It began with 480 prisoners from Sachsenhausen , and grew to 1200 , consisting chiefly of Soviet POWs and captured foreign labourers shipped to Germany .
Early in its life it was also a gathering point for Jehovah 's Witness prisoners .
It began with 480 prisoners from Sachsenhausen , and grew to 1200 , consisting chiefly of Soviet POWs and captured foreign labourers shipped to Germany , although early in its life it was also a gathering point for Jehovah 's Witness prisoners .