Sickening thieves have stolen gas chamber apparatus from two notorious Nazi concentration camps.
Approximately 41,500 prisoners were murdered in the Dachau concentration camp between 1933 and 1945, and around 30,000 prisoners at nearby Flossenbürg between 1938 and 1945.
On the weekend marking the anniversary of the Stauffenberg attack on Adolf Hitler in 1944, German authorities revealed that a shower-head and latch to the door of a former gas chamber were stolen from Dachau.
This was alongside another door latch from a former gas chamber in the old crematorium, known as ‘Baracke X’.
Meanwhile, at the Flossenbürg concentration camp memorial site, a washbasin holder and chimney cap were also stolen alongside a plaque commemorating former inmate Rudolf Nowak.
Flossenbürg concentration camp, pictured, where 30,000 prisoners were killed between 1938 and 1945
A look at the Flossenburg Concentration camp memorial site today. Pictured is the prisoners entry to the camp
Approximately 41,500 prisoners were murdered in the Dachau concentration camp, pictured, between 1933 and 1945
Young prisoners interned at Dachau concentration camp cheer their liberators, the 42nd Division of the US Army
‘The security concept in both former concentration camps will be reviewed and optimized according to technical developments,’ said a spokesperson for the Bavarian Memorial Foundation.
Dachau was the first major, permanent concentration camp established by the Nazis.
Between 1933 and 1945, more than 200,000 people from all over Europe were imprisoned there, and 41,500 died.
Flossenbürg was liberated by the US Army on April 23, 1945. Of the approximately 100,000 people imprisoned there or in its sub-camps, around 30,000 died in inhumane conditions.
One of the innocent prisoners in Flossenbürg was Wing Commander Forest Frederick Edward Yeo-Thomas, known by his codename ‘The White Rabbit.’
This legendary British agent during World War II was born on June 17, 1902, in London, and grew up in France, gaining fluency in French, which later proved invaluable.
Before the war, he worked in the fashion industry but joined the Royal Air Force in 1939.
Recruited by the Special Operations Executive (SOE), Yeo-Thomas was parachuted into France three times to assist the French Resistance in their fight against the Nazis.
His missions were pivotal in coordinating resistance efforts and organizing supply drops.
A look at the Dachau camp in southwest Germany which held prisoners from 1933 to 1945
Visitors take a tour of Dachau concentration camp in Germany on July 25, 2022
A washbasin holder and chimney cap were stolen from Flossenbürg concentration camp, pictured
A plaque commemorating former inmate Rudolf Nowak was also stolen from Flossenbürg. Pictured: Prisoners in their chambers
A look at the grounds in the Flossenbürg concentration camp memorial site
But, in March 1944 Yeo-Thomas was betrayed and captured by the Gestapo. He endured brutal torture, including beatings, waterboarding, and hanging by his wrists but never revealed crucial information.
Subsequently, he was interned in several concentration camps, including Flossenbürg, where he witnessed and survived horrendous conditions.
During a transfer in April 1945, Yeo-Thomas managed a daring escape, eventually joining American forces.
Post-war, Yeo-Thomas testified at the Nuremberg Trials about Nazi atrocities and continued to serve in intelligence roles.
His bravery earned him the George Cross, the French Légion d’Honneur, and the Croix de Guerre. Yeo-Thomas passed away on February 26, 1964, in Paris.
His remarkable story of resilience and heroism is immortalized in Bruce Marshall’s biography, ‘The White Rabbit.’
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