Josef Mengele Biography

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Josef Mengele Biography
Josef Mengele was born on March 16, 1911, son of Karl and Walburga Mengele, and had two brothers. He was noted as being a smart young man and learned about philosophy and National Socialism in Munich therefore strengthening his anti-sematic views early in life. He went on to earning his doctorate in physical anthropology from the University of Munich by 1935 and eventually became the assistant to Dr. Otmar von Verschuer at the Institute for Hereditary Biology and Racial Hygiene in Frankfurt in 1937. Dr. Otmar von Vershuer was known for having a particular research interest in twins and it was possible that he passed this interest onto Mengele.
A member of the Nazi party before his studies were finished, Mengele was a part of the Schutzstaffel (SS) by 1938. Following basic training and a 6 month stint in a mountain infantry unit, he was called upon in 1940 to the Waffen-SS where he became a medical officer. He was a decorated soldier for his efforts fighting in the Eastern Front before becoming declared unfit for combat duty in 1943. This was due to his wounds suffered on the Donets River in Russia while in combat.
Mengele returned to Germany for a short period before being requesting to work at the Auschwitz concentration camp in Poland. It is suggested that he asked to work at Auschwitz to continue his genetic research on the prisoners of the camp. Mengele eventually became the Chief Camp Physician at Auschwitz II (Birkenau). The physicians working the camp were required to handle the selection of prisoners; whether they would be considered fit to work in the camp or sent to die by gas. Unlike most all of the physicians, Mengele seemed to enjoy this selection process. He was seen to be ready at the train...

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...Auschwitz.dk. N.p., n.d. Web. 03 Mar. 2014. .
Encyclopedia of World Biography. Copyright 2010 The Gale Group, Inc. "Josef Mengele Facts." YourDictionary.com. YourDictionary, 2010. Web. 27 Feb. 2014. .
Trueman, Chris. "Josef Mengele." Historylearningsite.co.uk. History Learning Site, 10 June 2013. Web. 28 Feb. 2014. .
United States Holocaust Memorial Museum, Washington, DC. "Josef Mengele." United States Holocaust Memorial Museum. United States Holocaust Memorial Council, 10 June 2013. Web. 01 Mar. 2014. .
"Who Was Josef Mengele?" Holocaust-History.org. Holocaust History, n.d. Web. 01 Mar. 2014. .

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