The Aufseherinnen were female guards in Nazi concentration camps during The Holocaust. Of the 55,000 guards who served in Nazi concentration camps, about 3,700 were women. In 1942, the first female guards arrived at Auschwitz and Majdanek from Ravensbrück. The year after, the Nazis began conscripting women because of a guard shortage.
The German title for this position, Aufseherin (plural Aufseherinnen) means female overseer or attendant.
Read more about Female Guards In Nazi Concentration Camps: Recruitment, Advancement, Daily Life, Camps, Names, and Ranks, From The Post-war Period Until Today, Female Guards Tried Today, Fictional Portrayals
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