At the end of June 1941 and in July of that year, members of the 20.SS-Reiterstandarte, the SS-Reitersturm 2/20 and the Allgemeines SS Sturmbann II/105, led by SS-Unterscharfuhrer Werner Scheu from Heydekrug, deported Jews from Sveksna, Veivirzeniai, Kvedarna, Laukova, Naumiestis, Vainutas and other places to various labour camps in the district of Heydekrug (see map). The Jews who were not able to work were shot later. The camps consisted of Piktaten, Meischlauken, Matzstubbern, Bewern, Schillwen and Wersmeningken.

In the town of Heydekrug there was a camp on Jahnstraße and another in the backyard of the mayor’s office, which was later relocated to the market hall. The camp Jahnstraße was located near the Szisze (a small river) and the Rabenwald and consisted of a larger barrack, in which former French prisoners of war were accommodated.

The camp in the backyard of the mayor’s office also consisted of a barrack. The Jews employed by the city administration were housed here. They were used for work on the sports field, in the municipal nursery, on the Heydekrug-Matzicken estate and for cleaning the streets and parks. Later, the Jews employed by the city administration were transferred to the market hall.

The majority of Jewish forced laborers were employed on various construction sites outside the city of Heydekrug.

In Ramutten in the summer of 1941 about 20 to 30 Jews were used for drainage work. 40-60 Jews were employed in the village Piktaten and Paszieszen with road construction work. A large part of the Jews had to cut peat in various places.

The Jews of the Wersmeningken camp also worked in road construction, and they had to cut the gravel and load it. In Matzstubbern and Ullosen (southern of Coadjuthen) about 100 Jewish forced laborers were used to build a drainage canal. In winter they had to clear the snow from the country roads and unload goods at the Stonischken railway station. The cook and paramedic in this camp was Julius Smolianksi, who had previously owned a salamander shoe shop in Heydekrug.

In the summer of 1943, these illegally established labor camps were dissolved and the inmates deported to Auschwitz-Birkenau. Another camp odyssey followed. Only a few survived.

In Yad Vashem there are five testimonies of survivors. Gerson Young’s report is available at the following link:

http://www.shtetlinks.jewishgen.org/Kvedarna/kve-young.html

In 1964 there was a trial on these crimes before the Regional Court of Aurich, in 1965 before the Federal Court of Justice. The defendants Werner Scheu and Karl Struve were sentenced to life imprisonment.

The manuscript department of the Vilnius Academy Library contains documents from the initial phase of the camps, including lists of prisoners and guards. These documents need to be processed. (Some camps have been listed several times, in others there are deletions which have to be deciphered, furthermore some inmates who are not able to work have also been listed). Below is an example of the lists found.

Jewish forced labourers in the Meischlauken camp

Source: Mokslu Akademijos Biblioteka Vilnius, F.170, B. 2369, Bl.10/11

Sources:
Yad Vashem TR-10/568
Justiz und NS-Verbrechen Band XX
(Files of Z/S Ludwigsburg)
Mokslu Akademijos Biblioteka Vilnius F.170, B. 2364, B. 2369

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