(K)ein rosa Winkel – Zur Situation der Haftgruppe „Homosexuelle“ im Lagerkomplex Flossenbürg

Abstract

The notion that prisoners who were forced to wear a pink triangle in concentration camps occupied the very lowest position in the camp hierarchy and were subjected to violence and murder to an extent few other groups experienced, has profoundly shaped scholarly engagement with this prisoner group. The present text attempts to add further nuances to existing research results. It is the first academic article to focus explicitly on the conditions of existence of the prisoner group classified as “homosexuals” within the Flossenbürg camp complex, highlighting the specific features that distinguished Flossenbürg. Unlike in Sachsenhausen, for example, no targeted killings of large parts of this group can be verified for Flossenbürg, and with regard to the triangle itself, the SS in Flossenbürg chose to deviate from the colored classification symbols used in Dachau. In addition, seven biographical sketches retrace the incarceration paths of prisoners who were deported from the Flossenbürg camp system – sometimes via indirect routes – to Mauthausen, illustrating that the prisoner status “homosexual” could in fact change over time.           

DOI: https://www.doi.org/10.57820/mm.comments.2025.02