Herta Bothe Nazi Date of Birth: 08.01.1921 Country: Germany

Biography of Hertha Bote

Hertha Bote, a Nazi and a guard at one of the fascist concentration camps, was born in the town of Teterow. She spent some time helping her father in his small woodworking workshop and also worked at a local factory and hospital. In 1939, Hertha joined the League of German Girls and was actively involved in sports during her free time.

In September 1942, Hertha obtained a position as a guard at the Ravensbrück concentration camp. After completing four weeks of training, she was transferred to the Stutthof camp near Gdansk. It was during her time at this camp that Hertha gained most of her infamous reputation and earned the nickname "Sadist of Stutthof."

In July 1944, Hertha was transferred by senior overseer Gerda Steinhoff to the Bromberg-Ost camp. On January 21, 1945, at the age of 24, she participated in the "Death March" of female prisoners from central Poland to the Bergen-Belsen camp near Celle. The journey took longer than expected with a detour through Auschwitz.

It was not until the end of February 1945 that Hertha and the prisoners reached Bergen-Belsen. At the camp, Hertha supervised a woodworking brigade consisting of 60 female prisoners. The liberating forces arrived on April 15, 1945.

Rumors circulated that Hertha was the tallest among the arrested Nazi women and stood out due to her choice of footwear. Unlike her colleagues, she preferred regular shoes instead of the characteristic black boots. Allied soldiers forced Hertha to help bury a considerable number of dead bodies near the camp, and she recalled being scared of contracting typhus without gloves.

During her subsequent trial, Hertha was sentenced to 10 years in prison. However, she was released earlier than expected on December 22, 1951. For the rest of her life, Hertha avoided attracting attention and only gave occasional interviews.