At the close of World War II, as the full horror of Nazi atrocities came to light, some of the most chilling figures to emerge were not men—but women. These were the female SS guards of concentration camps like Auschwitz and Bergen-Belsen—many of whom had carried out brutal acts with terrifying zeal. When the war ended, justice came swiftly and harshly. This is the story of the arrest, trial, and execution of the women who became symbols of Nazi cruelty.
Who Were the Female SS Guards?
By 1942, the SS began actively recruiting women to work in concentration camps as Aufseherinnen—female overseers. They were trained to be harsh, obedient, and remorseless. Many came from ordinary backgrounds—secretaries, nurses, factory workers—but under the Nazi regime, they became part of a machine of extermination.
In Auschwitz alone, over 200 female guards served. Some rose to infamy, including Irma Grese, Elisabeth Volkenrath, and Juana Bormann—names that would later be tied to some of the war's darkest chapters.
Brutality Behind Barbed Wire
Survivors recounted that these women were often worse than their male counterparts. They beat prisoners, sicced dogs on children, and sent thousands to their deaths in gas chambers with a flick of the wrist. They wielded whips, rubber truncheons, and weapons with frightening ease. Irma Grese, known as "The Hyena of Auschwitz," was particularly notorious for her cruelty, even by SS standards.
Testimonies from survivors painted a grim picture—random beatings, sexual humiliation, starvation, and psychological torment were daily occurrences.
The War Ends—The Trials Begin
When the war ended in 1945, Allied forces discovered the full scale of the Holocaust. Many of the female guards tried to flee or blend in with civilian populations. But they were hunted, captured, and brought to justice—some through the Belsen Trial in Lüneburg, Germany, one of the first major war crimes tribunals after the war.
At these trials, survivors testified directly against their former tormentors. The courtroom echoed with graphic accounts of brutality. The women showed little remorse, often claiming they were “just following orders.”
Sentenced to Death
In December 1945, Irma Grese, Juana Bormann, and Elisabeth Volkenrath were all sentenced to death by hanging. They were among 13 Nazis executed at Hamelin Prison on December 13, 1945. The executions were carried out by British hangman Albert Pierrepoint, who later described Grese as “completely composed” as she faced the gallows.
Their executions were not only punitive—they were symbolic. The world needed to know that even women, often perceived as nurturers, could become monsters when ideology and power twisted their humanity.