Wanda Klaff

Who was Wanda Klaff?

Wanda Klaff was a Nazi camp overseer.

Klaff was born in Danzig to German parents as Wanda Kalacinski. She finished school in 1938 and began working in a jam factory. This lasted until 1942 when she married Willy Gapes and became a housewife.

In 1944 Klaff joined the camp staff at the Stutthof's subcamp at Praust. There, she abused many of the prisoners. On 5 October 1944, she arrived at the Russoschin subcamp of Stutthof. There she continued to sadistically abuse prisoners. She fled the camp in early 1945 but on 11 June 1945, she was arrested by Polish officials and soon after was laid up in prison with typhoid fever. She stood trial with the other former female guards. It is said, that she stated at the trial, "I am very intelligent and very devoted to my work in the camps. I struck at least two prisoners every day."

Klaff was found guilty and received a sentence of death for her abuse. She was publicly hanged on 4 July 1946, on Biskupia Górka hill, near Gdańsk.