It is no coincidence that the literal translation for the German word “Kugel” is the English word “bullet,” since Mauthausen, where the escaped prisoners were sent, was an extermination center.
Nazi conquest was marked by the establishment of concentration camps over all of Europe. In this connection we refer to Document Number R-129. It is a report on the location of concentration camps signed by Pohl, who was an SS general who was in charge of concentration camp labor policies. Document Number R-129 bears our Exhibit Number USA-217.
I wish to refer particularly to Section 1, Paragraphs numbered 1 and 2 of this document, which are found on Page 1 of the English translation. It is addressed to the Reichsführer SS and bears the stamp “secret”:
“Reichsführer:
“Today I report about the present situation of the concentration camps and about measures I have taken in order to carry out your order of 3 March 1942:
“1. At the outbreak of war there existed the following concentration camps:
“a. Dachau—1939, 4,000 prisoners; today, 8,000.