If This Is a Woman Inside Ravensbrück

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If This Is a Woman Inside Ravensbrück FICHA TÉCNICA Título original: If This Is a Woman Inside Ravensbrück: Hitler’s Concentration Camp for Women Autora: Sarah Helm Copyright © 2015 by Sarah Helm Edição publicada originalmente em 2015, em língua inglesa, no Reino Unido, por Little, Brown, uma chancela de Little, Brown Book Group Tradução © Editorial Presença, Lisboa, 2015 Tradução: Ana Saldanha Imagem da capa: Shutterstock Arranjo gráfico: Catarina Sequeira Gaeiras/Editorial Presença Composição, impressão e acabamento: Multitipo — Artes Gráficas, Lda. 1.a edição, Lisboa, setembro, 2015 Depósito legal n.o 397 101/15 Reservados todos os direitos para a língua portuguesa (exceto Brasil) à EDITORIAL PRESENÇA Estrada das Palmeiras, 59 Queluz de Baixo 2730 -132 BARCARENA E -mail: [email protected] www.presenca.pt SeIstoEMulher-PDF_imac.indd 6 8/31/15 4:54 PM ÍNDICE PRÓLOGO .................................................................................................. 13 PRIMEIRA PARTE 1. Langefeld .............................................................................................. 23 2. Sandgrube ............................................................................................... 45 3. Blockovas ................................................................................................ 68 4. A Visita de Himmler ............................................................................ 85 5. A Dádiva de Estaline ............................................................................ 94 6. Else Krug .............................................................................................. 109 7. Doutor Sonntag .................................................................................... 121 8. Doutor Mennecke ................................................................................. 136 9. Bernburg ............................................................................................... 157 SEGUNDA PARTE 10. Lublin ................................................................................................... 179 11. Auschwitz ............................................................................................. 199 12. Costura ................................................................................................. 212 13. Coelhas ................................................................................................. 229 14. Experiências Especiais ........................................................................... 240 15. Cura ...................................................................................................... 254 TERCEIRA PARTE 16. Exército Vermelho ................................................................................ 279 17. Yevgenia Klemm .................................................................................. 288 18. Doutor Treite ........................................................................................ 303 19. Quebrar o Círculo ................................................................................. 325 20. Transporte Negro .................................................................................. 343 11 SeIstoEMulher-PDF_imac.indd 11 8/28/15 6:04 PM QUARTA PARTE 21. Vingt ‑Sept Mille ...................................................................................... 365 22. Queda ................................................................................................... 376 23. Aguentar ............................................................................................... 388 24. Contacto ............................................................................................... 400 QUINTA PARTE 25. Paris e Varsóvia ..................................................................................... 417 26. Kinderzimmer .......................................................................................... 427 27. Protesto................................................................................................. 436 28. Abordagens Secretas .............................................................................. 448 29. Doutora Loulou ..................................................................................... 456 SEXTA PARTE 30. Húngaros .............................................................................................. 475 31. Uma Festa Infantil ................................................................................ 484 32. A Marcha da Morte ............................................................................... 498 33. Campo da Juventude ............................................................................. 505 34. Esconder ‑se ........................................................................................... 526 35. Königsberg ........................................................................................... 538 36. Bernadotte ............................................................................................ 550 37. Emilie ................................................................................................... 560 38. Nelly..................................................................................................... 578 39. Masur .................................................................................................... 592 40. Autocarros Brancos ............................................................................... 610 41. Libertação ............................................................................................. 628 EPÍLOGO .................................................................................................... 650 NOTAS ........................................................................................................ 677 BIBLIOGRAFIA .......................................................................................... 714 AGRADECIMENTOS ................................................................................. 730 12 SeIstoEMulher-PDF_imac.indd 12 8/28/15 6:04 PM PRÓLOGO Do aeroporto de Tegel, em Berlim, demora‑se pouco mais de uma hora a chegar a Ravensbrück de automóvel. Da primeira vez que fiz essa viagem, em fevereiro de 2006, demorei mais tempo, porque caía muita neve e um camião tinha ‑se atravessado na via de cintura de Berlim. Heinrich Himmler ia muitas vezes de automóvel a Ravensbrück, mesmo quando fazia um tempo atroz como este. O chefe da SS tinha amigos na zona e aproveitava para fazer uma visita de inspeção ao campo de concentração. Raramente partia sem deixar novas ordens. Uma vez, ordenou que fossem incluídos mais tubérculos na sopa das prisioneiras. Noutra ocasião, disse que o extermínio não estava a avançar com suficiente rapidez. Ravensbrück foi o único campo de concentração construído especificamente para mulheres. O campo tomou o nome da pequena vila adjacente à cidade de Fürstenberg e situa ‑se a cerca de oitenta quilómetros a norte de Berlim, junto à estrada para Rostock, na costa báltica da Alemanha. As mulheres que che‑ gavam à noite julgavam por vezes estar perto da costa, porque sentiam o sal no vento; por vezes, sentiam também areia debaixo dos pés. Quando amanhecia, viam que o campo tinha sido construído na margem de um lago e que estava rodeado por uma floresta. Himmler gostava que os seus campos de concen‑ tração se localizassem em zonas de beleza natural e que, de preferência, não estives sem ao alcance da vista. Atualmente, o campo de concentração conti‑ nua a não estar ao alcance da vista; os crimes horrendos ali perpetrados e a cora‑ gem das suas vítimas permanecem ainda, em grande medida, desconhecidos. Ravensbrück entrou em funcionamento em maio de 1939, pouco menos de quatro meses antes da eclosão da guerra, e os Russos liberta ram ‑no seis anos mais tarde — foi um dos últimos campos de concentração a que os Aliados chegaram. No primeiro ano, contava com menos de 2000 prisio‑ neiras, quase todas alemãs. Muitas tinham sido detidas por se oporem a Hitler — comunistas, por exemplo, e testemunhas de Jeová, que chamavam Anticristo a Hitler. Outras foram detidas simplesmente porque os nazis as consideravam seres inferiores e queriam removê ‑las da sociedade: prosti‑ tutas, criminosas, mulheres sem ‑abrigo e ciganas. Mais tarde, o campo de 13 SeIstoEMulher-PDF_imac.indd 13 8/28/15 6:04 PM concentração viria a receber milhares de mulheres capturadas em países ocu‑ pados pelos nazis, muitas delas pertencentes à resistência. Para lá, também eram levadas crianças. Uma pequena percentagem das prisioneiras — cerca de dez por cento — era judia, mas o campo não foi formalmente designado como um campo de concentração para judias. No seu auge, o campo de Ravensbrück contava com uma população de cerca de 45 000 mulheres; ao longo dos seis anos da sua existência, cerca de 130 000 passaram pelos seus portões, para serem espancadas, obrigadas a passar fome e a trabalhar até à morte, envenenadas, executadas e assassinadas com gás. Segundo as estimativas, o número total de mortes oscila entre 30 000 e 90 000; provavelmente, o número efetivo de mortes situa ‑se entre esses dois, mas a quantidade de documentos da SS sobre o campo de concentração que che‑ garam até aos nossos dias é tão reduzida que nunca será possível saber ao certo. A destruição maciça de provas em Ravensbrück é mais uma das razões por que a história do campo de concentração se manteve na obscuridade. Nos últimos dias, todos os dossiês de todas as prisioneiras foram queimados no crematório ou em fogueiras, juntamente com
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