Educational purpose only. This post documents historical events related to World War II and condemns the Nazi regime, war crimes, and all totalitarian ideologies. We do not glorify violence or hate.
Alfred Trzebinski: The SS Doctor Executed for the Bullenhuser Damm Massacre
Alfred Trzebinski was a German SS doctor whose career exemplifies how medicine was transformed into a tool of mass murder under the Nazi regime. Born in 1902 in what is now Poland, Trzebinski trained as a physician and initially practiced in rural areas, gaining a reputation as a dedicated local doctor. Behind this facade, however, he embraced Nazi ideology early on, joining the SS in 1932 and the Nazi Party in 1933, binding his professional ambitions to the Third Reich.
1. Service at Auschwitz, Majdanek, and Neuengamme
During World War II, Trzebinski served at several concentration camps, including Auschwitz, Majdanek, and Neuengamme. At Auschwitz in 1941, he participated in Zyklon B gas experiments, witnessing the mass execution of Soviet prisoners of war and Polish inmates. He later continued his work in the death machinery at Majdanek, where he selected sick prisoners for execution and oversaw the camp’s medical administration, which prioritized extermination over treatment.
2. The Bullenhuser Damm Massacre
Trzebinski’s most notorious role was at Neuengamme concentration camp, where he worked under the command of Max Pauly. In 1944, he participated in secret medical experiments conducted by SS doctor Kurt Heissmeyer, who infected prisoners – including children – with tuberculosis to advance racial medical theories.
Twenty Jewish children, aged 5 to 12, were transferred from Auschwitz to Neuengamme for these experiments. When Allied forces approached in April 1945, the SS sought to eliminate all witnesses.
On the night of April 20, 1945, the children and their caregivers were taken to a former school building at Bullenhuser Damm in Hamburg. Trzebinski administered morphine to sedate the children, fully aware that they would be murdered to cover up the crimes. All twenty children, their caregivers, and several other Soviet prisoners were murdered that night.
3. Arrest, Trial, and Execution
After Germany’s surrender, Trzebinski attempted to disappear but was arrested by British authorities. During the Neuengamme Trial in Hamburg in 1946, he admitted his actions but claimed he was merely following orders. The court rejected his defense.
On October 8, 1946, Alfred Trzebinski was executed by hanging.
4. The Legacy of the Bullenhuser Damm Massacre
The Bullenhuser Damm massacre remains one of the most horrific crimes of the Holocaust. Trzebinski’s case stands as a clear reminder of how professional authority was used to legitimize systematic murder.
Primary Sources:
Neuengamme Trial records (1946)
Testimonies of survivors and witnesses
United States Holocaust Memorial Museum (USHMM) – Bullenhuser Damm records
Historical studies of Nazi medical crimes
Wikipedia – Alfred Trzebinski / Bullenhuser Damm massacre / Neuengamme concentration camp