War Crimes Trials - Vol. II The Belsen Trial. 'The Trial of Josef Kramer and Forty Four Others'

(83) DEPOSITION OF MEVROUW NETTIE STOPPELMANN (Dutch)

2. All the time I have been at Belsen I have been what is known as a Block chief. There were at times as many as 1000 women in a block.

3-5. A woman called Milham, whose married name was Volkenrath, came to Belsen as Oberaufseherin; that is the head of the women’s section at Belsen. She had held that position at Auschwitz. She frequently used to come to my block and take away our cigarettes, clothes and bread and other foods. It was a habit of hers to get girls to go to her house or office where the women chiefs lived and compel them to "make sport." This meant exercises and took the form of making the girls run round fast and fall down, get up again and repeat the process. This lasted from half an hour to an hour. I myself was made to do this three times in March, 1945, for no reason at all. It made me ill each time.

6. There was in the camp a girl we knew as Stania, who was a prisoner and acted as chief of the camp among the prisoners. She was friendly with all the S.S. women and especially with Volkenrath. She was, I think about 27 years of age, although it is difficult to tell ages in camp, very tall, slender and dark haired. She was suffering, I think, from T.B. About the beginning of April she drank something that made her ill, but said that she had been poisoned by cakes sent from the kitchen. As a result the chief woman cook, her sister and a kitchen hand were shot. They disappeared and their dresses were sent back to their room, which was the custom when women were shot.