One of the 3 largest labor camps in Estonia. Klooga was established in the summer of 1943, as a sub-camp of the Vaivara concentration camp. The camp held some 2,000—3,000 prisoners, who arrived in August and September of 1943 from the Vilna Ghetto. A smaller contingent came from the Kovno Ghetto, whilst 100 Soviet prisoners of war were also interned there.
The Germans established camps in Estonia in order to take advantage of the local natural resources. Prisoners were forced to manufacture goods for the German war effort and build fortifications against the impending Soviet army. At Klooga, most prisoners worked in brick and cement factories and sawmills. A smaller group worked in a wooden clog factory. The conditions at the camp were brutal - prisoners received meager food and water rations and were forced to work even when they were ill. A 75-man underground was active in Klooga; however, due to constant prisoner transfers, the underground was unable to organize itself for an uprising.
The Germans began evacuating Klooga in the summer of 1944. On September 19, SS men shot the last 2,500 prisoners in the camp. Only 85 prisoners managed to hide and thus survive.