F06_P01: Concentration Camp Auschwitz West (Buchenholz) I.G. Farben chemical combine
1943 April 24, Front side - Envelope from French forced laborer at Auschwitz concentration camp.
Tan envelope with cursive handwriting in French using black ink. At the top left are two stamps depicting Adolf Hitler. One blue 25-pfennig stamp to the left and a green 50-pfennig stamp to the right. At the bottom left is a red Express stamp. At the center is a red marking in crayon or pencil.
Name/Title
F06_P01: Concentration Camp Auschwitz West (Buchenholz) I.G. Farben chemical combineEntry/Object ID
2007.6.1Scope and Content
1943 April 24, envelope from French forced laborer at Auschwitz concentration camp.Context
I.G. Farben was a conglomerate of eight German chemical trusts, including Bayer, Hoechst, and BASF (Badische Anilin-und Sodafabrik), making it the world's largest chemical firm. Zyklon B gas, used to kill Jews in the gas chambers at Auschwitz-Birkenau, was supplied by an I.G. Farben subsidiary. The Buna synthetic rubber factory at Auschwitz III was operated by I.G. Farben. The labor camp at Auschwitz West, called Buchenholz, also run by I.G. Farben, employed both slave laborers and conscripted civilian workers from occupied countries. Although the conscripts were forced laborers, they enjoyed privileges that were not accorded to slave laborers, including fewer mail restrictions. A March 27, 1943, air mail letter and an April 24, 1943, special delivery letter from a French forced laborer at the Auschwitz West Buchenholz labor camp operated by I.G. Farben to his parents in Meaux, France. Both were censored at Frankfurt.Collection
Nazi Scourge I: Primary ExhibitionCategory
Cover
Philatelic Material