KZ Gusen - Ein Geheimnis hinter dem Geheimnis? Eine Dekonstruktion.

Abstract

The Gusen concentration camp, constructed from late 1939 onwards and consisting of the Gusen I, II and III camps, was a branch camp of the Mauthausen concentration camp and, with a total of more than 70,000 prisoners, was at times the largest concentration camp on Austrian territory. Initially the prisoners were forced to build the camp and work as forced labourers in the quarries. From 1943 onwards they were increasingly deployed in the arms industry. Starting in early 1944, the prisoners were forced to build a tunnel complex in neighbouring St. Georgen with the codename ‘Bergkristall’ or ‘Esche II’. At around 8 kilometres in length, the complex was intended for the production of components for the Messerschmitt Me 262 jet fighter plane. More than 8,000 prisoners died during the construction of this facility.

In recent years, hypotheses have repeatedly been put about which suggest that the history of the Gusen concentration camp – in particular that of the ‘Bergkristall’ tunnel complex – needs to be ‘rewritten’ on the basis of newly discovered documents. This article aims to provide a comprehensive overview of the hypotheses posited in these debates, which are conducted via the media, and to discuss them on the basis of the current state of research on Gusen. Moreover, the article carries out a critical analysis of the types of arguments used and the associated rhetorical and discursive strategies. In doing so, it seeks to demonstrate that some of the lines of argument put forward exhibit the characteristics of conspiracy theories.

DOI: https://doi.org/10.57820/mm.comments.2022.03