Labor Camp Möhnewiesen

The Möhnewiesen forced labor camp, established in 1942 in Neheim (now Arnsberg), housed mostly female Eastern European forced laborers. On May 17, 1943, it was destroyed by the flood following the Möhne Dam breach, killing many inhabitants.

Neheim, a metal industry hub, relied on forced laborers due to wartime labor shortages. Initially housed in private accommodations, they were later moved to a communal camp near the Möhne River, organized by local companies. By December 1942, the camp held around 1,200 women, later joined by male workers in February 1943.
The camp had 16 barracks, each containing dormitories, washrooms, common areas, and a sick bay. Barbed wire enclosed the site, and workers were locked in at night and escorted to factories under guard.

Food was severely inadequate, causing malnutrition and low productivity. Forced laborers endured long hours on meager rations, including "Russian bread"—a mix of rye meal, sugar beets, and straw flour. Many bartered or worked for meals to survive.

During Operation Chastise, RAF bombers breached the Möhne Dam, causing a massive flood that destroyed 200 houses, several factories, and the labor camp.

Panic broke out in the Möhnewiesen labor camp. Some of the otherwise locked barracks were opened, others remained closed. But the gate to the camp remained closed. Some female forced laborers managed to climb over the fences. Some were able to escape to higher ground, others fled in the wrong direction and died.

Pastor Joseph Hellmann described barracks swept away like toy houses, with families calling out for missing loved ones. The bodies of the forced laborers were later found in Schwerte, 40 kilometers away

Most victims, both Germans and forced laborers, were buried in mass graves at Möhne Cemetery, with at least 526 female laborers confirmed dead.

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Source

• Text: TracesofWar
• Photos: TracesofWar