10]
1-31
127 prisoners die[10]
1-3
10 prisoners arrive from Theresienstadt[14]
6
15 prisoners arrive from Theresienstadt and are housed in the Sternlager[14]
7
200 prisoners from the Häftlingslager are transported to Buchenwald[10]
8/9
Ungarnlager (Hungarians' Camp) established for 1684 Hungarian Jews due to be sent to Switzerland on what was to become known as the 'Kastner Train'. These prisoners did not have to work or attend roll calls. They were permitted to wear their own civilian clothing.[10] There were 972 female and 712 male passengers, including 252 children.
9
Approx 1680 prisoners arrive from Budapest and are housed in the Ungarnlager[14]
20
3 prisoners arrive from Berlin and are housed in the Sternlager[14]
24
49 prisoners arrive from Drancy and are housed in the Sternlager[10]
26
65 prisoners arrive from Drancy and are housed in the Sternlager[10]
28
11 prisoners arrive from Agram (Zagreb) and are housed in the Sternlager[14]
Aug
    
 
400 prisoners arrive from Sachsenhausen and are housed in the Häftlingslager[10]
1-31
93 prisoners die[10]
1
178 prisoners arrive from Westerbork and are housed in the Sternlager[10]
3
100 invalid prisoners arrive from Neuengamme and are housed in the Häftlingslager[10]
6
54 prisoners arrive from Fossoli and are housed in the Sternlager[10]
7
Prisoners begin to erect large tents to the south of Block 42, in what was to become the tented camp.
11-16
Approx 4000 Polish women arrive from Warschau and are housed in the Frauenlager[10]
13-15
10 - 12 large tents erected by Häftlinge (prisoners)[9], in what was to become the tented camp, in preparation of expected evacuations from the East.
14-15
Transport arrival of women and children prisoners evacuated from the East.
17-18
Transport arrival of Polish women.
18
5 prisoners arrive from Agram (Zagreb) and are housed in the Sternlager[14]
318 Hungarian prisoners from the Ungarnlager transported to Switzerland [10]
19
160 prisoners arrive from Natzweiler and are housed in the Häftlingslager[10]
19-22
Approx 4000 women transported to Ravensbrück from the Frauenlager[10]
23
Approx 1000 women arrive from Auschwitz (Oświęcim) and are housed in the Frauenlager [10]
800 women arrive from Auschwitz (Oświęcim) and are transferred to Außenkommando's at Unterlüß and Hambühren[10]
24
120 prisoners arrive from Flossenbürg and are housed in the Häftlingslager[10]
30
30 prisoners arrive from Belgrade and are housed in the Sternlager[14]
Sep
    
 
Kapo prisoner 'Head Nurse' Karl Rothe killed by fellow prisoners after he murders 200 prisoners by lethal injection of Phenol.
1-30
126 prisoners die[10]
3
600 women transferred to Außenkommando Bomlitz from the Frauenlager[10]
4
44 dismantled huts from the Plaszow Camp in Krakow arrive at the railhead.[9] Unloading begins.
5
Erection of the huts from Krakow begins by prisoners from the Sternlager.
15
Transport arrives from Westerbork containing 275 prisoners.[10] This includes 35 children under 5 years with a sign around their necks indicating 'Unbekanntes Kind' (Unknown child)[9]
17
1000 women arrive from Auschwitz (Oświęcim) and are housed in the Frauenlager[10]
18
4 huts from Krakow now fully erected.[9]
28
750 women arrive from Auschwitz (Oświęcim) and are housed in the Frauenlager[10]
30
203 prisoners arrive from Ravensbrück and are housed in the Häftlingslager[10]
20 prisoners holding South American papers arrive from Theresienstadt [9]
Oct
    
1-31
171 prisoners die[10]
3
180 prisoners arrive from Flossenbürg and are housed in the Häftlingslager[10]
5
2 Canadian aircraft attack the camp and kill 11 prisoners.
6
800 women are transported to Neuengamme, Außenkommando Salzwedel from the Frauenlager[10]
9
112 prisoners from the Sternlager transported to Auschwitz (Oświęcim) [10]
10
93 prisoners arrive from Vienna and are housed in the Sternlager[10]
15
600 women transferred to Bergen-Belsen Außenkommando Bomlitz on 3 April 1945 return to the Frauenlager[10]
17
Approx 2000 women arrive from Auschwitz (Oświęcim) and are housed in the Frauenlager[10]
19
750 Polish women transported to Buchenwald, Außenkommando Elsnig (for the Wasag works) from the Frauenlager[10]
20
4 prisoners arrive from Vienna and are housed in the Sternlager[14]
23
300 Hungarian women transported to Buchenwald, Außenkommando Markkleeberg (Junkers factory) from the Frauenlager[10]
Nov
    
 
Approx 100 women transported to Natzweiler, Außenkommando Geislingen from the Frauenlager[10]
Prisoners arrive from Neuengamme Außenkommando Husum-Schwesing and are housed in the Häftlingslager[10]
1-30
338 prisoners die[10]
3
1308 women arrive from Auschwitz (Oświęcim) and are housed in the Frauenlager[10]
750 women transported to Buchenwald, Außenkommando Duderstadt from the Frauenlager[10]
4
750 Hungarian women transported to Duderstadt (Polte factory) from the Frauenlager.
4/5
634 women arrive from Auschwitz (Oświęcim) and are housed in the Frauenlager[10]
5/6
795 women arrive from Auschwitz (Oświęcim) and are housed in the Frauenlager[10]
7
A storm damages tents in the Frauenlager leaving them without shelter. Some of these women are housed in Block 42. Within a few days the Sternlager is forced to vacate 6-8 blocks in order to house the remainder.
9
 Delegation of the Internation Red Cross visit the POW Hospital.
15
150 prisoners arrive from Dachau and are housed in the Häftlingslager[10]
16
Approx 65 prisoners arrive from Sereď and are housed in the Sonderlager[10]
75 prisoners are transported to Internierungslager Biberach from the Sternlager[10]
17
Approx 50 women transported to Neuengamme, Außenkommando Fallersleben from the Frauenlager[10]
74 prisoners are transported to Internierungslager Biberach from the Sternlager[10]
69 prisoners are transported to Internierungslager Liebenau/Wurzach from the Sternlager[10]
61 prisoners are transported to Theresienstadt from the Sternlager[10]
20
830 women transported to Buchenwald, Außenkommando Lippstadt from the Frauenlager[10]
22
200 women transported to Neuengamme, Außenkommando Helmstedt-Beendorf from the Frauenlager[10]
390 prisoners transported to Neuengamme and are housed in the Häftlingslager[10]
24
461 women arrive from Dachau, Außenkommando Allach and are housed in the Frauenlager[10]
26
16 prisoners arrive from Pressburg (Bratislava) and are housed in the Sternlager[14]
28
Prisoners arrive from Flossenbürg and are housed in the Häftlingslager [10]
30
100 women transported to Flossenbürg, Außenkommando Wolkenburg from the Frauenlager[10]
51 deaths reported in November [9]
Dec
    
 
Approx 200 women arrive from Bergen-Belsen Außenkommando Unterlüß and are housed in the Häftlingslager[10]
107 prisoners arrive from Sereď and are housed in the Sonderlager[10]
1-31
350 prisoners die[10]
2
300 Polish and Hungarian women are transported to Buchenwald, Außenkommando Magdeburg (Junkers factory) from the Frauenlager[10]
200 women are transported to Flossenbürg, Außenkommando Mehltheuer from the Frauenlager[10]

Kommandant Sturmbannführer Adolf Hass transfers Command of Bergen-Belsen to SS Hauptsturmführer Josef Kramer . Camp SS staff increases to 277 men and 12 women.

4
1360 Hungarian prisoners transported to Switzerland[10]
175 prisoners are transported to Sachsenhausen from the Sternlager[10]
164 male prisoners from the proposed diamond industry leave along with their wives and children.
5
Approx 390 women are transported to Neuengamme, Außenkommando Helmstedt-Beendorf from the Frauenlager[10]
108 prisoners are transported to Neuengamme, Außenkommando Helmstedt-Beendorf from the Sternlager[10]
6
Approx 1000 prisoners from the Ungarnlager are transported to Switzerland.
300 women are transported to Buchenwald, Außenkommando Markkleeberg from the Frauenlager[10]
7
2178 Hungarian prisoners arrive from Strasshof (near Vienna) and are housed in the Ungarnlager[14]
107 prisoners arrive from Sered and are housed in the Sternlager[14]
1200 prisoners arrive. [9]
14
2001 Hungarian prisoners arrive from Budapest and are housed in the Ungarnlager[14]
15
200 women are transported to Neuengamme, Außenkommando Salzwedel from the Frauenlager[10]
16
143 prisoners are transported to Buchenwald from the the Sternlager[10]
19
200 women are transported to Flossenbürg, Außenkommando Graslitz from the Frauenlager[10]
21
1400 women arrive from Dachau, Außenkommando Kaufering and are housed in the Frauenlager[10]
22
 Female Polish Home Army POW's transferred to Oberlangen POW Camp.
65 Hungarian women are transported to Buchenwald, Außenkommando Lippstadt (Westfalian Metal works) from the Frauenlager[10]
26
 Female Polish Officer POW's transferred to Molsdorf POW Camp.
29
401 prisoners 'incapable of work' arrive from Buchenwald Außenkommando Magdeburg and are housed in the Häftlingslager[10]
31
15257 prisoners in the camp.
End
Death rate 40 - 60 per week.