Introduction

Germany's dark history includes some of the most disturbing and brutal episodes in human history. This article delves into some of the creepiest and most shocking aspects of Germany's history, from capital punishment methods to inhumane treatment during the Nazi era. Through these historical snippets, we gain a better understanding of the complexities and horrors that shaped a nation.

Heads on a Spike: Capital Punishment in Germany

Until the late 1940s, Germany practiced beheading as a form of capital punishment. This brutal method was employed well beyond the period of the Third Reich. In 1949, West Germany executed a rapist-murderer by beheading, showcasing the persistence of this gruesome practice. East Germany's STASI, the secret police, continued to use beheading until the mid-1960s (Rassenschande). Germany also had its own version of the guillotine called the fallbeil, indicating the country's adherence to severe and picturesque execution methods.

Rassenschande: Mixing Blood for the Sake of War

During World War II, the Germans took an alarming measure to ensure their military had sufficient blood plasma for wounded soldiers. Rassenschande, or the contamination of 'inferior Jewish blood,' was forgotten in this context. Gisella Perl, a Jewish doctor in Auschwitz, wrote about the harrowing process:

“The sight which greeted us when we entered Block VII is one never to be forgotten. From the cages along the walls about six hundred panic-stricken, trembling young women were looking at us with silent pleading in their eyes. The other hundred were lying on the ground pale, faint, bleeding. Their pulse was almost inaudible, their breathing strained and deep, rivers of blood were flowing around their bodies. Big strong SS men were going from one to the other, sticking tremendous needles into their veins and robbing their undernourished, emaciated bodies of their last drop of blood. The German army needed blood plasma! The guinea pigs of Auschwitz were just the people to furnish that plasma.”

These events demonstrate the stark ethical and moral breaches that occurred during the Nazi regime.

Human Urine Hanging and Mathematical Death

The conditions in concentration camps were inhuman and degrading. Inmates like Eugen Kogon described the pervasive filth and neglect in Buchenwald. German soldiers were ordered to take children and fatten them up, leading to organized and systematic blood drainings for wounded German soldiers. This practice highlight the cold-hearted and inefficient actions taken by those in power.

"Heinrich Himmler ordered that each village take a child and fatten it up with the family being answerable for its life. After three months, when the children were in better health, they were taken to a hospital, tied to the beds, and their blood was drained for wounded Germans. The children died."?

Camp conditions were unspeakably terrible, with prisoners covered in human urine and excrement. The shocking levels of filth were not only due to a lack of sanitation but were also strategically intended to demoralize prisoners and make life more difficult. Inmates devised various methods to cope with this environment, such as using strips of their uniforms to clean areas of their bodies exposed to filth. This level of ghastliness and dehumanization speaks volumes about the humanity and morality imparted under the regime of Nazism.

Conclusion

This article provides an insight into some of the most disturbing and shocking events in German history, highlighting the dark side of the country's past. The persistence of beheading, the use of slave labor for medical purposes, and the deliberate creation of inhumane conditions in concentration camps serve as stark reminders of the complexity and severity of the era. Understanding these events is crucial for preventing such atrocities from occurring again in the future.