Viktor Capesius
Encyclopedia
Viktor Capesius was a Nazi SS-Sturmbannführer
(Major) as a KZ-Apotheker (concentration camp pharmacist) who served in Dachau
from 1943-1944 and in Auschwitz from 1944-1945.
where in 1933, he received his Doctorate of Pharmacy. Capesius married in 1934 and worked for a subsidiary of IG Farben
selling products to doctors and pharmacists.
in 1939, Capesius joined the Romanian army and rose to the rank of captain while serving at a military hospital's pharmacy.
As an ethnic German, Capesius soon moved to the Waffen-SS
after Romania joined the Axis powers in 1940. Followed by his training at the SS-Zentrale Sanitäranlage (Central Sanitary Facility) in Warsaw, he was sent to Dachau Concentration Camp in September of 1943 to February 1944. Capesius was then sent in February 1944 to Auschwitz Concentration Camp
, where he remained until the camp was evacuated in January 1945 as the KZ-Apotheker (Camp Pharmacist).
Capesius worked closely with Josef Mengele
and together they were involved in the selection of inmates for the gas chamber. He had risen to the rank of SS-Sturmbannführer while at the camp and was in charge of using chemicals such as Phenol
and Zyklon B
as a means to liquidate the Jews.
and fell into British captivity, from which he was discharged after one year. He then began at the Technical University in Stuttgart to study electrical engineering. During a visit to Munich
, Capesius was recognized in 1946 by a former Auschwitz prisoner. He was then arrested by American military police and was in the internment camps of Dachau and Ludwigsburg. Since Capesius was part of the competent, U.S. authorities approved that there was no crime related and he was released from internment in August 1947 and worked initially in a Stuttgart pharmacy as an employee. In October 1950 he opened in Göppingen a pharmacy and, additionally, a beauty shop in Reutlingen
.
In Göppingen, Capesius was arrested in early December 1959 and was remanded in custody until 1965. On August 20, 1965 he became part of the Frankfurt Auschwitz Trials
by the Landgericht Frankfurt am Main Community for aiding and abetting the murder of at least four cases of 2,000 people and convicted to nine years in prison. Capesius served his time and was released from prison in January 1968. He attended, on the day of his dismissal, a city tour and was greeted with applause.
Sturmbannführer
Sturmbannführer was a paramilitary rank of the Nazi Party equivalent to major, used both in the Sturmabteilung and the Schutzstaffel...
(Major) as a KZ-Apotheker (concentration camp pharmacist) who served in 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...
from 1943-1944 and in Auschwitz from 1944-1945.
Early Life
Capesius, the son of a physician and pharmacist, began his academic studies in 1924 at the University of Cluj after graduating from high school. He worked towards a pharmacy degree and then transferred to the University of ViennaUniversity of Vienna
The University of Vienna is a public university located in Vienna, Austria. It was founded by Duke Rudolph IV in 1365 and is the oldest university in the German-speaking world...
where in 1933, he received his Doctorate of Pharmacy. Capesius married in 1934 and worked for a subsidiary of IG Farben
IG Farben
I.G. Farbenindustrie AG was a German chemical industry conglomerate. Its name is taken from Interessen-Gemeinschaft Farbenindustrie AG . The company was formed in 1925 from a number of major companies that had been working together closely since World War I...
selling products to doctors and pharmacists.
World War II
After the start of World War IIWorld 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...
in 1939, Capesius joined the Romanian army and rose to the rank of captain while serving at a military hospital's pharmacy.
As an ethnic German, Capesius soon moved to the Waffen-SS
Waffen-SS
The Waffen-SS was a multi-ethnic and multi-national military force of the Third Reich. It constituted the armed wing of the Schutzstaffel or SS, an organ of the Nazi Party. The Waffen-SS saw action throughout World War II and grew from three regiments to over 38 divisions, and served alongside...
after Romania joined the Axis powers in 1940. Followed by his training at the SS-Zentrale Sanitäranlage (Central Sanitary Facility) in Warsaw, he was sent to Dachau Concentration Camp in September of 1943 to February 1944. Capesius was then sent in February 1944 to Auschwitz Concentration Camp
Auschwitz concentration camp
Concentration camp Auschwitz was a network of Nazi concentration and extermination camps built and operated by the Third Reich in Polish areas annexed by Nazi Germany during World War II...
, where he remained until the camp was evacuated in January 1945 as the KZ-Apotheker (Camp Pharmacist).
Capesius worked closely with Josef Mengele
Josef Mengele
Josef Rudolf Mengele , also known as the Angel of Death was a German SS officer and a physician in the Nazi concentration camp Auschwitz-Birkenau. He earned doctorates in anthropology from Munich University and in medicine from Frankfurt University...
and together they were involved in the selection of inmates for the gas chamber. He had risen to the rank of SS-Sturmbannführer while at the camp and was in charge of using chemicals such as Phenol
Phenol
Phenol, also known as carbolic acid, phenic acid, is an organic compound with the chemical formula C6H5OH. It is a white crystalline solid. The molecule consists of a phenyl , bonded to a hydroxyl group. It is produced on a large scale as a precursor to many materials and useful compounds...
and Zyklon B
Zyklon B
Zyklon B was the trade name of a cyanide-based pesticide infamous for its use by Nazi Germany to kill human beings in gas chambers of extermination camps during the Holocaust. The "B" designation indicates one of two types of Zyklon...
as a means to liquidate the Jews.
Post War
After the liberation of the camp, he went into hiding in Schleswig-HolsteinSchleswig-Holstein
Schleswig-Holstein is the northernmost of the sixteen states of Germany, comprising most of the historical duchy of Holstein and the southern part of the former Duchy of Schleswig...
and fell into British captivity, from which he was discharged after one year. He then began at the Technical University in Stuttgart to study electrical engineering. During a visit to 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...
, Capesius was recognized in 1946 by a former Auschwitz prisoner. He was then arrested by American military police and was in the internment camps of Dachau and Ludwigsburg. Since Capesius was part of the competent, U.S. authorities approved that there was no crime related and he was released from internment in August 1947 and worked initially in a Stuttgart pharmacy as an employee. In October 1950 he opened in Göppingen a pharmacy and, additionally, a beauty shop in Reutlingen
Reutlingen
Reutlingen is a city in Baden-Württemberg, Germany. It is the capital of the eponymous district of Reutlingen. As of April 2008, it has a population of 109,828....
.
Frankfurt Auschwitz Trials
In Göppingen, Capesius was arrested in early December 1959 and was remanded in custody until 1965. On August 20, 1965 he became part of the Frankfurt Auschwitz Trials
Frankfurt Auschwitz trials
The Frankfurt Auschwitz Trials, known in German as der Auschwitz-Prozess or der zweite Auschwitz-Prozess, was a series of trials running from December 20, 1963 to August 10, 1965, charging 22 defendants under German penal law for their roles in the Holocaust as mid- to lower-level officials in the...
by the Landgericht Frankfurt am Main Community for aiding and abetting the murder of at least four cases of 2,000 people and convicted to nine years in prison. Capesius served his time and was released from prison in January 1968. He attended, on the day of his dismissal, a city tour and was greeted with applause.