Sigmund Rascher’s end

Sigmund Rascher was without a shadow if a doubt one of the most evil men of the Nazi regime. He was an SS Doctor in service of the Luftwaffe and was one of Himmler’s favourites. Rascher’s wife the actress ,Karoline “Nini” Diehl, was a friend of Himmler, rumours had it that she was Himmler’s mistress but this was never verified.

Rascher conducted deadly experiments on the effect of high altitude , freezing and blood coagulation on human subjects in Dachau, this all under the patronage of Heinrich Himmler.

Aside from the extremely cruel and deadly experiments he also used human skin to make saddles. It is no wonder that he was executed on April 26,1945.

However you’d be wrong to think he was executed by the allies or for the aforementioned crimes.

In order to impress Himmler, Rascher claimed  that population growth could be sped up by extending female childbearing age, Rascher publicized  that his wife had given birth to three children even after reaching 48 years of age. Himmler so impressed by this used a photograph of Rascher’s family as propaganda material.

But, during the  fourth “pregnancy,” of Mrs. Rascher , she was caught attempting to kidnap a baby and was arrested . A subsequent  investigation revealed that her other three children had been either bought or kidnapped. Himmler was furious and felt betrayed, Rascher was arrested in April 1944.

Additionally to the fraudulent childbearing scheme it was also accused of financial irregularities, the murder of his former lab assistant, and scientific fraud.

On April 26,1945 just 3 days before US troops reached Dachau, Rascher was executed by SS-Hauptscharführer Theodor Bongartz ,allegedly on Himmler’s direct order.