Just as in the case of male concentration camps, the ones for women were directly subordinate to a Commandant, who could only be a male member of the SS. The chain of command of female SS guards was like that of male SS guards. The only difference was that in the case of women, the principle of double subordination was implemented, as there was no female counterpart SS institution to deal with the supervision of female staff. Therefore, Commandants of concentration camps determined the tasks and skillset of female staff. Furthermore, female SS guards reported to a senior female SS guard (Oberaufseherin). Although she was the head of the female section of the concentration camp, she was not entitled to command male SS members. The Oberaufseherin was in charge of the female section of the camp and advised the head of the male section of the camp (Schutzhaftlagerführer) regarding all issues where women were involved. With no clear division of responsibilities among them, conflicts between supervisors of male and female sections of Auschwitz concentration camp occurred relatively often, as their scopes of activities overlapped in practice. Johanna Langefeld, acting Oberaufseherin in FKL Ravensbrück and later also in Auschwitz concentration camp tried to expand her authority regarding the female camp, thus causing ongoing conflicts with male staff members.

During the operating time of the female section of the camp and later the concentration camp for women Johanna Langenfeld, Maria Mandl and Elisabeth Volkenrath served as supervisors of female SS guards.

Johanna Langefeld (neé May) was born on March 5, 1900 in Kupferdreh near Essen. Since March 1938, she had been working as a female SS guard in Lichtenburg concentration camp, where she was promoted to Oberaufseherin. From mid-May 1939 to March 1942, she was head of female SS guards in Ravensbrück and later in Auschwitz concentration camp. As she was not able to get along with the Commandant of the camp Rudolf Höss, in September 1942 she came back to Ravensbrück concentration camp. At the beginning of 1943, she also couldn't avoid a conflict with the Commandant SS Hauptsturmführer Fritz Suhren, who had held this function since the summer of 1942. The Commandant put obstacles on her path, whenever he could, and she paid him back accusing him of corruption and misuse. As she protested against the execution by shooting of a group of Polish women in March 1943, she was accused of sympathising with prisoners and dismissed from service in April 1943 under this pretext.

After losing her job, she was forced to find other employment. In the spring of 1943, along with her 15-year- old son Herbert she moved to her sister Maria in Munich. She found employment as a worker in the BMW factory, where she worked until the end of the war. Because of her service in concentration camps, she was detained on December 20, 1945 in Füssen by US military forces and after an interrogation sent to internment camp number 8 in Garmisch-Partenkirchen. In 1946, she was extradited to Poland to be tried. Johanna Langefeld managed to avoid punishment, as in December 1946 she escaped under unclear circumstances from Montelupich prison in Cracow. She died in 1974 in Augsburg.

Maria Mandl - born on January 10, 1912 in Münzkirchen in Upper Austria. In October 1938 she started working as a female SS guard in concentration camps. She started in Lichtenburg concentration camp, then was transferred in May 1939 to Ravensbrück concentration camp for women. In the time from April to October 1942 she held the function of Oberaufseherin. At the beginning of October 1942, she was delegated to serve in Auschwitz concentration camp, where she also was the head supervisor of female SS guards. In fall 1944, she received an appointment to Mühldorf am Inn, a subcamp of Dachau concentration camp. In August 1945, she was arrested by the US Army and deported to internment camp number 77 in Ludwigsburg. In autumn 1946, she was extradited to Poland, where she was one of the defendants in the trial of forty former staff members of Auschwitz concentration camp. She was sentenced to death by hanging by the Highest National Tribunal for the crimes she committed in Auschwitz concentration camp. The sentence was carried out in January 1948 in the Montelupich prison in Cracow.

Elisabeth Volkenrath (neé Mühlan) was born on September 5, 1919 in Schönau. In October 1941, she began her service in Ravensbrück concentration camp for women, where she was delegated in March 1942 to the newly created female section of Auschwitz concentration camp. In the main camp of Auschwitz, she was responsible for guarding the prisoners working in the SS tailor’s workshop and laundry, both of which were situated in the basement of the headquarters building (Stabsgebäude). In December 1942, she was assigned to supervise the packaging station of Birkenau. In autumn 1944, she was promoted to head supervisor of female SS guards. With the evacuation of the camp in January 1945, she was delegated to serve in Bergen-Belsen concentration camp, where she was Oberaufseherin until March 1945. Together with other staff members from the camp, she was detained by the British Army which liberated the camp in April 1945. Elisabeth Volkenrath was tried in the first trial of the staff members of Bergen-Belsen concentration camp by the Military Tribunal for War Crimes in Lünenburg lasting from September 17 to November 17, 1945. She was sentenced to death by hanging. The sentence was carried out in December 1945 in the Hamlen prison.

A female report leader (Rapportführerin) was a position below an Oberaufseherin in the camp hierarchy. A report leader was the right hand and supervisor of block leaders (Blockführerin).

Her main task was to keep order and discipline. Based on reports she received from block leaders, she wrote her daily reports and controlled the number of prisoners during morning and evening roll calls. Furthermore, the report leader was present when punishments were imposed on prisoners infringing the camp regulations. In Auschwitz concentration camp, report leaders also participated in selections, where women who were sick and unable to work were selected to be murdered in gas chambers. During the period between March 1942 and January 1945 at least few female SS guards worked as report leaders in Auschwitz concentration camp. These include: Therese Brandl, Luise Danz, Margot Drechsel, Irma Grese, Elisabeth Ruppert and Gertrud Zlotos.

Margot Lisabeth Drechsler was born on May 17, 1908 in Neugersdorf in Saxony. From March 1942 to November 1944, she worked in Auschwitz concentration camp as a report leader. In November 1944, she was transferred to Flossenbürg concentration camp, where she remained until the end of the war.

A supervisor of the camp’s work service (Arbeitsdienstführerin) oversaw work assignments of the prisoners. She was responsible for carrying out necessary calculations, preparing work assignment lists of prisoners, calculating work efficiency of particular work Kommandos and submitting reports regarding these issues. In Auschwitz concentration camp, Elisabeth Hasse held this function. According to testimonies, she was considered to be one of the cruelest female SS guards in the entire camp.

Block leaders (Blockführerinnen) were even lower in the camp’s hierarchy as they were responsible for overseeing one or a couple of blocks. Each block leader had to draw a daily report on the number of prisoners in the block; the report was then submitted to a report leader. Additionally, the block leader was also responsible for keeping her block tidy and prisoners disciplined. In contrast to functions such as: Oberaufseherin, Rapportführerin and Arbeitsdienstführerin, which were held for a relatively long period of time, a considerable personnel turnover was typical for block leaders. Some block leaders in Auschwitz included: Luise Brunner, Irma Grese and Monika Miklas.

All female SS guards with no function belonged to two groups. The first ones were so-called technical guards (technische Aufseherinnen) who oversaw particular buildings in the camp (such as: the prisoners’ kitchen, the SS kitchen, bath, packaging station). The second group consisted of guards who oversaw prisoners working outside the camp, for instance in the fields. They were supervisors of working squads (Kommandoführerin) and their task was to accompany female prisoners on their way to the workplace and to guard them during their work.

Because of the character of their assignment, they often had a dog and a handgun at their disposal in order to prevent prisoners working outside the camp from escaping.