Karl Gebhardt — Doctors' Trial Index

Index > Karl Gebhardt

Position

Generalleutnant (Lieutenant General) in the Waffen-SS; Chief Surgeon of the Staff of the Reich Physician SS and Police; personal physician to Reichsfuehrer-SS Himmler; and President of the German Red Cross.

Mugshot

Indictment

1. Conspiracy to commit war crimes against humanity: The ordering, planning, and organization of the war crimes and crimes against humanity charged in counts two and three.

2. War crimes: High-altitude experiments; Freezing experiments; Malaria experiments; Mustard (“lost”) gas experiments; Sulfanilamide experiments; Bone, muscle, and nerve regeneration, and bone transplant experiments; Seawater experiments; Epidemic jaundice experiments; Typhus ("spotted fever") and other vaccine experiments; Poison experiments; Incendiary bomb experiments; and Sterilization experiments.

3. Crimes against humanity: High-altitude experiments; Freezing experiments; Malaria experiments; Mustard (“lost”) gas experiments; Sulfanilamide experiments; Bone, muscle, and nerve regeneration, and bone transplant experiments; Seawater experiments; Epidemic jaundice experiments; Typhus ("spotted fever") and other vaccine experiments; Poison experiments; Incendiary bomb experiments; and Sterilization experiments.

4. Membership in a criminal organization: Membership in the SS.

Prosecution’s Case

• Opening Statement (December 9th, 1946)

• High-altitude experiments at Dachau (December 10th — December 11th)

• Freezing experiments (December 11th)

• Malaria experiments (December 13th)

• Seawater experiments (December 16th)

• Sterilization experiments (December 16th)

• Epidemic jaundice experiments (December 19th)

• Sulfanilamide and bone/muscle experiments (December 19th — December 21st)

• Mustard (“lost”) gas experiments (January 2nd, 1947)

• Typhus (“spotted fever”) and other vaccine experiments (January 3rd — January 10th)

• Prosecution’s closing statement (July 14th)

Defense’s Case

• Entered pleas of Not Guilty (December 9th, 1946)

• Opening statement (January 29th, 1947)

• Defense case begins (March 4th)

• Witnesses:

  1. Karl Gebhardt (March 4th — March 10th)

• Defense counsel’s closing statement (July 16th)

• Defendant’s personal statement (July 19th)

• Verdict (August 19th)

• Sentenced (August 20th)

• Appeals:

  1. Denied by the Military Governor of the US Zone (November 22nd)

  2. Denied by the United States Supreme Court (February 16th, 1948)

• Executed (June 2nd)