Hartheim killing centre

In June 1945, during investigations by US Forces into the former gassing facility at Hartheim, the American investigating officer Charles Dameron broke open a steel safe in which the Hartheim statistics were found. This was a 39-page brochure produced for the internal purposes of the Nazi "euthanasia" programme (Aktion T4), and contained monthly statistics of the gassing of mentally and physically handicapped patients (called "disinfection" in the document) carried out in the six killing centres on the territory of the Reich. In 1968 and 1970, an ex-employee of the establishment revealed, as a witness, that he had to compile the material at the end of 1942. The Hartheim statistics included a page on which it was calculated that "disinfecting 70,273 people with a life expectation of 10 years" had saved food in the value of 141,775,573.80 Reichsmarks. These statistics only cover the first extermination phase of the Nazi's euthanasia programme, Action T4, which was brought to an end by Hitler's order dated 24 August 1941 after protests by the Roman Catholic Church. In all it is estimated that a total of 30,000 people were murdered at Hartheim. Among those killed were sick and disabled persons as well as prisoners from concentration camps. The killings were carried out by carbon monoxide poisoning. 14f13 "Special Treatment" Three days after the formal end of Action T4, a lorry arrived at Hartheim with 70 Jewish inmates from Mauthausen concentration camp, who were then executed. Some of the prisoners at Mauthausen who were no longer capable of working, especially in the quarries, and politically undesirable prisoners were brought to Hartheim to be executed. In the papers these transfers were disguised with terms like "recreation leave". The entries under "sickness" included "German-haters", "communist" or "Polish fanatic". From 1944 on, the prisoners were no longer selected by T4 doctors; the objective was simply to gain space in the Mauthausen camp quickly. == Execution doctors ==

The Action T4 organisers, Viktor Brack and Karl Brandt, ordered that the execution of the sick had to be carried out by medical doctors because Hitler's memorandum of authorisation of 1 September 1939 only referred to doctors. The operation of the gas tap was thus the responsibility of doctors in the death centres. During the course of the programme, the gas valves were occasionally operated by others in the absence of the doctors, or for other reasons. Many doctors used pseudonyms rather than their real names in the documents. The following execution doctors worked in Hartheim: • Head: Rudolf Lonauer: 1 April 1940 to April 1945 • Deputy head: Georg Renno: May 1940 to February 1945 == Niedernhart station ==

The Action T4 killing centres had intermediate stations for victims. Many lorries carrying victims to their destination at Hartheim went via the Niedernhart Mental Institute in Linz, where Rudolf Lonauer was the senior doctor, as he was in Hartheim. There, hundreds of victims were killed, mainly by lethal injection. For the Action T4 patients were screened and categorised, then a bus was filled with the victims and driven to Hartheim. == Move of T4 to Hartheim and Weissenbach am Attersee ==

In August 1943, due to allied bombing of Berlin, the head office for the National Socialist Euthanasia Programme was moved from Tiergartenstrasse 4, Berlin, to the Ostmark region, which was then humorously described as the air raid shelter of the Reich. The statistic and documents by Paul Nitsche, correspondence, notices and reports were taken to Hartheim (office department, accounts office) and the Schoberstein Recreation Centre near Weißenbach am Attersee (medical department). == Victims ==

Well-known victims • Princess Maria Karoline of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha, Austrian princess (1899–1941) • (1903–1942), German Roman Catholic priest • (1895–1942), Austrian Roman Catholic priest • Jan Kowalski (1871–1942), Polish bishop of the Catholic Mariavite Church • Ida Maly (1894–1941), Austrian artist • Gottfried Neunhäuserer (1882–1941), Austrian Benedictine father • Friederike (Friedl) Roth, née Reichler (1900–1940), widow of writer Joseph Roth • (1893–1942), Protestant theologian • Aloisia Veit de] (1891–1940), second cousin of Adolf Hitler • Norbert Čapek (1870–1942), founder of the Czechoslovak Unitarian Church Clergy A total of 310 Polish, seven German, six Czech, four Luxemburg, three Dutch and two Belgian priests were murdered. Many of them were transported from the Priest's Block in Dachau concentration camp. The chaplain, Hermann Scheipers, was also moved to the Invalid's Block, in order to be taken to Hartheim. Scheiper's sister—who stayed in contact by letter—tracked down Dr. Bernsdorf, employee of the RSHA Berlin-Oranienburg, who was responsible for the clergy imprisoned in the Priest's Block. She confronted him and stated that, in Münsterland, it was an open secret that imprisoned priests were sent to the gas chamber. Bernsdorf apparently became very nervous during the discussion and telephoned the Commandant's Office at Dachau. Scheipers reported that it was on that same day, the 13 August 1942, that there was a response: he and three other German clergymen were moved from the Invalid's Block, where the SS assembled prisoners for onward transportation, back to the Priest's Block. == Hartheim T4 staff ==

• Erwin Lambert: master bricklayer, oversaw construction of the crematorium and gas chambers • : head Nazi euthanasia doctor in Hartheim, Niedernhart Mental Asylum in Linz and Geschwend Castle in Neuhofen an der Krems • Vinzenz Nohel: worker, "burner" • Franz Reichleitner: criminal policeman, management; was later commandant of Sobibor extermination camp • : psychiatrist, deputy head Nazi euthanasia doctor • Anton Schrottmayer: care worker, suicide • Franz Stangl: criminal policeman, Gestapo official, deputy office manager; was later camp commandant of Sobibor and Treblinka • Karl Steubel: senior care worker, suicide Kochan was not allowed to defend himself during his trial and the judges could not ask questions. He was sentenced to death on 10 February 1943. Kochan, 35, was guillotined at Plötzensee Prison on 16 March 1943. == See also ==

• Tom Matzek: Das Mordschloss. Eine Dokumentation über die Gräuel in Schloss Hartheim. TV programme by ORF, 2001, Brennpunkt. 1 videocassette (VHS, ca. 45 minutes). S. n., s. l. 2001.  Footnote to "Audio and video" == External links ==