Editing Fort Breendonk (section)

===Administration and inmates===
On 20 September 1940, the first prisoners arrived. Initially most of the prisoners were petty criminals, people deemed anti-social, or who did not conform to the German race laws. Later on, resistance fighters, political prisoners and ordinary people captured as hostages were detained as well. Another section was used as a transit camp for Jews being sent to death camps in Eastern Europe such as [[Auschwitz concentration camp#Auschwitz II-Birkenau|Auschwitz-Birkenau]].

The camp was guarded by [[Germanic SS|Flemish collaborationist paramilitaries]] as well as German [[SS]] units. Of the 300 prisoners that died in the camp itself, 185 were executed; many of the rest died of torture, disease or exposure. Most of those that did survive were transported to [[concentration camp]]s. The German execution poles and gallows, as well as the torture chamber, are preserved in the current museum on the site.

Between 3,500 and 3,600 prisoners were incarcerated in Breendonk during its existence,{{sfn|Pahaut|Maerten|2006|p=25}} of whom 1,733 died before liberation.<ref>{{cite journal |author=N. C. |date=6 December 2007 |title=Le Mémorial de Breendonk ne change pas de nom |periodical=Le Soir |page=5 |language=fr |url=http://archives.lesoir.be/breendonk-le-memorial-8230-8230-ne-changera-pas-de-nom_t-20071206-00E2EG.html }}</ref> About 400-500 were Jews.{{sfn|Pahaut|Maerten|2006|p=19}} Most of the non-Jewish prisoners were [[left-wing]] members of the Belgian resistance or were held as hostages by the Germans. In September 1941, the Belgian Communist prisoners held at Breendonk were deported to [[Neuengamme concentration camp]].{{sfn|Pahaut|Maerten|2006|p=23}}{{sfn|USHMM Encyclopedia}}

Jewish prisoners in Breendonk were segregated from other prisoners until 1942. Thereafter, Jews were transferred to the nearby [[Mechelen transit camp]] and deported to the [[Auschwitz concentration camp|Auschwitz-Birkenau]] extermination camp in Nazi-occupied Poland.<!--In total over 15 transports filled with mostly Jews left the camp; almost no one survived.-->{{sfn|Pahaut|Maerten|2006|p=19}}