Karl Brandt
Karl Brandt (8 January 1904 – 2 June 1948) was a German physician and Schutzstaffel (SS) officer in Nazi Germany. Trained in surgery, Brandt joined the Nazi Party in 1932 and became Adolf Hitler's escort doctor in August 1934.[1] A member of Hitler's inner circle at the Berghof, he was selected by Philipp Bouhler, the head of Hitler's Chancellery, to administer the Aktion T4 euthanasia program. Brandt was later appointed the Reich Commissioner of Sanitation and Health (Bevollmächtigter für das Sanitäts- und Gesundheitswesen). Accused of involvement in human experimentation and other war crimes, Brandt was indicted in late 1946 and faced trial before a U.S. military tribunal along with 22 others in United States of America v. Karl Brandt, et al. He was convicted, sentenced to death, and hanged on 2 June 1948.[2]
Karl Brandt | |
|---|---|
 Brandt as a defendant at the Doctors' trial | |
| Born | 8 January 1904 |
| Died | 2 June 1948 (aged 44) |
| Cause of death | Execution by hanging |
| Nationality | German |
| Occupation | Personal physician of German dictator Adolf Hitler |
| Employer | Adolf Hitler |
| Known for | Reich Commissioner for Health and Sanitation |
| Title | SS-Gruppenführer in the Allgemeine SS / SS-Brigadeführer and Generalmajor of the Waffen-SS |
| Political party | Nazi Party |
| Criminal status | Executed |
| Spouse | |
| Children | Karl Adolf Brandt (born 4 October 1935) |
| Motive | Nazism |
| Conviction(s) | War crimes Crimes against humanity Membership in a criminal organization |
| Trial | Doctors' trial |
| Criminal penalty | Death |