The brothers Heinrich (born in 1885) and Peter (born in 1895) Schwamberger came from Heddinghausen (Minden-Lübbecke district) and Saarbrücken. Heinrich was a labourer. He was married to Luise Schwamberger. They had three children together. In November 1935, Heinrich fell ill with pneumonia. Five months later, he visited a medical examiner to determine his fitness for work. The doctor noticed strange behaviour and referred him to the hospital in Celle. There, his mental state was assessed. Since he refused to eat and was fantasising, among other things, and a risk of suicide could not be ruled out, he was admitted to the Lüneburg State Mental Hospital on 23 March 1936.
When Heinrich was admitted to the psychiatric ward, his younger brother Peter had already been a patient at the Lüneburg mental hospital for nine years. Peter Schwamberger had married Marie Salomon in 1916. Three children were born from the unhappy marriage. There was a lot of domestic violence. Until his admission in 1927, Peter worked as a groundskeeper. Attempts to integrate him into working life failed. In 1928, he was assigned to the field labour brigade. Beyond that, he withdrew completely. In May 1932, Peter was considered for a leave of absence. His wife opposed this, and a subsequent attempt at family reunification failed. Heinrich’s wife Luise also turned away from him. She divorced him in 1940.
Although Heinrich was housed in building 19 and Peter in building 11, the brothers remained in contact with each other during their stay. On 22 April 1941, the physician Rudolf Redepenning noted in both of the Schwamberger brothers‘ medical records that they had reached their »final stage.« This assessment justified their »transfer to Herborn,« i.e., their transfer to »Aktion T4.« On 22 April 1941, Heinrich and Peter Schwamberger, along with 117 other men diagnosed as ‘incurable,’ were transferred to the Herborn intermediate institution. From there, the brothers were transferred to the Hadamar killing centre. Heinrich Schwamberger was murdered in the gas chamber on 21 May 1941. A week later, on 28 May 1941, his brother Peter followed. Both were victims of »Aktion T4«.
