Hans Joachim Sewering
Encyclopedia
Hans Joachim Sewering was a German doctor. In World War II
, he is alleged to have participated in transferring 900 handicapped Catholic children into a camp where they were killed.
came to power. Sewering joined the SS
on 1 November 1933 for "social reasons", claiming that young men were "simply the victims of propaganda." A year later, he joined the Nazi Party. In the summer of 1942, he worked as assistant physician at the Schönbrunn Sanitarium, near Dachau
in Bavaria. According to two nuns who broke their silence in 1993, he killed 900 physically and mentally handicapped children by transferring them from Schönbrunn to the Eglfing-Haar "healing center", a facility south of Munich
. One of these children he was accused of killing, the 14-year-old Babette Fröwis whom he consigned to Eglfing-Harr as epileptic, was never examined by him. She later became a postergirl
for the practice of Nazi euthanasia. Sewering denied these allegations. However, he was barred from entering the United States on these grounds and Jewish organizations called for him to be tried for murder.
After World War II, he became a respected physician
, and earned the praise of noted doctor Wolfgang Wesiack. Sewering, who became the head of the German Medical Association in 1993 lived in Dachau in his latter years.
In May 2008, the German Federation of Internal Medicine awarded Sewering the Gunther-Budelmann medal for services to the nation’s health system", its highest honor. The Anti-Defamation League
condemned this, saying that "to honor an accused war criminal, one who is alleged to have used medicine for harm, is an insult to those who have suffered under the Nazis".
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, he is alleged to have participated in transferring 900 handicapped Catholic children into a camp where they were killed.
Biography
Sewering was born on 30 January 1916, 17 years to the day before Adolf HitlerAdolf Hitler
Adolf Hitler was an Austrian-born German politician and the leader of the National Socialist German Workers Party , commonly referred to as the Nazi Party). He was Chancellor of Germany from 1933 to 1945, and head of state from 1934 to 1945...
came to power. Sewering joined the SS
Schutzstaffel
The Schutzstaffel |Sig runes]]) was a major paramilitary organization under Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party. Built upon the Nazi ideology, the SS under Heinrich Himmler's command was responsible for many of the crimes against humanity during World War II...
on 1 November 1933 for "social reasons", claiming that young men were "simply the victims of propaganda." A year later, he joined the Nazi Party. In the summer of 1942, he worked as assistant physician at the Schönbrunn Sanitarium, near Dachau
Dachau
Dachau is a town in Upper Bavaria, in the southern part of Germany. It is a major district town—a Große Kreisstadt—of the administrative region of Upper Bavaria, about 20 km north-west of Munich. It is now a popular residential area for people working in Munich with roughly 40,000 inhabitants...
in Bavaria. According to two nuns who broke their silence in 1993, he killed 900 physically and mentally handicapped children by transferring them from Schönbrunn to the Eglfing-Haar "healing center", a facility south of Munich
Munich
Munich The city's motto is "" . Before 2006, it was "Weltstadt mit Herz" . Its native name, , is derived from the Old High German Munichen, meaning "by the monks' place". The city's name derives from the monks of the Benedictine order who founded the city; hence the monk depicted on the city's coat...
. One of these children he was accused of killing, the 14-year-old Babette Fröwis whom he consigned to Eglfing-Harr as epileptic, was never examined by him. She later became a postergirl
Poster child
A poster child is a child afflicted by some disease or deformity whose picture is used on posters or other media as part of a campaign to raise money or enlist volunteers for a cause or organization...
for the practice of Nazi euthanasia. Sewering denied these allegations. However, he was barred from entering the United States on these grounds and Jewish organizations called for him to be tried for murder.
After World War II, he became a respected physician
Physician
A physician is a health care provider who practices the profession of medicine, which is concerned with promoting, maintaining or restoring human health through the study, diagnosis, and treatment of disease, injury and other physical and mental impairments...
, and earned the praise of noted doctor Wolfgang Wesiack. Sewering, who became the head of the German Medical Association in 1993 lived in Dachau in his latter years.
In May 2008, the German Federation of Internal Medicine awarded Sewering the Gunther-Budelmann medal for services to the nation’s health system", its highest honor. The Anti-Defamation League
Anti-Defamation League
The Anti-Defamation League is an international non-governmental organization based in the United States. Describing itself as "the nation's premier civil rights/human relations agency", the ADL states that it "fights anti-Semitism and all forms of bigotry, defends democratic ideals and protects...
condemned this, saying that "to honor an accused war criminal, one who is alleged to have used medicine for harm, is an insult to those who have suffered under the Nazis".