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After Nazi Germany invaded the Soviet Union in June 1941, the city of Lviv fell under brutal German occupation. In the Janowska camp, thousands of Jewish prisoners were subjected to forced labour, torture, executions, and systematic terror carried out by SS personnel and camp authorities.
Living inside the camp was Elisabeth Willhaus, wife of commandant Gustav Willhaus. From the balcony of their villa, she reportedly shot prisoners working below, often in front of guests and even her young daughter. Witness testimonies described random killings carried out “for sport,” turning everyday violence into part of life inside the camp.
This story follows Elisabeth Willhaus’s rise within the Nazi system, the crimes committed at Janowska camp in German-occupied Poland, and the postwar investigations into her actions after the collapse of the Third Reich.

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“Nazi Camp Commandant’s Wife Who Shot Prisoners for Sport: Elisabeth Willhaus”

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Transcript
00:00Elizabeth Villhaus did not remain separate from what was happening around her.
00:04On the contrary, she developed her own reputation.
00:08First, Elizabeth insisted that their villa, which was inside the camp, required renovations
00:14and demanded the construction of a second-floor balcony, where the family could enjoy afternoon refreshments.
00:21She used Jewish prisoners as slaves to do whatever she needed at home,
00:25including the gardening work, and as they were working outside, she kept a close eye on them from the balcony.
00:32She used this vantage point also to shoot prisoners for the sport of it, as one Jewish eyewitness stated.

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