The Forced Sterilization and "Euthanasia" of World War One Soldiers under Nazi Eugenics Policies

FAIN: FT-286104-22

Rebecca Ayako Bennette
Middlebury College (Middlebury, VT 05753-6004)

Research and writing leading to a book on the Nazi treatment of disabled World War One veterans between 1933 and 1945.

This project examines the fate of World War One veterans in Germany who were targeted by Nazi eugenics policies between 1933 and 1945. Despite the rhetorical importance veterans held during the Third Reich, the regime regarded many soldiers suffering from horrific injuries and psychological trauma to be “inconvenient” reminders of war’s devastating consequences. Though little is known about such men, these veterans fell victim to enforced sterilization and even murder in the Nazi’s “euthanasia” program. This project will produce a book based on research using actual patient files housed in German archives.