Alice Orlowski (30 September 1903 – 21 May 1976) was a German concentration camp guard at several of the Nazi concentration camps in German-occupied Poland (1939–1945) during World War II. After the war, a Polish court convicted of her crimes against humanity, and she served 10 years in prison in Poland. In 1973, Orlowski, now 70 and living as a pensioner in West Germany, muttered that only "half the work" had been finished, referring to the Holocaust. She was promptly arrested, convicted of making antisemitic remarks, and sentenced to 10 months in prison.
Wartime
Born as Alice Minna Elisabeth Elling in Berlin in 1903. She began to train as a guard at the Ravensbrück concentration camp in Germany in 1941. When a child was left over, the two would throw him or her on the top of the adults like luggage and bolt the door shut in what they called "a space-saving operation". Orlowski often awaited the arrivals of new transports of women. She would then whip the prisoners, especially across the eyes. In Plaszow-Kraków, Orlowski was in charge of a work detail on the Camp Street (Lager Strasse) and was known for her viciousness.
In early January 1945, Orlowski was among the SS women posted on the death march to Auschwitz-Birkenau and it was during this time that her behaviour, previously observed as being brutal and sadistic, became more humane. On the death march in mid-January 1945 from Auschwitz to Loslau, Orlowski gave comfort to the inmates, and even slept alongside them on the ground outside. She also brought water to those who were thirsty. It is unknown why her attitude changed, but some speculate that she sensed the war was almost over and she would soon be tried as a war criminal. Orlowski ended up back at Ravensbrück as a guard. but was released in 1957 after serving 10 years. After her release, Orlowski moved to West Germany.
In 1973, Orlowski was at a counter in Cologne when she complained that only "half the work" had been finished, referring to the extermination of the Jews and also allegedly said that "it took twice as long to serve a beer as it did to kill all the Jews." In response, she was arrested for hate speech. A West German court found her guilty of making antisemitic remarks and sentenced her to ten months in prison, of which she served eight months. Orlowski died from natural causes during her trial