Dachau Concentration Camp Records — Abbreviation 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) |