Hans Krischel came from Derneburg, today Holle near Hildesheim. His parents were Johann and Lydia Krischel (née Pfeifer). On 9 December 1939, Lydia married Johann Krischel, a driver from Wuppertal. Hans was born just four months later. His father Johann was already serving in the war at this time. He never got to know his son.
At the age of two, »Hänschen« fell ill. A tumour had developed in his eye, which had to be removed at the University Eye Clinic in Göttingen. His diseased eye could not be saved and from then on Hans wore a prosthetic eye. As a result of the tumour and the operation, Hans soon developed speech disorders and seizures. In August 1943, the medical officer at the Hildesheim health authority applied for Hans to be admitted to the »paediatric ward«. On 25 September 1943, Hans was taken to Lüneburg by his mother.
Uncertainties about the assumption of costs accelerated Hänschen’s murder. Because the mother was unable to pay and the authorities initially refused to pay, his murder was considered. Hans Krischel was almost certainly murdered on 15 April 1944 with the drug Luminal.
Jörg Pfeifer only found out about the murder of his half-brother in 2021. He applied to the district president of the Düsseldorf district government for compensation. This application was rejected. The reason given was that the deadline for applying for such compensation had expired and, as the half-brother of a »euthanasia« victim, he was not considered a direct victim of a Nazi crime.
