Rest in Peace Irmgard F., the Last Living Secretary of KZ Stutthof, at 99
Ex-administrator of the Stutthof Concentration Camp has passed away.
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Irmgard F., the last living secretary of the notorious KZ Stutthof concentration camp, has breathed her last at the ripe age of 99. In 2022, the Federal Court of Justice sentenced her to probation for her role in the camp.
The curtains closed on Irmgard F. on January 14, 2025. A spokesperson from Itzehoe's public prosecutor's office confirmed her demise. Previously, on December 20, 2022, the Itzehoe Regional Court had convicted her for aiding and abetting the murder of over 10,500 individuals and attempting murder on five more due to her actions at the KZ Stutthof concentration camp. The Federal Court of Justice ratified this verdict in August 2023.
A fugitive from justice, Irmgard F. eluded prosecution by fleeing from her senior home in Hamburg before her trial was set to commence. The court ordered her detention for five days following her apprehension.
Hell on Earth
From June 1943 to April 1945, the 18-year-old Irmgard F. served as a stenotypist in the command center of the Danzig concentration camp, also known as KZ Stutthof. Her role involved handling much of the camp's correspondence and maintaining close relations with the camp's commander, Paul Werner Hoppe[1][2].
As suggested by the courts, Irmgard F. bore witness to the systematic killing of prisoners due to the camp's inhumane conditions, death transports, and a gas chamber. With around 110,000 people imprisoned between 1939 and 1945, the KZ Stutthof and its satellites claimed almost 65,000 lives[3].
Through her service, Irmgard F. provided physical and psychological assistance, implicated in the camp's leaders' brutal actions. Even seemingly innocent activities can be legally construed as aiding and abetting murder[1][2].
In plain sight
According to the court, Irmgard F. was well-informed about the horrors that unfolded within the camp due to her close proximity to its atrocities. From her workspace, she could observe parts of the camp grounds, the crematorium chimney, and the emaciated prisoners[1].
Irmgard F. was aware that the main inmates of the camp, particularly her superior Hoppe, were involved in criminal activities from the initial stages of her involvement in the camp[1]. By dutifully serving these perpetrators, her actions were no longer innocent[1].
Sources: ntv.de, jpe/dpa, Arolsen Archives
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- The community and employment policies, in place during Irmgard F.'s time, may have played a role in her employment as a stenotypist in KZ Stutthof, despite her later prosecution for her actions.
- Irmgard F., who died on January 14, 2025, was reprimanded for her role in KZ Stutthof in Nuremberg, where the Federal Court of Justice issued her a probation for her actions in 2022.
- In her final years, Irmgard F., the last living secretary of KZ Stutthof, was known to communicate through Whatsapp, a modern means of communication that contrasted sharply with the horrors she witnessed during her tenure at the concentration camp.
