“What happened here?” Passersby often ask. The Lager für sowjetische Kriegsgefangene an der Ochtum Stele stands as a silent witness to a dark chapter.
Today we stand at the corner of Duckwitzstraße and Ochtumufer. This marks a place of suffering. Let me tell you about the Lager für sowjetische Kriegsgefangene an der Ochtum Stele. It commemorates a prisoner-of-war camp from World War II.
In late 1941, this area was very different. A simple wooden barrack camp stood here. It was secured by barbed wire and Wehrmacht soldiers. This Lager für sowjetische Kriegsgefangene an der Ochtum held Soviet prisoners. About 250 to 300 prisoners were forced to work. They were assigned the number 5840. The first 78 arrived on December 3 1941.
These men had already suffered greatly. Many were captured after the invasion of the Soviet Union. They were transported to camps in northern Germany. Malnutrition and poor clothing weakened them. The Wehrmacht did not recognize them as prisoners of war. The Geneva Convention did not protect them.
Here in Bremen they faced more hardship. They were forced to work for Francke Werke. This factory was a key part of the German war effort.
A local woman named Marion L. recalled those times. Her mother would “borrow” prisoners. In exchange for a warm meal they did hard labor in the garden. Marion’s own father may have been fighting on the Eastern Front.
Near the Lager für sowjetische Kriegsgefangene an der Ochtum was a landfill. French prisoners of war were forced to work there from 1940. Their treatment violated the Geneva Convention. So they were replaced with prisoners from Oslebshausen prison.
Soviet prisoners from Stalag Wietzendorf also worked at the landfill. Many were in terrible condition. Two died soon after arriving. In December 1941 the command was transferred to Stalag Nienburg. It was given the number 5806.
Living conditions were harsh. Workers from the Amt für Kanalisation und Abfuhrwesen had to give up their space. The windows were barred. The area was surrounded by barbed wire. Five Wehrmacht soldiers guarded the prisoners.
The prisoners sorted trash. They recovered metal, aluminum, rags, and bones. These materials were then reused by the German industry. The company Stelljes cooked pig feed from food waste. The stench was awful. The work day was 60 hours a week. One prisoner Charlampii Murawjew tried to escape. He was shot on June 11 1942.
In early February 1942 typhus broke out in the camp. The sick were sent to Stalag Wietzendorf. The healthy prisoners also went back. The Lager für sowjetische Kriegsgefangene an der Ochtum was empty. The command 5806 was dissolved.
Later the barracks housed craftsmen. These men repaired Soviet vehicles for the Wehrmacht. In June 1942 there was a request for more Soviet prisoners. But instead civilian workers from the East were assigned to the landfill.
The Lager für sowjetische Kriegsgefangene an der Ochtum was not alone. Other camps existed nearby. These held Dutch, Belgian, Polish, and French forced laborers. They worked for companies like Francke Werke.
The Lager für sowjetische Kriegsgefangene an der Ochtum Stele you see here was erected on December 3 2020. It serves as a reminder of the suffering endured here. The Denkorte Initiative Neustadt and the Beiräte Neustadt and Huchting made it possible.