The order bears the letterhead of the Reich Committee. Personal details about the person and the place of committal are printed in large print. The order is typewritten and signed by hand.

Instruction order of the »Reich Committee« dated 18 September 1941.

NLA Hanover Hann. 138 Lüneburg Acc. 102/88 No. 3027.

EDDA PURWIN (1940 – 1942)

Edda Purwin was born on 1 July 1940 in Lüneburg. Her mother was Anneliese Purwin (born 1918), a domestic helper. Her father was Albert Gerstenberg (born 1910), a machinist. At the time of Edda’s birth, he was serving as a soldier in the war. Edda’s parents were unmarried. On the day she was born, Edda was taken to the children’s hospital at Barckhausenstraße 6 and reported to the health authorities because of her disability. From there, the report was sent to the »Reich Committee,« which arranged for Edda to be admitted to the »Langenhorn Children’s Ward« on 18 September 1941. She was admitted there on 5 or 6 October 1941. Six months later, her mother became pregnant again, this time by Corporal Johann Seebeck (born 1914). Edda died one month before her brother Hans Peter was born. She was murdered on 18 January 1942 in Hamburg-Langenhorn. Two months after her death, Johann Seebeck also died. He was killed in action in the Soviet Union. Just one month later, Anneliese Purwin became engaged to Josef Pfeiffer, a lance corporal and factory worker, and married him on 4 July 1942.

When Friedrich Daps arrived at the »children’s ward« in Lüneburg, he had already been through a lot. After a few days at the Pestalozzi Foundation in Großburgwedel, he was transferred to the Hannover-Langenhagen institution, and from there to the Rotenburg institutions. This photograph is the only surviving image of him. It was probably taken at the Rotenburg institutions. Friedrich Daps came from Isernhagen; his father was a cemetery gardener. It was assumed that he was deaf and mute.

Interview

This is a black and white photo portrait. Friedrich Daps is depicted up to his chest and is sitting on a chair with a wooden backrest. He is wearing a light-coloured top, short-cropped blonde hair and is looking into the camera with his mouth slightly open.

Friedrich Daps, 1938.

NLA Hanover Hann. 155 Lüneburg Acc. 56/83 No. 218.

It is a black and white photo. It is blurred. Dora and Gustav Daps are standing on a grassy area in front of some trees. A house can be seen behind them. Dora is wearing a long, high-necked black dress. Her light-coloured hair is probably grey and tied back in a knot at the nape of her neck. Gustav is wearing dark trousers and a dark coat. His hair is cut short. Dora has hooked herself under him. Both seem to be looking seriously at the camera. Dora may be smiling. *** Translated with www.DeepL.com/Translator (free version) ***

There are only these few photos of Friedrich Daps‘ family.

Dora and Gustav Daps (grandparents), Isernhagen, before 1914.

It is a black and white photo. Three young men are standing next to a large boulder lying on a low stone plinth. One of the men is stroking a sheepdog sitting on the boulder. The men are smartly dressed in suits, shirts and ties. They are holding their hats in their hands and looking at the camera. There is a house in the background.

The brothers Fritz, Ernst and Willi Daps (father) (from left to right), around 1930.

The photo is sepia coloured. Ernst Daps Junior can be seen up to his chest. He is wearing a light-coloured jacket, a dark jumper and a shirt underneath. His hair is styled into a quiff. He is looking to the left.

Ernst Daps Junior (cousin), before 1956.

ArEGL 126.

Most of the children were part of families and were loved by their parents. They were always there, everywhere. Parents often delayed compulsory admission via the »Reich Committee« and were reluctant to give up their children. After their children were murdered, the parents refused to pay for the »care« that was billed to them, depending on their financial situation.

There are four black and white photos. They are glued to a piece of paper and labelled by hand. Several people, children and adults, can be seen in each photo. At the top left is a play situation in warm weather. Next to it is the family in front of the Christmas tree. At the bottom left, a group of people of all ages lined up for a photo on a staircase. At the bottom right, the family in an allotment garden.

Four photos from an album show Günter Schulze surrounded by his family. He was a cheerful child and always involved in everything, 1938.

Private property of Ursula (Ulla) Heins | ArEGL 86.

It is a black and white photo. Ulla and Günter Schulze are sitting on a sledge and were photographed from the side. Ulla is holding a doll in her arms. She is sitting on Günter's lap. Both are looking at the camera.

Page from a family album, 1938–1941.
Photo of siblings Ulla and Günter Schulze sledding, 1940.

Private property of Ursula (Ulla) Heins | ArEGL 87.

For seven months, Günter’s mother refused to pay the nursing costs. Only after payment was received were her son’s clothes handed over to her in October 1945 – more than a year after Günter’s death. She had to travel to Lüneburg to collect them.

Interview

Postcard from the district of Hanover to the Lüneburg institution and nursing home dated 1 March 1945.

NLA Hanover Hann. 155 Lüneburg Acc. 56/83 No. 387.

Christa Jordan and her siblings Margret and Friedrich in the snow, winter 1942.

ArEGL 175-2-6.

Two pictures in the snow, taken in the winter of 1942 on her parents‘ farm in Knesebeck. Just a few weeks later, Christa Jordan was admitted to the »children’s ward« in Lüneburg and murdered after a three-month stay. Her father, Fritz Jordan, had tried in vain to have her admitted to the Bodelschwingh Institutions in Bethel, Bielefeld. Her parents had expressly refused to have her admitted to Lüneburg.

Interview

Fritz Jordan visited his daughter in Lüneburg when she was still in good health. Christa’s mother Anna made the trip to Lüneburg twice in May 1942. Christa apparently recovered after the first visit. However, as she was still certified as »unfit for education,« she remained a candidate for murder.

The certificate is yellowed. The form has been completed using a typewriter. The registrar has signed it by hand.

Death certificate of Christa Jordan, 2 June 1942.

ArEGL 175-2.

The edelweiss flower is made of metal. It is enamelled in white, yellow and black. It has an oval pendant.

Edelweiss pendant, circa 1941.

Christian Meins is sitting on a bench in a garden. He is wearing a robust-looking suit with a cap and dark shoes. His head is slightly tilted. He looks cheerfully at the camera.

Christian Meins, around 1940.

ArEGL 169.

When many children died in the summer of 1943, Willi Baumert and Max Bräuner claimed that they were all victims of bombing in Hamburg. In fact, there was only one child who happened to be admitted to the Lüneburg »children’s ward« in this context: Christian Meins. This pendant in the shape of an edelweiss flower belonged to Christian’s traditional jacket. He always carried it with him.

Interview

CHRISTIAN MEINS (1939 – 1943)

Christian Meins was the first child of Gretel and Hermann Meins. At birth, the umbilical cord was wrapped twice around his neck, restricting the oxygen supply to his brain. He never recovered from the consequences and remained developmentally delayed. His parents were very happy with their child; he was their »prince.« When the Meins family was bombed out and had to leave Hamburg, his parents had nothing left but their son and a few belongings. Among them was this postcard, on which his father had written words of comfort:

»If you have nothing else, at least you have your little boy.«

Interview

The postcard is yellowed. There is a photo on the front. Christian Meins is sitting in the sand. He is wearing a large sun hat and gazing happily to the side. On the back is a short text in Sütterlin over two lines: "If you have nothing else, at least you have your little son."

Postcard from Christian Meins, circa 1942, front and back.

Private property of Heidi Frahm.

HEINRICH HEROLD (1934 – 1942)

Heinrich Herold in his grandmother’s arms, Duingen, 1934.

Private property of Holger Sievers.

Heinrich, his mother Auguste and his sister Irmgard Herold, Duingen, Easter 1939.

Private property of Holger Sievers.

Heinrich Herold was born in Duingen. He had an older sister. His father owned a hardware store and operated a petrol pump. As a result of a tragic accident at work in which Heinrich’s father died, he became a half-orphan two weeks after his birth and his mother became a single parent. Heinrich’s christening and his father’s funeral took place on the same day. Seven years later, in 1941, Heinrich Herold was forcibly admitted to the »children’s ward« in Lüneburg because his working mother was no longer able to care for and raise him. He was transferred from House 23 to House 25. There he was murdered and his body was opened. His brain was sent to the UKE. A large number of sections were prepared in order to research »Hurler syndrome«. The brain remains were discovered over 70 years later in the archives of the University Medical Centre Hamburg-Eppendorf (UKE) and attributed to Heinrich Herold in 2012. 208 parts of his brain were buried in 2013 in the former institution cemetery in Lüneburg.

Interview

»Little Heini was so quiet, but they gave him away.«

Interview with Ilse Sievers on 2 November 2013.

ArEGL.

LUBA GORBATSCHUK (1943 – 1944)

Luba Gorbatschuk was born on 9 May 1943 in the Tannenkoppel labour camp for Eastern European workers in Hamburg-Langenhorn. She was the daughter of Tatjana Gorbatschuk, who was performing forced labour at Hanseatisches Kettenwerk G.m.b.H. Her mother had »[…] escaped a few weeks earlier.« She had left her little daughter behind in the camp.
Since no one in the camp wanted to or was able to take care of Luba, the camp administration reported her to the »Reich Committee for the Scientific Registration of Hereditary and Congenital Serious Illnesses in Berlin«, and she was subsequently admitted to the »children’s ward« in Lüneburg on 27 October 1944.
A guard from the forced labour camp and a female forced labourer brought her to the institution.

Luba was admitted to House 25. During the admission examination, to Max Bräuner’s surprise, she showed no abnormalities except for teething. Otherwise, Bräuner noted:

»Reaches for objects held out to him. Smiles when spoken to. However, he is also prone to crying. Eats well.«

Eight weeks later, on 21 December 1944, Luba Gorbatschuk died at the age of one and a half. The official cause of death was »marasmus with idiocy«. She starved to death. She was buried in the graveyard for foreign patients.

The form has been completed by hand. The handwriting is standardised. The preliminary diagnoses are written in pencil and marked with question marks.

Excerpt from the medical history of Luba Gorbatschuk.

NLA Hanover Hann. 155 Lüneburg Acc. 56/83 No. 67.

The scales are made of metal. It is rusty all over. The weighing pan has less rust. It is enamelled white.

Running weight table scale with weighing pan, circa 1910.

ArEGL 143.

From 1944 onwards, many children and young people starved to death or died of infectious diseases caused by malnutrition and poor hygiene. The starvation did not end until the summer of 1946, because even after the war, no one made any effort to improve food supplies and facilities.

Until mid-August 1945, children were still being admitted to the »children’s ward« in Lüneburg. After the medical director Max Bräuner and some of his staff were dismissed, the ward was renamed the »children’s department« but was not closed down. The violent deaths also continued.

This is a black and white photo. Heinz Knorr is standing by a tree trunk in a garden. He is wearing shorts with straps. He is also wearing a short-sleeved shirt. He looks at the camera with a serious face.

Heinz Knorr, around 1943.

Private property of the Twesten family.

Heinz Knorr from Artlenburg starved to death many months after the end of the war. He had run away when his village was evacuated. His parents searched for him in vain and only learned after his death that he had been admitted to the Lüneburg institution.

Rudolf Hagedorn learned to walk in these baby shoes. They are among the few possessions that his mother was able to save during her flight from Pomerania as a memento of her »little Rudi.« They were kept in a box with a few other mementos and, along with a handful of photos, are the only things Rudolf’s sister Ingrid still has of her brother. Rudolf starved to death at the end of June 1945 in the »children’s ward« in Lüneburg.

Interview

This is a colour photo of a children's shoe. The shoe is made of brown leather. It has a boot shape. The laces come together at the top.

Children’s shoe, circa 1930.

Private collection of Ingrid Hruby | ArEGL 170.

It is a black and white photo of Rudolf on his mother's lap. They are sitting in a garden. The mother is wearing a light-coloured dress with a small pattern. Her son is wearing short dungarees and a dark jumper. He has blond curls and looks very cheerful. He seems to be moving his hands. His mother wears glasses and looks at the camera with a smile.

Rudolf Hagedorn on his mother Margarete’s lap, around 1931.

Private property of Ingrid Hruby.

RUDOLF (RUDI) HAGEDORN (1929 – 1945)

It is a black and white photo of Rudolf on his mother's lap. They are sitting in a garden. The mother is wearing a light-coloured dress with a small pattern. Her son is wearing short dungarees and a dark jumper. He has blond curls and looks very cheerful. He seems to be moving his hands. His mother wears glasses and looks at the camera with a smile.

Rudolf Hagedorn on his mother Margarete’s lap, around 1931.

It is a black and white photo. Siblings Rudolf and Ingrid Hagedorn are standing in front of a house with shutters. Rudolf is wearing dark-coloured clothes and holding his sister in his arms. His sister is about a year old. She is wearing a dark dress with a light-coloured collar. They both look very happy.

Ingrid in the arms of her brother Rudolf Hagedorn, around January 1943.

Private property of Ingrid Hruby.

Rudolf Hagedorn came from Arnswalde (Pomerania). His father was drafted into the army when war broke out. Since Rudi’s mother had to work, he took on many household tasks and looked after his younger siblings Kurt and Ingrid. In 1944, the family was forced to flee and ended up in Soltau. The new landlord was rude to the refugees. Rudi was reported to the police as a »child in need of institutional care.« On 2 March 1945, against his mother’s will, he was picked up from his home by the police and taken to the Lüneburg mental hospital. Since he showed no medical abnormalities, Max Bräuner came to the conclusion that:

»Once he has recovered, I believe the idea of his dismissal could be considered more seriously.«

NLA Hanover Hann. 155 Lüneburg Acc. 56/83 No. 258.

By »recovery,« Max Bräuner meant Rudi’s return to his former strength. Six days later, on 27 June 1945, Rudi starved to death in the »children’s ward« in Lüneburg. When his mother anxiously contacted the institution to inquire about his condition, he had already been dead for five days. She had not been notified.

The cards are somewhat yellowed. The top left corner is torn off. They have been written on with a typewriter. Notes about the child are written on them in blue pen.

Cards from Margarete Hagedorn to the Lüneburg Sanatorium and Nursing Home dated 2 and 5 July 1945.

NLA Hanover Hann. 155 Lüneburg Acc. 56/83 No. 258.

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