POLIZEIHAFTLAGER RISIERA DI SAN SABBA

San Sabba prison in Trieste Italy. Set up in 1944 in a rice warehouse. A crematorium was built in the courtyard of the warehouse. It was destroyed before the end of the war (blown up on night of 29 April 1945). Estimated number of dead: 5000. 

Nothing remains apart from the outline of the crematorium building. A memorial representing the crematorium has been built in the courtyard. 

"The gas oven was ordered from a metallurgical company in Trieste, apparently for a different purpose; a worker who had helped build the crematorium and in May 1945 recognized its remains among the debris of  the building gave this sketch.

The Slovene resistance movement soon knew what was happening at San Sabba, here are two accusations from 1944."

"Prominent members of the body that had organised the genocide of the Jews were sent to Trieste. Their commander in chief was SS General Odilo Globocnik born in Trieste. The installation of the gas oven in the San Sabba building used for rice husking was as a result of the initiative and expertise of these people. The building was equipped as a Polizeihaftlager (Police detention camp) and was used for imprisonment, interrogation, transfer to german camps (especially for Jewish people) and as a base for antipartisan operations."

The main figures at San Sabba were personnel from the Aktion Reinhardt camps:

a) O Glbocnik

b) E Lambert the builder of the crematorium in San Sabba

c) A.D Allers

d) L Hackenholt

e) J Oberhauser

f) O Stadie

g) Christian Wirth

The kommando was known as "Einheit R"

In addition General L Kuber and Gauleiter Friedrich Rainer. 

Another gas oven was to be built in the Carso village of Prosecco (Prosek). 

Source: Apih, Elio. Risiera Di San Sabba. Commune di Trieste 2000