Dachau Concentration Camp Records
Glossary


This glossary is intended to be used as a translation guide for two fields in the Dachau Concentration Camp Records Database (from reels 15 through 19 of the Captured German Records Collection).

The data in the leftmost column of this table represents the contents of the fields used both to categorize the prisoners, and to describe their disposition. Because the transcribers of the original data were asked to transcribe the data exactly as it appeared, the data included many abbreviations that were not used consistently when the information was originally recorded. Additionally, instead of always specifying unique abbreviations for unique designations, some abbreviations were used to distinguish multiple designations. This explains the appearance in the list below, of multiple translations for a single abbreviation.

ABBREVIATION EXPANDED WORDS TRANSLATION
AH Asozialer Häftling asocial prisoner?
AH Arbeitserziehungshäftling work education prisoner
AH-J Asozialer Häftling-Jude asocial Jewish prisoner
AL Albaner Albanian
AR Araber Arabian
Aso Asozial general term for persons considered uncooperative for various reasons
Aso Asozialer Asocial
Au Auschwitz
AZG Asozialer/Gemeindebehörde Asocial prisoner delivered by local authorities
AZR Asozialer/Reichsbehörde Asocial prisoner delivered by Reich authorities
AZR-J Arbeitserziehungshäftling-Jude work education prisoner-Jew
AZR-J Asozialer/Reichsbehörde-Jude Jewish asocial prisoner delivered by Reich authorities
B Belgier Belgian
Befr Befreit liberated (at end of war)
Bifo Bibelforscher Jehovah’s Witness
Bu Buchenwald
BV Berufsverbrecher professional criminal—person with several convictions.Also, though more rarely, Beschränkte Verhaftung : limited imprisonment
BV Befristete Vorbeugungshaft Prisoner under temporary preventive custody
C Tscheche Czech (same as T)
Doe Deutschoesterreich official name for Austria before incorporation into the Deutsche Reich (i.e., for prisoners taken to Dachau right after theAnschluss)
DR Deutsches Reich German or Austrian
E Engländer English prisoner
Em Emigrant Emigré
EmJ Emigrant Jude Jewish Emigré
Entl Entlassen released
F Franzose French prisoner
Fl Flossenburg
G Grieche Greek
Gest Gestorben died
H Holländer Dutch
I Italiener Italian
IBV Internationale Bibelforschervereingung Jehovah's Witness
J Jude Jew
J Jugoslawe Yugoslavian
K Kroate Croatian
Krg Kriegsgefangener prisoner of war (sometimes listed as AZA)
L Luxemburger Luxembourger
L Litauer Lithuanian
L Lettländer Latvian
Loth/Lothg Lothringer or Lorraine as in Alsace Lorranie
Mau Mauthausen
n Nach to
N Norweger Norwegian
Natz Natzweiler
NL Niederländer Dutch
NN Name Unbekannt name unknown, usually used for unknown name of camp
P Pole Polish
Para 175 DR Paragraph 175-Deutsches Reich Homosexual German or Austrian, same as Sch Para 175
PLI Polizeihaft Police custody, same as PVH?
Pol Politischer Political prisoner [German or Austrian]
Pol C Politischer-Tscheche Political prisoner (Czech political prisoner)
PolDR Politischer-Deutsches Reich German or Austrian political prisoner
PP Politischer Polischer Polish political prisoner
PPol Politischer Polischer Polish political prisoner
PSV Politischer Sicherheits Verwahrte Political security prisoner
PSV Polizeiliche Sicherheitsverwahrung Police security detention, same as SV
PSV-J Polizeiliche Sicherheitsverwahrung-Jude Police security detention-Jew, same as SV
R Russe Soviet political prisoner
RD Reichsdeutsch Ethnic german, used for Poles and others considered of German race
RKG Russicher Kriegsgefangener Soviet POW, same as SU-Kgf
RU Rumäne Romanian
RZA Russicher Zivilarbeiter Soviet civilian conscript laborer
S Spanier Spaniard
S Sicherheitsverwahrung security detention
Sch Schutzhaft protective custody
Sch Schutzhäftling literally, protected prisoner, but really simply prisoner. Sch is often followed by one or two letters, e.g. Sch. P. (Polish prisoner) or Sch. P.J. (Polish Jewish prisoner).
Sch Para 175 Schutzhaft-Paragraph 175 Homosexual, same as Para 175-DR
Sch Z KL Schutzhaft-zweimal Konzentrationslager protective custody-twice concentration camp; i.e., recidivist
Sch-Bifo Schutzhaft-Bibelforscher protective custody-Jehovah's Witness
Sch-J Schutzhaft-Jude protective custody-Jew
Sch-J Bifo Schutzhaft-Bibelforscher-Jude protective custody-Jewish Jehovah's Witness (?)
Schw Schweizer Swiss
SD Sicherheitsdienst SS
Sl Slowake Slovakian
St Staatenlos stateless
Su Kgf Sowjetunion-Kriegsgefangener Soviet POW, samd as RKG
SV Sicherheitsverwahrung security detention, same as PSV
T Tscheche Czech (same as C)
U Ungar Hungarian
Ü Überstellt transferred, e.g. ü. 9/5/39 Mau, transferred 9/5/39 to Mauthausen
UNG Ungarn Hungarian
v von from, e.g., v.6/9/44 Natz, from Natzweiler 6/9/44.
VD Volksdeutsch basically same as Reichsdeutsch
WA Wehrmachtsangehöriger Member of the German military
Z Zigeuner Gypsy
ZA Zivilarbeiter civilian conscript laborer
ZA Ldw Zivilarbeiter Landwirtschaft Agricultural civilian conscript laborer
ZR Zivilrusse Russian civilian
Zug Zugekommen arrived (from where/when)

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Last updated July 26, 2002 by RdR