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Extermination Camp Doctors

During the historical examination of the Holocaust, the concentration camps, and the Nazi war crimes, much of the focus seems to be on the Nazis rather than their victims either individually or collectively (with the exception of six million Jews murdered during the Holocaust). Perhaps this is done deliberately. The more we know about how the Nazis rose to power, the policies they enacted to stay in power, and above all, the crimes they committed might help us to understand how this could happen again. Most importantly, it will ensure we don’t forget and hopefully, stay vigilant for modern-day political abuses of power and similar policies that slowly erode democracy and individual freedoms (e.g., anti-Semitism, racism, calls for denouncements, elimination of the free press, arrests and imprisonment for anti-government positions, etc.).

One group of Nazis that has been well documented are the concentration camp doctors. These men and women are the Schutzstaffel, or SS doctors who performed medical experiments on camp inmates, participated in the sorting process, and committed crimes against humanity. They included Karl Brandt (1904−1948; executed), Herta Oberhauser (1911−1978; 20 years-released in 1952), Josef Mengele (1911−1979, drowned), Karl Gebhardt (1897−1948; executed), and Viktor Brack (1904−1948; executed), to name just a few.

SS-Gruppenführer Karl Gebhardt, doctor at KZ Ravensbrück and KZ Auschwitz-Birkenau. Gebhardt was found guilty of crimes against humanity and executed. Photo by Kurt Alber (c. 1944). Bundesarchiv, Bild 183-S73523/CC-BY-SA 3.0. PD-CCA-Share Alike 3.0 Germany. Wikimedia Commons.
SS-Gruppenführer Karl Gebhardt, doctor at KZ Ravensbrück and KZ Auschwitz-Birkenau. Gebhardt was found guilty of crimes against humanity and executed. Photo by Kurt Alber (c. 1944). Bundesarchiv, Bild 183-S73523/CC-BY-SA 3.0. PD-CCA-Share Alike 3.0 Germany. Wikimedia Commons.
Nuremberg defendant, Dr. Herta Oberheuser, stands to receive her sentence at the Doctors’ Trial. Photo by anonymous (20 August 1947). United States Holocaust Memorial Museum Photo #41017. PD-U.S. Government. Wikimedia Commons.
Nuremberg defendant, Dr. Herta Oberheuser, stands to receive her sentence at the Doctors’ Trial. Photo by anonymous (20 August 1947). United States Holocaust Memorial Museum Photo #41017. PD-U.S. Government. Wikimedia Commons.
Dr. Karl Brandt, defendant in the Nuremberg trial known as the “Doctors’ Trial.” Brandt was found guilty of crimes against humanity and executed. Photo by anonymus (c. 1946-47). United States Holocaust Memorial Museum. PD-Author release. Wikimedia Commons.
Dr. Karl Brandt, defendant in the Nuremberg trial known as the “Doctors’ Trial.” Brandt was found guilty of crimes against humanity and executed. Photo by anonymus (c. 1946-47). United States Holocaust Memorial Museum. PD-Author release. Wikimedia Commons.

Today, we are going to examine a different group of concentration camp doctors: the doctors who were prisoners. Read More Extermination Camp Doctors

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The White Buses

Norway and Denmark were occupied by the Nazis in April 1940 (Sweden was a neutral country during the war). Almost immediately, the Germans began arresting targeted individuals and threw them into detention camps scattered throughout Norway. Soon, they would be deported to concentration camps such as Sachsenhausen. As more people were arrested, detained, and deported, various Scandinavian humanitarian organizations became active in gaining access to the prisoners, ensuring correspondence was reached by their families, as well as engaging directly with the Germans concerning their fates.

Towards the end of the war, one major attempt at obtaining the release of concentration camp inmates was successful. It liberated more than 15,000 prisoners of which half were Scandinavian. Believe it or not, the White Bus evacuations were approved by Heinrich Himmler.

Count Folke Bernadotte. Photo by anonymous (c. 1945). USHMM, courtesy of National Archives, http://www.ushmm.org/. PD-70+. Wikimedia Commons.
Count Folke Bernadotte. Photo by anonymous (c. 1945). USHMM, courtesy of National Archives, http://www.ushmm.org/. PD-70+. Wikimedia Commons.

Did You Know?

Rina Fried, then 16-years-old, was crammed into a cattle car with a hundred other women whose skin barely hung to their skeletons. They were all being transported from their concentration camp to an extermination camp to be murdered by the Nazis. The end of the war was closing in and the women knew they wouldn’t survive to see it.

However, the train stopped suddenly and the women were approached by people offering them food and drink. They told the women, “Vi aker till Sverige.” — “We are going to Sweden.”

“Your enslavement is over.”

One of the White Bus platoons rescued Rina and the other women.


Folke Bernadotte

Count Folke Bernadotte (1895−1948), Swedish diplomat, was the grandson of King Oscar II of Sweden and nephew of King Gustav V. Entering the military in 1915, Bernadotte eventually rose to the rank of major. By 1933, he was representing Sweden at various world events such as the New York World’s Fair in 1939. Bernadotte became director of the Swedish Boy Scout organization in 1937 and when World War II broke out, he helped train the boy scouts in defense (i.e., anti-aircraft guns) and as medical assistants. However, his greatest role during the war would be played as the vice chairman of the Swedish Red Cross.

Folke Bernadotte (right) in his role with the Swedish Boy Scouts. Photo by anonymous (24 June 1934). PD-70+. Wikimedia Commons.
Folke Bernadotte (right) in his role with the Swedish Boy Scouts. Photo by anonymous (24 June 1934). PD-70+. Wikimedia Commons.

Beginning in 1943, Count Bernadotte organized multiple prisoner exchanges with Germany (his first mission targeted disabled Scandinavian POWs). A total of approximately 11,000 Scandinavian POWs were repatriated as a result of these exchanges. He also personally led several rescue missions into Germany. Read More The White Buses