Map of the external kommandos
From 1942 onwards, external Kommandos provided “cheap labour” to German industrialists and helped to meet the needs of the Nazi war economy.
More than 80 Kommandos dependent on the Neuengamme camp were created in regions sometimes far from the Central Camp. The deportees assigned to these kommandos worked for the arms and amunitions industries, for energy production and vehicle manufacturing, but were also employed in clearing land, repairing roads and railways, rebuilding or clearing bombs.
HAMBURG Area : 18 Kommandos
BLOHM & VOSS – on the port, right bank of the Elbe. Naval constructions and clearing.
BULLENHUSER DAMM – south-east of the city. Clearing, recovery of building materials.
DESSAUER UFER/VEDDEL – on the port, south of the city (Men). Clearing, digging of anti-tank ditches, fuel production.
DESTROY UFER/VEDDEL – on the port, south of the city (Women). Clearing, fuel production.
DEUTSCHE WERFT (Finkenwerder) – on the port, left bank of the Elbe, to the west. Shipyards, clearance, mine clearance.
EIDELSTEDT – northwest of the city (Women). Ammunition production, clearance and construction.
FUHLSBÜTTEL – north of the city. Police prison (Gestapo). Clearing of the port. Anti-tank ditches.
HOWALDTWERKE – right bank of the Elbe. Shipyard, clearing.
LANGENHORN – north of the city (Women). Manufacture of guns and ammunition, construction of temporary housing.
NEUGRABEN – south of Hamburg and west of Harburg. (Women). Clearing and construction, tile making.
POPPENBÜTTEL and SASEL – in the north-east of the city (Women). Construction BLOHM & VOSS -on the port, right bank of the Elbe. Shipbuilding and clearing. .
SPALDINGSTRASSE – south-east of the city. Building, clearing, railway repair, shipbuilding.
SPRINGKOMMANDO BRACKDAMM – in the city. Searching for and clearing unexploded bombs.
STÜLKENWERFT – on the port, left bank of the Elbe. Sub-K° of Spaldingstrasse. Building, clearance, shipbuilding.
TIEFSTACK – on the harbour, south-east (Women). Mechanical engineering, cement works, anti-tank ditches.
VEDDEL – right bank of the Elbe, 20 km west of Hamburg. (Women). Clearing works.
VEDDEL – right bank of the Elbe, 20 km west of Hamburg. (Men). Digging of anti-tank ditches.
WANDSBEK – east of the city (Women). Gas mask factory.
Bremen Area (Brême) : 9 Kommandos
BLUMENTHAL – northwest of Bremen on the Weser. Shipyards.
BORGWARD-WERKE – in the city. Car manufacturing.
VALENTIN” FARGE – northwest of Bremen. Construction of the bunker of the submarine base Valentin. (Numerous French).
HINDENBURGKASERNE – in town. (Women). Construction, clearing, prefabricated concrete slabs.
HORNISSE (RIESPOTT) – KRIEGSMARINE – North-West. Clearing, bunker construction for submarines and slag evacuation.
LÜBBERSTEDT – north of Bremen. (Women). Manufacture of ammunition for air defence.
OBERNHEIDE – in town. (Women). Building, clearing.
SCHÜTZENHOF – south-east of Bremen. Shipyards.
UPHUSEN (BEHELFSWOHNBAU) – south-east of Bremen. (Women). Clearing, concrete slabs for temporary housing.
HANNOVER Area (Hanovre) : 7 Kommandos
AHLEM – west of the city. Ammunition factory, clearance, construction of underground gallery, armour and tank machinery.
LINDEN MÜHLENBERG – southwest of the city. Construction of car engines and cannon.
LANGENHAGEN – north of Hannover, east of the airfield. (Women). Manufacture of aircraft components and repairs.
LIMMER (CONTINENTAL) – west of the city. (Women). Manufacture of gas masks.
MISBURG – east of town. Clearing and fuel production.
STÖCKEN (ACCU) – to the northwest of the town. Manufacture of submarine accumulators (Accumulatorenfabrik).
STÖCKEN (CONTI) – northwest of the city. Manufacture of rubber for airplane and car tires. (Continental Gummi-Werke)..
BRAUNSCHWEIG Area (Brunswick) : 9 Kommandos
- BÜSSING NAG – city centre. Truck factory, excavation and construction. (Annex to VECHELDE).
BRAUNSCHWEIG SS-REITSCHULE – city centre. (Women). Clearing.
SALZGITTER BAD – Salzgitter. (Women). Making grenades and shells.
SALZGITTER DRÜTTE – Salzgitter. Hermann Göring factories. Production of ammunition, shells, grenades.
SALZGITTER WATENSTEDT – Salzgitter. (Men). Production of bombs and shells. Maintenance steelworks Stahlwerke Braunschweig.
SALZGITTER WATENSTEDT – Salzgitter. (Women). Manufacture of ammunition, firm Stahlwerke Braunschweig.
SALZGITTER GEBHARDSHAGEN – West of Salzgitter. Extraction of ore in an iron mine.
SCHANDELAH – east of Braunschweig. Steinöl refinery. Oil shale mining.
TRUPPENWIRTSCHAFTSLAGER – in the city of Braunschweig. Construction of a barracks for the SS, army stores.
MINDEN - PORTA-WESTFALICA Area : 5 Kommandos
- BARKHAUSEN PORTA – south of Minden, west of the Weser. Levelling, mine galleries: aircraft construction.
HAUSBERGE PORTA – south of Minden, east of the Weser. (Men). Construction of an underground aircraft factory and refinery.
HAUSBERGE PORTA – South Minden, East Weser. (Women). Manufacture and assembly of radio lamps in an underground factory.
LERBECK PORTA – east of Minden. Repair of aircraft and tank engines.
NEESEN – south-east of Minden. Cement works
SCHLESWIG-HOLSTEIN Area : 9 Kommandos
HUSUM-SCHWESING – in the west of the state. Digging of anti-tank ditches in the marshy coastal area (Frisenwall).
KALTENKIRCHEN and NÜTZEN – north of Hamburg. Excavation and development of an airport for the Luftwaffe.
KIEL SPRINGKOMMANDO – on the outskirts of Kiel. Removal of unexploded bombs. Clearing of unexploded bombs.
LADELUND – west of Flensburg (4 km from Denmark). Digging of anti-tank ditches and construction of shelters (Frisenwall).
LÜTJENBURG HOHWACHT – east of Kiel. Manufacture of navigation devices for the Luftwaffe.
MÖLLN-BREITENFELDE – 40 km east of Hamburg. SS direction of the Mölln building, work in a sawmill.
NEUSTADT in HOLSTEIN – north of Lübeck. Construction of barracks for SS military hospital.
WEDEL – 20 km west of Hamburg, right bank of the Elbe. (Men). Digging of anti-tank ditches
WEDEL – 20 km west of Hamburg, right bank of the Elbe. (Women). Clearing.
BASSE-SAXE Area (NIEDERSACHSEN) : 10 Kommandos
ALT GARGE and BARSKAMP – south-east of Hamburg. Earthworks, construction of a power plant.
FALLERSLEBEN-LAAGBERG – north-east of Braunschweig. (Men). Earthworks (in clay) and construction work for Wolkswagen factories.
FALLERSLEBEN and WOLFSBURG – north-east of Braunschweig. (Women). Works for the Wolkswagen factories.
GOSLAR – 50 km south of Braunschweig. SS building management.
HELMSTEDT-BEENDORF – east of Braunschweig. (Men). Installation of underground plants in a salt mine.
HELMSTEDT-BEENDORF – east of Braunschweig. (Women) Working for aeronautics in an underground factory (salt mine).
HILDESHEIM – south-east of Hanover. Earthworks for the German railways. Lead mines.
HORNEBURGE – south-west of Hamburg. (Women – 2 Kommandos). Manufacture of radio lamps. Work in a leather workshop.
SALZWEDEL – north-east of Braunschweig. (Women). Wire drawing, cables. Manufacture of mines and ammunition.
UELZEN – 70 km north of Braunschweig. Earthworks for German railways, track repairs..
From WESER to EMS : 6 Kommandos
- AURICH-ENGERHAFE – between Weser in the east and Ems in the west. Fortifications and digging of anti-tank ditches.
LENGERICH – south-west of Osnabrück. Construction of an underground aircraft factory (fighters).
MEPPEN-DALUM – in Elmsland, near the Dutch border. Construction of defensive works and anti-tank ditches.
MEPPEN-VERSEN – in the Elmsland, near the Dutch border. in the Elmsland, near the Dutch border.
VERDEN – south-east of Bremen, right bank of the Weser. Construction of an SS training centre. Repairs.
WILHELMSHAVEN-KRIEGSMARINE – north-west of Bremen, on the North Sea. Shipyards, excavation. (Numerous French).
MECKLEMBURG-BRANDEBURG Area : 5 Kommandos
- BOIZENBURG – south-east of Hamburg. (Women). Manufacture of components for aircraft and ships.
DÜSSIN – South-east of Scwherin. Farm work.
GARLITZ – South-east of Scwherin. Work for the SS.
WITTENBERGE – South of Ludwigslust, right bank of the Elbe. Construction of a chemical plant. Cellulose and fibre plant.
WÖBBELIN – north of Ludwigslust. Construction of a camp for P.G. A meeting point for numerous evacuation convoys. Became a camp for evacuated deportees in April 1945.
Baltique Area - 2 Kommandos
- DARSS-WIECK – Peninsula northeast of Rostock. Cutting works.
DARSS-ZINGST – Peninsula northeast of Rostock. Cutting work.
BAUBRIGADEN (flying squads)
- 1st SS BAUBRIGADE – ALDERNEY – Channel Island of Alderney. Construction of fortifications and buildings.
2nd SS BAUBRIGADE – BREMEN – in Bremen. Clearing, construction of air-raid shelters.
2nd SS BAUBRIGADE – HAMBURG – in town, Hammerbrook. Clearing, rescue works.
2nd SS BAUBRIGADE – LÜNEBURG-KALAND – city of Lüneburg. Construction of air-raid shelters.
2nd SS BAUBRIGADE – OSNABRÜCK – 100 km south-west of Bremen. Clearing works.
2nd SS BAUBRIGADE – WILHELMSHAVEN – in town. Clearing and construction.
3rd SS BAUBRIGADE – BAD SASSENDORF – in the Ruhr. Excavation, railway repair work.