If you are planning to visit Auschwitz and want to arrive at the camp already prepared, rest assured, you are in the place for you!
In this article, and in the others on our site, you can find all kinds of information you need to make the best arrangements.
And if you want to learn about stories and personalities related to the Auschwitz concentration camp, you can’t not know who Josef Mengele was.
Doctor Mengele is remembered as one of the most ruthless Nazis connected with the tragedy of the Holocaust, and this is mainly because of his sadism.
The doctor, who wished to accredit himself in academia, found in the dark meanderings of Auschwitz-Birkenau the ideal place and guinea pigs to conduct his scientific experiments, more classifiable in reality as real torture.
Making it one of the most gruesome symbols of the Holocaust is the fact that the victims of such experiments were not only adults, but also and especially children, even those who had just been born.
In this article we will discover the story behind this sadistic Nazi doctor at Auschwitz, from his training to his escape from justice through the atrocities committed inside the camp.
Table of Contents
Josef Mengele: true story of the doctor at Auschwitz Birkenau
Childhood and education
Mengele was born in Bavaria in 1911 into a Catholic-conservative and German nationalist family, although, according to historians, he did not appear inclined toward National Socialism.
He did, however, join the German storm troopers as early as 1934, and in those same years attended the University of Munich, graduating with a degree in anthropology.
Continuing his studies, he had the opportunity to work with von Verschuer, a scholar famous for his special interest in twins that greatly influenced Josef.
In 1937 he joined the party and the following year the SS, graduating at the same time in medicine.
In his theses, Mengele was already trying to demonstrate racial differences, found by anthropological and, above all, genetic characteristics.
These ideas characterized much of the atrocities he committed inside Auschwitz, and fit perfectly into the philosophical-scientific thinking of Germany at that time.
Entry into the Nazi Party
He joined the SS in 1938, received military training and was called to service in 1940.
Considering his medical skills, he volunteered for this very role in the Waffen-SS forces, distinguishing himself for his work for which he also received awards.
After being slightly wounded, he was withdrawn from the front line, deemed unfit, and then transferred to Auschwitz after being promoted to the rank of SS captain.
Assignment to Auschwitz
So it was that, in May 1943, he became chief medic of the camp reserved for the ethnic Sinti population inside Birkenau.
That was until 1944, when in August the camp was dismantled and its inmates eliminated, so Mengele became chief physician for all of Birkenau, under the supervision of Eduard Wirths.
In prisoner testimonies, Josef Mengele is also often remembered by various appellations such as “The Angel of Death.”
Escape from Germany
In 1945 he was forced to flee, so he decided to take all the results he had gathered from his research with him.
Until his last day he zealously continued his work, still selecting able-bodied prisoners from those unfit for work.
When the war ended, he was one of the world’s most wanted Nazis. Mengele managed to escape thanks to help he obtained in Tramin, South Tyrol, where he obtained false documents bearing the generalities of Helmut Gregor, who was born in that very town.
With this identity he embarked in Genoa to land in Argentina.
Exile in South America
Josef Mengele, 1956 – From the police in Buenos Aires – License: Falt i det fri (Public domain)
Initially, he settled around Buenos Aires, where he stayed until 1959. He lived with two Hungarian sisters who were Nazi sympathizers, then with another family.
After years in which he concealed his identity, he decided to resume his name now convinced that he had escaped arrest.
But after his capture on the same continent as Adolf Eichmann, he again began to use fictitious generalities and moved several times between Argentina, Paraguay and finally Brazil.
In South America he worked for the family firm that had some of its offices there.
Death and subsequent research
He died at the age of 67 while swimming in the Atlantic due to a stroke that led to his drowning.
He found burial under the false name Wolfgang Gerhard, and it was not until 1985 that the grave was discovered.
In 1992 an exhumation of the corpse was authorized to perform a DNA test: compared with that of his brother it offered a result of over 99 percent certain match.
The surgeon of Auschwitz: Mengele’s experiments
Auschwitz, Poland, left to right: Richard Baer (Auschwitz commandant), Dr. Josef Mengele and Rudolf Hoess (the former Auschwitz commandant). Photo on Picril via Wikimedia Commons
His role at the arrival of the deportees at Auschwitz
Mengele made it a point to always be there when new deportees arrivedor during the camp square musters: he chose very lightly who was fit for work and who was to be led to the gas chambers.
There are many accounts in which Mengele is described as a sadistic person who seemed to take satisfaction in the task he performed.
It was always under his orders that on several occasions several people were killed because of potential epidemics that arose from his experiments: to avoid contagion he had people who were no longer useful for his experiments killed after he had injected them with diseases.
He almost seemed to have two personalities: those who worked with him recalled noticing the kindness and attentiveness in his manners, typical of a physician, except when he exploded into episodes of anger and aberrant cruelty and cynicism.
The experiments on the deportees
Barrack 10, the place where Mengele conducted experiments on children – Photo ID 177849637 | Auschwitz © Wojciech Grabowski | Dreamstime.com
Josef Mengele was most famous because of his terrible experiments. A ruthless physician with no ethics and never giving any sign of remorse, he was cynical in carrying out his research at the expense of the safety of the prisoners, often children.
Mengele enlisted the help of a Polish anthropologist, a Hungarian Jewish pathologist and a Bohemian Jewish painter (who painted anatomical body parts), prisoners under his orders. This was in order to have experts who could help him in his research.
Mengele subjected prisoners to atrocious experiments, such as injecting substances into their eyes, or inhumane measurements, forcing them to stand for hours naked in an unheated room.
Often, at the end of these experiments, he would personally kill them with injections of phenol into their hearts and then dissect their corpses.
There are accounts about the head of a twelve-year-old Sinti youth sent to Germany for study, or pairs of eyes of people suffering from heterochromia sent to Berlin after the brutal elimination of the prisoners.
One of the many tremendous studies carried out by the Auschwitz doctor was on contagious diseases: for example, he injected malaria into many patients to study its effects.
He also studied gangrenous stomatitis, a disease caused with obviousness by malnutrition and the living conditions in the camp, with the intention of proving that it affected only the Sinti population since they belonged to a race judged to be inferior. Of course, he could not scientifically support this thesis.
Mengele showed great interest in the twins in the camp, which he analyzed and studied by taking samples and measurements. He injected substances into them to study their reactions and performed the most inhuman and insane experiments: he personally supervised an operation that had the purpose of sewing twins together to create a Siamese twin artificially.
Finally, he also had a kindergarten built in which the youngest children lived in acceptable conditions and received adequate rations of food, inside which Mengele himself happily went entertaining and playing with the children.
As soon as, however, some of them became necessary for some experiment, Mengele had no scruples about exploiting them: the best treatment was functional to the experiments to be conducted for which children capable of enduring the first anguish were needed.
Mengele is also remembered for his experiments on people with dwarfism: an entire family fell victim to his pseudoscientific perversions.
One of the survivors recalls that they poured boiling and then freezing water into her ears and then switched back to boiling water. She also recalls that they were paraded naked and filmed in a video that was later sent to Hitler himself for his amusement.
Insights: books, films and documentaries on Josef Mengele
Josef Mengele, infamously known as the “Angel of Death” of Auschwitz, is one of the most emblematic and disturbing figures in Holocaust history. His actions inside the concentration camp, particularly his cruel and pseudoscientific medical experiments, have left an indelible mark on the collective imagination and historical memory. Numerous books, films, and documentaries have attempted to explore the complex figure of Mengele, offering different perspectives on his life, his crimes, and his escape from justice.
Books on Josef Mengele
“The Doctor at Auschwitz” by Miklós Nyiszli
This book is one of the most significant accounts related to Mengele. Miklós Nyiszli, a Hungarian doctor deported to Auschwitz, was forced to work as an assistant for Mengele.
In his detailed and chilling account, Nyiszli describes the brutality of the medical experiments and the workings of the camp, offering a direct glimpse into the personality of the SS “doctor.”
“The Disappearance of Josef Mengele” by Olivier Guez
This historical novel, winner of the Renaudot Prize, reconstructs Mengele’s life after the end of World War II.
The work focuses on the years of his escape, first to Europe and then to South America, examining the protection networks he enjoyed and the weight of his crimes on his existence.
An engaging read that reveals the background of the fugitive life of one of the most wanted Nazi criminals.
“On the Trail of Nazi Criminals” by Andrew Nagorski
While not focused exclusively on Mengele, this book chronicles the operations conducted to track down the main perpetrators of Nazi crimes, including the hunt for the former Auschwitz doctor.
A work that highlights the obstacles and moral dilemmas faced by the “hunters.”
“Children of the Flames” by Lucette Matalon Lagnado and Sheila Cohn Dekel
This book brings together the testimonies of survivors of Mengele’s experiments, particularly the twins who were the main focus of his pseudoscientific studies.
A moving and disturbing work documenting the suffering inflicted by Mengele on innocent children.
Films and documentaries on Josef Mengele
“The Marathon Runner” (1976)
Although not directly focused on Mengele, this thriller explores the theme of the Nazis’ escape to South America, with a character inspired by the Angel of Death.
The performance by Laurence Olivier, who plays a Nazi doctor in exile, is memorable and disturbing.
“The Boys from Brazil” (1978)
Based on the novel by Ira Levin, this film imagines a crazy plan orchestrated by Mengele to clone Adolf Hitler.
Gregory Peck plays Mengele in a fictionalized but nonetheless disturbing version of his character.
“Hunting Hitler’s Henchmen” (2018)
This documentary in the Hunting Hitler series examines the Nazi escape network through the routes of South America, including references to Mengele’s life after the war.
“Josef Mengele: The Hunt for a Nazi War Criminal.”
A documentary devoted exclusively to the figure of Mengele, it explores his crimes, his escape and the operations to capture him. An informative resource for those who want to learn more about his story and the role of the international community in trying to bring him to justice.
“Forgiving Dr. Mengele” (2006)
This documentary tells the extraordinary story of Eva Mozes Kor, a survivor of Mengele’s experiments.
Eva, despite the suffering she endured, decides to forgive her tormentors, opening a debate on the meaning of forgiveness and memory.
The Angel of Death of Auschwitz: Frequently Asked Questions
Josef Mengele was a Nazi doctor famous for his inhumane experiments on prisoners at Auschwitz, particularly on twins. Remembered as “The Angel of Death,” he almost seemed to take pleasure and satisfaction during his gruesome experiments and by carrying out his ruthless tasks. Many inmates remember him because of his constant presence during the selection of prisoners to be sent to the gas chambers. According to many accounts, he betrayed a certain pleasure in the awe he instilled with his white coat.
Mengele was responsible for the genetic experiments and selection of deportees upon arrival at the camp. Often described as totally indifferent to the victims, he selected them for the gas chambers or for his experiments. Guided by his scientific interests, he never seems to have felt remorse for the crimes he committed.
Mengele’s best-known experiments are those on twins to study heredity and the inhumane tests on pregnant women, dwarfs, and prisoners with disabilities. In all his tremendous experiments, Mengele demonstrated that he had no respect for human beings whatsoever. Among the many studies carried out by the Auschwitz doctor were experiments in which he injected toxic substances inside the eyes of people with heterochromia; injecting diseases into healthy people to study their effects; extreme physical tests; cutting off anatomical parts; and inserting pins into prisoners’ heads.
Mengele fled to South America after the war, living in hiding until his death in Brazil in 1979 from drowning due to a stroke while in the water. Having escaped justice, he managed to escape thanks to support he received in Italy from which he obtained fictitious generalities needed to embark in Genoa on his way to Argentina.
The Auschwitz-Birkenau doctor: Conclusions
We have thus come to the concluding part of our article. We got to know together the story of the ruthless Auschwitz doctor: Josef Mengele.
I told you about his medical-anthropological studies and his joining the Nazi party, and then about his exploits in the war until his transfer to Auschwitz.
We saw together what his duties were inside the concentration camp and the terrible research he carried out through inhumane experiments conducted on Auschwitz prisoners.
You learned from reading the article about his escape from Germany to South America where he managed to live without ever being brought to justice until his death.
Finally, I have answered the most frequently asked questions related to the Auschwitz Angel of Death, but if you should have any others, please feel free to leave a comment below.
If you would like to know more stories related to the Auschwitz concentration and extermination camp, or get practical information on how to organize your visit to this sad symbol of the Holocaust, I recommend you browse our site and read the other articles you will find available to you.
Finally, I would like to remind you of the importance of reserving priority admission should you decide to visit the museum-camp. Only with a skip-the-line ticket, in fact, will you be able to enter the camp directly , skipping the long and slow lines at the entrance.
Moreover, only if you choose to be accompanied by an experienced guide will you be able to enjoy a truly 100 percent enriching experience that will offer food for thought and an opportunity to delve deeper into the subject of the Holocaust for a living and conscious Memory.
Mengele, perhaps even more than other torturers, represents that evil we must not forget, that cruelty that belonged to ordinary people, even to scholars and men of science.
Mengele represents one of the glaring reasons why it is essential to visit Auschwitz and keep its memory alive: only with a conscious Memory of what the Holocaust was can we symbolically bring this tyrant to justice!
