The collection of gold dental fillings, dental caps and dentures extracted from the mouths of the victims of Aktion T4 and the Nazi concentration camps was a feature of the Holocaust. The practice originated with a 1940 order from Heinrich Himmler, and reinforced by a second order in 1942.[1] The collection was done with the active and voluntary cooperation of German dentists.[2] Dentists involved in the collection of gold included Martin Hellinger.[3]
Collected gold was then melted down into gold bars. The disposition of the gold was an issue following the end of the war.[4]
Trials and prosecution
editWith studies of the complicity of the medical profession in the crimes of the Third Reich on the rise, there is a question raised of the extent of justice brought down upon the doctors during the international trials after World War II. The trials led to 48 dentists standing trial. The archetypical accused dentist was male, lived in a traditional family, was a part of the National Socialist Workers' Party (NSDAP) and the Waffen-SS (Schutzstaffel), and belonged to the Kriegsjugendgeneration.[5]
Results of trials
edit47 male dentists and one female dentist were identified in one of the studies. 27 of the accused dentists were born from 1900–1910, meaning that they belonged to the Kriegsjugendgeneration. Fifteen were born before 1900 and six were born after 1910. Kriegsjugendgeneration members were influenced by National Socialism at a young age and this generation was the most important generation for the National Socialists for recruitment.[5]
Many of these dentists served in concentration camps and their administrative offices. Of the 48 identified dentists, 22 were stationed in at least one concentration camp. Of these 22, 19 were members of the Waffen-SS.[5]
| Surname | First Name | Jurisdiction | Sentence |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ahlers | Hans | Supreme Court British Zone | Custodial Sentence 5 Months |
| Alfken | Gottlob Adolph Hermann | French Court | Forced Labor 5 Years |
| aus dem Bruch | Kurt Otto | British Court | Acquittal |
| Belger | Eduard | German Court | Termination of the Proceedings |
| Bergeest | Willy August Heinrich | Supreme Court British Zone | Termination of the Proceedings |
| Brandt | (Rud)Olf | American Court | Custodial Sentence 3 Years |
| Bremmer | Walter Konrad Christian | German Court | Termination of the Proceedings |
| Denecke | Paul | Supreme Court British Zone | unknown |
| Deutschle | Karl | French Court | Custodial Sentence Length of pre-trial detention |
| Erckmann | Hermann | German Court | Custodial Sentence 6 Months |
| Frank | Willy | German Court | Custodial Sentence 7 Years |
| Geiler | Fritz | Soviet Military Court | Death Sentence |
| Graf | Georg | French Court | Custodial Sentence 4 Years |
| Hellinger | Martin | British Court | Custodial Sentence 15 Years |
| Hellmuth | Karl | American Court | Custodial Sentence 3 Years |
| Hellmuth | Otto | American Court | Death Sentence |
| Henkel | Wilhelm | American Court | Death Sentence |
| Hoehne | Rudolf Max | American Court | Custodial Sentence 5 Years |
| Hoffmann | Werner | French Court | Acquittal |
| Höhler | Walter | American Court | Death Sentence |
| Johst | Elisabeth | Soviet Military Court | Death Sentence |
| Judmann | Franz | Vienna People's Court | Termination of the Proceedings |
| Körber | Paul | French Court | Custodial Sentence 10 Years |
| Korweslühr | Herbert | Supreme Court British Zone | Custodial Sentence 9 Months |
| Kunz | Helmut | Soviet Military Court
German Court |
Forced Labour 25 Years
Termination of the Proceedings |
| Lorenz | Fritz | Soviet Military Court | Death Sentence |
| Müller | Heinrich Theodor | German Court | Custodial Sentence 1 Year |
| Oetken | Friedrich | Supreme Court British Zone | Custodial Sentence 3 Months |
| Pook | Hermann | American Court | Custodial Sentence 10 Years |
| Poupet | Ferdinand Benjamin | French Court | Death Sentence |
| Precht | Elimar | French Court | Death Sentence |
| Reichmann | Frantz | French Court | Forced Labor 15 Years |
| Rohde | Werner | British Courts | Death Sentence |
| Rost | Willy | French Court | Death Sentence |
| Schäfer | Kurt | French Court | Death Sentence |
| Schatz | WIlli | German Court | Acquittal |
| Schönig | Erich | British Court | Custodial Sentence 5 Years |
| Schulte | Josef | Supreme Court British Zone | Fine 500 DM |
| Simon | Josef | Polish Court | Custodial Sentence 14 Months |
| Sonntag | Walter | British Court | Death Sentence |
| Teuber | Karl-Heinz | Polish Court | Custodial Sentence 4 Years |
| Vogelsang | Karl | German Court | Custodial Sentence 5 Months |
| Weck | Franz Christian | German Court | Custodial Sentence 5,5 Years |
| Weinmann | Ernst | Military Court Belgrade | Death Sentence |
| Wenzel | Hermann | French Court | Death Sentence |
| Werling | Heinrich | German Court | Acquittal |
| Zeiner | Karl Friedrich Jakob | Polish Court | Custodial Sentence 6 Years |
| Zerbes | Otmar Martin | American Court | Custodial Sentence 18 Months |
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ Riaud, Xavier (June 2015). "Nazi Dental Gold: from Dead Bodies to Swiss Banks". Vesalius: Acta Internationales Historiae Medicinae. 21 (1): 32–53. ISSN 1373-4857. PMID 26592082.
- ^ Riaud, X. (2015). "History of Nazi Dental Gold: From Dead Bodies till Swiss Bank". S2CID 73917327.
{{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires|journal=(help) - ^ Riaud, Xavier (January 2017). "Nazi Dental Gold: From Dead Bodies to a Swiss Bank". Dental Historian: Lindsay Club Newsletter. 62 (1): 15–23. ISSN 0958-6687. PMID 29949310.
- ^ "Nazi Gold: Information from the British Archives: Part II by FCDO Historians - Issuu". issuu.com. May 1997. Retrieved 2021-12-08.
- ^ a b c Rinnen, Christiane Elisabeth; Westemeier, Jens; Gross, Dominik (2020-03-01). "Nazi Dentists on Trial: On the Political Complicity of a Long-Neglected Professional Community". Endeavour. 44 (1): 100710. doi:10.1016/j.endeavour.2020.100710. ISSN 0160-9327. PMID 32727655. S2CID 220875365.