Max Koegel: Nazi Camp Commandant of Ravensbrück, Majdanek, and Flossenbürg

Max Koegel was one of the most ruthless commandants in the Nazi concentration camp system during the Second World War, serving at Ravensbrück, Majdanek, and Flossenbürg. Born in 1895 in Füssen, Germany, Koegel served in the First World War before joining the Nazi Party and the SS in the early 1930s. His career within the camp system began at Dachau, the first Nazi concentration camp, where he quickly rose through the ranks under commandant Hans Loritz. Koegel later became commandant of Ravensbrück, the largest concentration camp for women, before being transferred in 1942 to Majdanek in occupied Poland. There, he oversaw the installation and use of gas chambers, including the use of Zyklon B, facilitating the systematic murder of tens of thousands of prisoners. Under his leadership, Majdanek became a site of starvation, forced labor, disease, and industrialized killing. In 1943, Koegel was appointed commandant of Flossenbürg concentration camp. Prisoners were subjected to brutal forced labor in granite quarries and later in armaments production, including parts for Messerschmitt aircraft. Executions, starvation, disease, and death marches defined the final months of his command. In April 1945, as Allied forces advanced, Koegel ordered the evacuation of thousands of prisoners. Thousands perished during these forced marches due to exhaustion, starvation, or execution by SS guards. After Germany’s defeat, Koegel initially evaded capture but was arrested by U.S. forces in June 1946. Before he could stand trial for his crimes, he committed suicide in prison. Max Koegel’s life reflects the systemic brutality of the Nazi camp system and the role of SS commandants in facilitating mass murder during the Holocaust.This episode is part of the series The Nazi Camp Commandants.Watch the full documentary and explore hundreds of historical films at:WorldHistory.tv