“Dachs VII” was its codename. This may not sound like much now but it hides a dark past right here in Zatzschke. This place is linked to the horrors of the Flossenbürg concentration camp. We are standing on ground that once held a satellite camp. This is the story of Mockethal-Zatzschke during World War II.
Let’s remember what happened here.
The Mockethal-Zatzschke subcamp existed from January 10 1945 to mid-April 1945. It was a small part of a much larger system of Nazi oppression.
Initially 100 prisoners were brought here. They came from many nations. There were Italians Russians and Poles. There were also people from other nations and some Jews.
By April 13 1945 the camp held 131 registered prisoners.
What did these prisoners do? They built barracks and worked on roads. This work supported a secret project. Edmund Geilenberg was tasked with reviving Germany’s fuel industry. Air raids had destroyed much of it. The Zatzschke prisoners were forced to help.
The prisoner camp was a sand quarry. It sat in the forest between Mockethal and Zatzschke. Both men and women were held here. Some came from destroyed subcamps in Dresden. These were Bernsdorf and Universelle. Male and female prisoners were sometimes housed separately.
Erich von Berg led a detail of SS guards. There were only 14 guards mostly older men.
Life here was brutal.
Official records say 13 people died in the camp. However witness accounts claim at least 53 deaths. Some prisoners reported executions by shooting. Very sick prisoners were sent away. They went to the Leitmeritz subcamp. This was likely a death sentence.
In mid-April 1945 the prisoners were forced to march. First they went toward Erzgebirge. Then they were taken to Leitmeritz. They were freed there about three weeks later.
Today little remains of the camp itself.
A memorial stone stands in Friedenspark. This park used to be the Nicolai Cemetery.
In 2015 an information panel was installed. It tells the camp’s story in three languages. The panel sits at the former location of the camp.
So as you continue your tour remember this place. Remember the suffering. Remember Zatzschke.