During
the Holocaust Josef Mengele was the chief
provider for the gas chambers at Auschwitz - and did
well! When it was reported that one block was infected
with lice, Mengele solved the problem by gassing all the
750 women assigned to it.
The memory of this slightly built man, scarcely a hair
out of place, his dark green tunic neatly pressed, his
face well scrubbed, his Death's Head SS cap tilted
rakishly to one side, remains vivid for those who
survived his scrutiny when they arrived at the Auschwitz
railhead. Polished boots slightly apart, his thumb
resting on his pistol belt, he surveyed his prey with
those dead gimlet eyes. Death to the left, life to the
right.
Four hundred thousand souls - babies, small children,
young girls, mothers, fathers, and grandparents - were
casually waved to the left hand side with a flick of the
cane clasped in a gloved hand.
Mengele did a number of medical experiments of
unspeakable horror at Auschwitz, using twins. These
twins as young as five years of age were usually
murdered after the experiment was over and their bodies
dissected.
Mengele injected chemicals into the eyes of children in
an attempt to change their eye color. Unfortunately a
strict veil of secrecy over the experiments enabled
Mengele to do his work more effectively.
Despite international efforts to track him down, Josef
Mengele was never apprehended and lived for 35 years
hiding under various aliases. He lived in Paraguay and
Brazil until his death in 1979.
One afternoon, living in Brazil, he went for a swim.
While in the ocean he suffered a massive stroke and
began to drown. By the time he was dragged to shore, he
was dead.
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