»DECENTRALISED EUTHANASIA«

The end of »Aktion T4« did not mean the end of the murder of adult patients. It continued. In total, more than 200,000 sick people were murdered with medication and through under- and malnutrition. From Lüneburg, adult patients were transferred to killing centres where they were murdered with medication. The high mortality rates suggest that adult patients were also murdered with medication and through starvation in Lüneburg.

Nine patients who had been admitted to the Lüneburg institution at some point in their lives were transferred to the Hadamar killing centre in 1942 and 1943. Among them were three people born in Lüneburg: Wilhelmine Dankert, Martin Bey and Heinz Eckhardt. Only Wilhelmine Dankert survived. The others starved to death or were murdered with medication.

The paper is slightly yellowed. The document is typewritten. The writing on the back shows through clearly.

For Otto Genzer’s death certificate, the Hadamar registry office used the back of a form that was originally intended to evaluate sick people on the basis of racial biological characteristics.

Hadamar Memorial Archive. 12 K No. 3478.

The paper is slightly yellowed. It is about half a page long. The document is typewritten.

Wilhelm Leuchtmann’s death certificate was written on a torn-out page from an accounting ledger.

Letter to Karl Petersohn dated 2 April 1943.

Hadamar Memorial Archive. 12 K No. 1760.

After the First World War, many soldiers returned home with post-traumatic stress disorder, including Wilhelm Leuchtmann (1886–1943) from Bremen. He was admitted to the Lüneburg mental hospital in 1919 and transferred to Wunstorf. From there, he was taken to Hadamar in early 1943 together with Otto Genzer (1876–1943), a patient from Lüneburg. Otto Genzer was murdered five days after his arrival, Wilhelm Leuchtmann four weeks later.

On 8 September 1943, 298 patients from the Lüneburg institution and nursing home were transferred to the Pfafferode killing centre (Mühlhausen). Around 250 of them were murdered. This corresponds to a mortality rate of over 80 percent. It is highly likely that the patients were murdered in Pfafferode with medication and by starvation.

The yellowed postcard shows the administrative building in Pfafferode. The building has a central entrance hall with wings extending out on either side. The main entrance is two storeys high with a tower clock on the roof. The side wings of the building are one storey high, with the attic having dormers and presumably also being used. The building is plastered and has light-coloured lattice windows.

Postcard of the Pfafferode State Hospital in Mühlhausen, administration building, around 1912.

ArEGL 99.

ANNA GOLLA (1918 – 1944)

The identification card is very creased and partially torn. The printed categories have been filled in by hand.

Anna Gollas‘ identity card from the German Reich, 20 March 1942.

Private property of Angelika Beltz.

Anna Golla was the sister of August Golla, a victim of the »T4« programme. She fell ill two years after her brother. She was transferred to the Pfafferode killing centre. Her mother tried to keep in touch with her daughter through letters and was very worried. She had already lost her son to »euthanasia«.

The letter is written in cursive handwriting. The lines are written close together.

Letter from Christine Golla to Anna Golla, 1 September 1944. Anna Golla died on 11 October 1944 due to malnutrition.

Copy privately owned by Angelika Beltz.

»[…] We, the parents of Anna Golla, would like to request information about our daughter’s condition, as we are worried in our old age […] because we still have hope that she will recover and because our hope is to see her again.«

Interview

Five days after his mother Katharina was admitted to the institution, Karl Mählmann was transferred to Pfafferode on 8 September 1943. A crossed-out entry clearly shows that he should have been transferred to the Pirna-Sonnenstein killing centre two years earlier.

It is a black-and-white portrait photograph. Karl Mählmann has very short hair. He is looking directly into the camera. He is wearing a dark, sturdy jacket with a small collar.
The document is yellowed. The printed categories were filled in by hand. The writing on the back shows through clearly. A portrait photo of Karl Mählmann is glued to it. The form bears a red stamp: Registered for hereditary biology. A second stamp reads: Registration form sent to RJM.

Excerpt from Karl Mählmann’s medical records.

NLA Hanover Lower Saxony 330 Lüneburg Acc. 2004/134 No. 01334.

Gertrud, Herbert and Gerhard Glass, 1938.

NLA Hanover Hann. 138 Lüneburg Acc. 102/88 No. 1560,
NLA Hanover Hann. 138 Lüneburg Acc. 103/88 No. 441,
NLA Hanover Hann. 138 Lüneburg Acc. 102/88 No. 1630.

GERTRUD (1916–1945), HERBERT (1919–1945) AND GERHARD GLASS (1921–1944)

The Glass siblings were born in Wilhelmsburg and were believed to have had mental disabilities from birth. Their parents were Inspector Kurt Glass and Melitta, née Döge. The children attended a special school but did not receive any school reports due to their lack of academic achievement. In the 1930s, the family moved from Wilhelmsburg to Sassendorf (Lüneburg district).
In 1937, the siblings were reported for sterilisation. Herbert and Gerhard were forcibly sterilised on 6 July 1938, Gertrud one day later at the Lüneburg hospital. Their father Kurt Glass’s resistance was unsuccessful. A year later, he fell ill and was admitted to the Lüneburg institution. He died in 1939.
On 13 May 1942, the three siblings were also admitted to the Lüneburg institution and nursing home.
On 8 September 1943, they were transferred to the Pfafferode extermination centre. Gerhard died there on 7 March 1944, Herbert eight weeks later on 15 May 1944, and Gertrud a year later on 14 May 1945. All three died of starvation.

Among the patients transferred to the Pfafferode killing centre were seven of foreign origin. They were all forced labourers and had been admitted to the Lüneburg institution and nursing home only a few weeks before their transfer. Only two survived: Sofia Godula (Poland) and Heinrich Efinoff (stateless).

ANASTASIA IWANOWA (1890 – 1944)

The form is a pre-printed document. It has been filled out on a typewriter. The name and year of birth have been entered. A medical history has also been recorded.

Excerpt from the description of Anastasia Ivanova.

NLA Hanover Hann. 155 Lüneburg Acc. 2004/085 No. 00879.

Anastasia Ivanova came from Russia and had been deported to Germany. She was a forced labourer and was arrested by the Secret State Police in Celle. Because she cried a lot and was barely responsive, she was admitted to the Lüneburg mental hospital on 20 August 1943 for a »short time«. Three weeks later, she was taken to the Pfafferode killing centre in a collective transport. Without a diagnosis, basically just because she was in the wrong place at the wrong time and was a forced labourer, she was transferred. She died on 9 September 1944 in Pfafferode. She is a victim of »decentralised euthanasia«.

EKATHARINA TARANOWA (1926 – 1944)

Ekatharina Taranowa was a minor when she was admitted to the Lüneburg institution and nursing home. She came from Russia and had been deported to Germany. She was a forced labourer in the »City of the KdF Car« (Wolfsburg) and was housed there in the »Ostlager« (Eastern Camp). When she fell ill, the camp doctor suspected schizophrenia. Max Bräuner was unable to confirm this after her admission on 24 May 1943. Without a diagnosis, essentially only because she was a forced labourer, she was transferred to the Pfafferode killing centre. She died there on 13 January 1944. She is a victim of »decentralised euthanasia«.

It is the cover sheet of the characteristics. The printed categories are filled in with a typewriter. A red stamp confirms »hereditary biology recorded« and a blue stamp certifies »registration form sent to RJM«.

Excerpt from the characteristics of Ekatharina Taranova.

NLA Hanover Lower Saxony 330 Lüneburg Acc. 2004/134 No. 02480.

After 483 patients were transferred from the Lüneburg institution to killing centres in the spring of 1941 and another 298 in September 1943, the vacant beds were filled with patients from Bremen (at least 121), Hamburg-Langenhorn (approximately 223 women and 253 men), Hanover-Langenhagen (around 92 women and 46 men) and Wunstorf (around 35 women and 118 men). Many of them were murdered in Lüneburg in the »decentralised euthanasia« programme.

For many, the transfer to the »alternative hospital« in Lüneburg did not mean salvation. More than one in three patients did not survive their stay. On 8 September 1943, 35 patients were transferred to the Pfafferode killing centre. Twenty-five of them were murdered there. Only 207 of the approximately 475 patients from Hamburg-Langenhorn returned there. Many of these returnees were murdered shortly afterwards in the Meseritz-Obrawalde killing centre.

The postcard shows two smaller images. One is labelled: »Gastwirtschaft zur Tannenkoppel G. Tomfort« (Tannenkoppel G. Tomfort Restaurant), the other »Irren-Anstalt« (Insane Asylum). The images are arranged at a slight angle. Below the images, the postcard is handwritten in Sütterlin script.

Postcard of the Langenhorn Institution (Hamburg), 1901.

ArEGL 99.

The yellowed black-and-white photograph shows a building with a tower and a pointed roof. The photograph is labelled »observation station«. The two-storey, plastered house with dark windows is surrounded by tall trees. A paved path leads to the entrance gate.

Postcard from the Langenhagen Institution and Nursing Home (Hanover), 20 January 1939.

ArEGL 99.

The black-and-white photograph shows a two-storey building with a pointed roof. Both floors have numerous tall lattice windows. The roof has smaller skylights and larger bay windows. Trees stand close to the building. Bushes grow directly in front of it. The façade and roof are partially covered with ivy.

Men’s ward at the Wunstorf institution and nursing home, around 1945.

Private property of Heiner Wittrock.

The document is yellowed. The printed categories were filled in by hand. The writing on the back shows through clearly. A portrait photo of Rudolf Fahrenholz is glued to the document. The form bears a red stamp: ‘Erbbiologisch erfasst’ (registered for hereditary biology). A second stamp reads: ‘Meldebogen an RJM abgesandt’ (registration form sent to RJM). A third stamp indicates that he was treated in the insulin department from 27 December 1937 to 21 May 1938. In the photo, Rudolf Fahrenholz has closely cropped hair. He is wearing a collarless shirt with a dark waistcoat and a dark jacket. His forehead is wrinkled and he looks helplessly into the camera. Above his photo, the words »OP« are written in red crayon.

Excerpt from Rudolf Fahrenholz’s medical records.

NLA Hanover Hann. 155 Lüneburg Acc. 2004/085 No. 01802.

Rudolf Fahrenholz (1920–1944) from Ottersberg (Verden) was admitted to the Lüneburg mental hospital for the first time at the age of 16. After his release, he was forcibly sterilised. When he suffered another crisis, he was admitted a second time and tortured for five months with insulin shock treatments. On 8 September 1943, he was transferred to the Pfafferode killing centre, where he died violently on 3 February 1944.

It is a black-and-white photograph. Martha Ossmer is wearing a knitted dress with a pleated skirt and white collar, wool tights and leather shoes. She is holding a stuffed rabbit in her hand. Her hair is cut to ear length in a bob with bangs and is neatly brushed. She is sitting on her father's left leg. He is sitting on a bench. He is wearing a dark suit with a tie. He is looking kindly at Martha.

Martha Ossmer on her father’s lap, around 1928. It is the only picture of her.

Private property of Christel Banik.

As a result of the Allied air war, at least 121 patients from Bremen were transferred to Lüneburg in collective transports between January 1944 and March 1945. Half of them did not survive their stay at the Lüneburg institution and nursing home. Twenty-year-old Martha Ossmer was one of them. During a temporary stay at the Bremen clinic, where her mother was recovering from the effects of the bombing, she was transferred to Lüneburg against her parents‘ will and murdered.

MARTHA OSSMER (1924 – 1945)

It is a black-and-white photograph. Martha Ossmer is wearing a knitted dress with a pleated skirt and white collar, wool tights and leather shoes. She is holding a stuffed rabbit in her hand. Her hair is cut to ear length in a bob with bangs and is neatly brushed. She is sitting on her father's left leg. He is sitting on a bench. He is wearing a dark suit with a tie. He is looking kindly at Martha.

Martha Ossmer at the age of four on her father Christian’s lap, 1928.

It is a black-and-white photograph. Bertha and Christian Ossmer are visible from the chest up. Christian has his right arm around Bertha. Bertha is wearing a black-and-white patterned knitted jumper. Her hair is parted. Christian is wearing a zip-up jumper and has short hair. Both are looking at the camera with a slight smile.

Bertha and Christian Ossmer, Christmas 1933.

It is a black-and-white photograph. Käthe and Elfriede Ossmer are standing in front of a decorated Christmas tree. They are holding hands. In their other hands, they are both carrying teddy bears. They are dressed identically in checked slippers, dark tights and knitted dresses. Their light hair is styled in a pageboy cut. The two look very similar.

Martha’s sisters Käthe and Elfriede Ossmer, Christmas 1933.

Private property of Christel Banik.

Martha Ossmer was born on 22 May 1924 in Bremen. Martha’s father Christian was a worker in a wood factory. Her mother Bertha was a housewife. Martha had two younger sisters, Elfriede and Käthe. Martha’s birth was very difficult and complications arose. During the forceps delivery, her skull bone was severely deformed. The doctor then forced the skull back into its original shape, probably damaging Martha’s brain in the process. This resulted in mental disability. Martha could not speak, was late in learning to walk and could not climb stairs. She needed help with many everyday tasks, such as eating and going to the toilet. Doctors repeatedly advised her parents to put Martha in a home. But her parents did not want that. Martha did not attend a special school, but was always cared for by her family. Sometimes Bertha was heavily burdened with caring for her daughter, and from time to time she was probably ashamed of Martha’s disability. Nevertheless, Martha remained at home until the age of 21, thanks in part to the support of her sisters. It was only when the bombings began that the family became overwhelmed. On 18 July 1944, Martha was admitted to the psychiatric clinic in Bremen. From there, she was taken to the Lüneburg institution and nursing home in a collective transport on 23 July 1944.

Her father visited Martha at least twice. The family had the impression early on that Martha was not getting enough to eat, a situation that was to continue for many months. On 18 April 1945, the day Lüneburg was liberated by the British, Martha died. The official cause of death was: »Underlying condition: idiocy. Subsequent condition: exhaustion.« It is highly likely that she was killed by medication. Starvation cannot be ruled out either.

In September 1942, Minister of Justice Otto Thierack and Heinrich Himmler agreed to send prisoners in preventive detention to concentration camps. There, they were to die as a result of hard labour. They were marked with a green triangle on their prison uniforms. Approximately 2,300 prisoners in preventive detention were sent to the Neuengamme concentration camp. Among them were five prisoners from the Lüneburg mental hospital, who were transferred there on 31 March 1944.

After 33 previous convictions, Willi Demmer was sent to Wolfenbüttel Prison in 1940. From there, he was transferred to the Lüneburg Mental Hospital for preventive detention at his own request. After his early release to the Neuengamme concentration camp, he was promoted to »Kapo« (guard) at the Husum-Schwesing satellite camp in November 1944. He was later brought before a military court for this.

The black-and-white passport photo from the description shows Willi Demmer wearing a thinly striped shirt. He is balding and his hair is not completely combed back. He is looking directly into the camera with his mouth slightly open.

Portrait from the medical records of Willi Demmer, Langenhorn Sanatorium, around 1941.

Hamburg State Archives 352-8/7 Langenhorn State Hospital No. 30590.

The envelope and letterhead are yellowed. A red stamp can be seen on the envelope. The address and letter are written by hand. The front and back of the letter are shown.

Letter from Mariechen Salau to Willi Demmer dated 25 March 1944.

NLA Hanover Lower Saxony 330 Lüneburg Acc. 2004/134 No. 03095.

ROBERT SALAU (1911 – 1945)

The sick people who were transferred to the Neuengamme concentration camp knew each other well. Robert Salau’s sister was friends with Willi Demmer. This is evident from a letter. Her brother Robert had been sent to preventive detention in Lüneburg after committing many minor crimes, most recently for stealing six tins of herring. Salau and Demmer’s paths diverged in Neuengamme, as Salau was sent to the Hannover-Stöcken satellite camp, where he died in March 1945.

Robert Salau came from Lüneburg and had 22 siblings. He went to Wesermünde (Bremerhaven) to work in the fishing industry and signed on to various ships. When he was not needed as a fishing assistant, he earned money in the fish industry. Sometimes he stole trousers, sometimes fish. Eventually, a court ordered his preventive detention. In 1937, he was forcibly sterilised. After being released to the Neuengamme concentration camp, he was sent to the Hannover-Stöcken satellite camp. There he was forced to perform hard labour in the accumulator factory. He was shot and buried at Maschsee Lake as French prisoner of war »Robert Salan«.

Interview

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