HISTORYThe Man History Called the Beast of Belsen6 min read

The Auschwitz Chapter

From Natzweiler-Struthof, Kramer was transferred to Auschwitz, the largest and most lethal installation in the entire camp network. He was promoted to the rank of Captain and served there from May 1944 through November of the same year — a period that corresponded with the mass deportation and murder of Hungarian Jews. During this time, the gas chambers and crematoria at Auschwitz-Birkenau were operating at maximum capacity. The number of people killed during Kramer’s tenure at the Auschwitz complex runs into the hundreds of thousands. His role placed him in direct operational authority over the killing process. His performance during this assignment led directly to his next promotion.

Why He Was Chosen for Bergen-Belsen

Bergen-Belsen was originally not classified as a concentration camp in the traditional sense. It began as a holding facility for prisoners who might be exchanged for German nationals held by the Allies. But as the war turned against Germany in its final years, the camp’s purpose shifted. The SS took full administrative control, and the facility was converted into a more conventional concentration camp receiving prisoners evacuated from other sites. Kramer was selected as commandant specifically because of his prior record. The SS wanted someone who could manage large-scale operations without moral hesitation. His history at Natzweiler and Auschwitz made him the obvious candidate.