Josef mengele was born on march sixteenth one thousand on the ven in goods for bavaria in what was then part of the german empire he was the eldest of carl and valborg a manglers three children his father was the founder and owner of a flourishing Agricultural Machinery company the mangler name was known throughout the varia. The family firm was so successful that adult hitler himself painted a visit in good spoke. To gives him a lot of shorty about what he wants to do but he doesnt want to follow his family into agriculture he wants to become a doctor and of course you know thats fully encouraged that is a respectable profession. Mengele was a good student interested in music art and skiing after finishing secondary school in april one thousand nine hundred thirty he went to study at the university of munich munich was then the headquarters of the nazi party run by at off hitler. In january nine hundred thirty seven Yosef Mengele became an assistant to dr ot more fun for sure at the institute for hereditary biology and racial hygiene in frankfurt. The following year manga not received his medical degree ambitious and determined to climb higher in the nazi scientific establishment he also joined the s. S. For someone like mykola who is. Wealthy smart good at school now is a doctor you look at the military organizations that the nazis have and the natural one to join would be the s. S. Because it was an elite within the leet the s. S. Went back for six generations to make sure that you were pure german blood there was a hereditary marker so much so that joining him nurse s. S. And that elite meant if you got a blood mark underneath your arm so that it was the signed of your blood that you had been vetted that you were cured of course for mengele he decided not to have that blood type tattoo because he was too vain to do it. Mengele married in july nine hundred thirty nine just a few weeks before the outbreak of World War Two. He was drafted into the german van mocked in june one nine hundred forty and volunteered to join the boston s. S. In june one thousand nine hundred one nazi germany launched an attack against the soviet union like thousands of other doctors he also was sent to the front he was posted to the ukraine not far from stalingrad. He was awarded an iron cross for bravery but was seriously wounded in one thousand nine hundred two and sent away from the front with the rank of captain mengele was transferred to berlin to the Kaiser Vilhelm institute where he was reunited with his mentor dr pressure. In early one nine hundred forty three that sure encouraged mengele to ask for a transfer to auschwitz where he could pursue his research on human subjects. Auschwitz birkenau combined a concentration camp and an extermination camp. For. The inmates mostly jews had been deported from across europe and arrived by the thousands every day by train as they stepped from the train they were subjected to a selection by s. S. Doctors. Most of the new arrivals were sent directly to the gas chambers. Many of them were sick or were women and children the others were herded into the concentration camps where most of them died from exhaustion malnutrition and dizziness. It was during this Selection Process that route ileus several months pregnant came across Josef Mengele for the first time. In. Australia and some speak. And i saw from fire that women are naked. Going between two s. And sam angle is stands and making light left right left and has his hand heave a fist. I didnt notice how hes a nice. Guy this. Can be easy. Unlike most of his colleagues who regarded the selection as an arduous and unpleasant task seem to enjoy it prisoners often saw him smiling or whistling. In his later experiments focusing primarily on twins mengele had utter disregard for his Victims Health or safety. Doctors today in two thousand and seventeen dont know why a woman the x. Thats in it too and some women have most have one child and some have two if he could unlock that secret he was the father of germany Going Forward every good german mother could have two children every birth the replies the war dead. It would be for him a brilliant accomplishment. There alexander former deportees recalls how many operated on twins in an attempt to join them together like can join twins and. Back. In the day they were. That. The boy. Back. To day. Back to back their very back to back. Tracking so that their feet. And thats because i am i. Was awarded the war merit cross and was promoted in late one nine hundred forty three to chief physician of the birkenau subcamp. In the winter of one thousand nine hundred five the approach of soviet troops spilled the end of the auschwitz birkenau killing machine. Along with several other doctors on january seventeenth mengele was transferred to the cause and concentration camp in Lower Silesia and what is today poland. Brought along two boxes of specimens and records of his experiments. The red army liberated the remaining prisoners at auschwitz on january twenty seventh. In february one thousand nine hundred five mengele fled and discarding his s. S. Uniform and disguising himself as an ordinary fair mox soldier. He was twice arrested by american troops in the spring and summer of one thousand nine hundred five he was even recorded under his real name his decision not to be tattooed when he joined the s. S. Saved his life. They had. Cheered up his take off their shirts raised their heads and they walked by and if you saw the blood type the truth. You were sort of decide to be interrogated. More closely if you didnt have it but type tattoo and you had a cogent cover story. Then you could be released. The s. S. Doctor was ultimately saved by chaos and cunning the nazi war criminal was not identified and he slipped through the net. Yourself mengele left the American Camp under his real identity in july one thousand nine hundred five by chance he obtained copies of the id papers of another doctor he met in captivity flits. Mengele altered the document slightly and became for its whole month. Magna as name was not widely known at the time even though the allies had begun compiling lists of war criminals as early as one thousand nine hundred three and had sworn they would all face punishment many managed to escape. The victorious allies were determined to institute a wide ranging denotes a cation process in postwar germany but the nazi hunters had only limited means and resources. Of the british were crime scene only had about got of how full of cause they had about two photographers and thats the british in that knoll the zone of occupation and for this that on attack tracked down thousands of war criminals thousands. Mangal as name was mentioned several times at the nuremberg trials which began in november one thousand nine hundred five. But the allies knew of dozens of mang of us from all across germany. It was possible that he had died during the. Arctic retreat of the german army this is what his family told american investigators in the autumn of one thousand nine hundred forty five. Legless wife is said to have comported herself as a widow i interviewed one woman in suburban new york who was from the town of conspire against she said that there was a funeral mass for just a little of. The entire mengele family rallied round yosef in his hour of need they were all pro nazi and along with family ties there were also Economic Issues at stake for what was one of the regions most prominent families. For his own safety and that of the family a hideout was found among some friendly farmers near rosenheim in bavaria officially no longer existed he was fritz holeman a farm hand who planted and harvested potatoes. His wife irena visited him every two weeks he would meet her at the station and the couple would go for a walk along the river. Mengele spent nearly three relatively trying to years in anonymity although his name was mentioned during the main nurnberg trials. The nurnberg doctors trials which ended in late one nine hundred forty seven further heightened his fears. Limited his wifes visits to reduce the chances of being caught his hopes of seeing his son who was born in one thousand nine hundred four were dashed as the former doctors anxiety grew he had seen little of his son and the trial of concentration camp doctors made the prospect increasingly risky. Fearing that his capture would mean a trial and a death sentence began to plan his escape together with his family. South america was chosen as his destination and specifically argentina handling provided by the International Red cross was held would. He was not completely reassured by his new identity however and it was imperative that he travel as discreetly as possible. Yosef mengele alias helm would play left germany in april nine hundred forty nine his First Destination was the port of genoa in italy. In this large city he could blend into the crowd among thousands of refugees waiting to set off toward various destinations around the world. The ship intended to take the north king was still in the harbor with his red cross papers and a visa for argentina he had no trouble boarding. After a crossing that lasted six weeks he arrived in born a series. Mengele soon made contact with the buenos aires nazi support network the first two people he met were former nazi era aces. Who would become a close friend and at off gallant they both lived in the arch in time capital. In the early one nine hundred fifty s. Mengele moved into the she closed the neighborhood of finest saris. He rented a house from a nazi sympathizer at twenty four fifty eight kaya are anonymous. In early one nine hundred fifty three the doctor moved again taking an apartment in the city center at four thirty one k. A top quality it was a strange choice the charmless building was rather decrepit and the street was noisy. Pursued his new life with vigor with the help of his family he invested in a carpentry business. Thanks to his friend hans. He also pursued contacts for the familys Farm Machinery business would also put him in touch with contacts in neighboring paraguay which may often visited. I think one of the greatest surprises to me in many years of research about mengele was how easily he had docked it to his new life and how the floors to mingle had money that made all the difference in the world other criminals who skate to south america like that who ran that the the trains was the traffic cop of death as some people called him he went to work you know as a foreman in an Assembly Line for say hes not mentally mental as a matter of fact didnt go to work for nine to five job he at first didnt have a job at all in that he starts to invest in some companies. Was in Constant Contact with his family in germany. In one thousand nine hundred fifty four accord indecl door granted a divorce to his wife who had not accompanied him to south america he agreed to the separation through his lawyer. Brother carl had died in one thousand nine hundred eighty nine leaving a widow and a son mengele knew that his father was worried that his daughter in law might remarry someone the family considered unsuitable marja had stuck in the family company. The solution that would preserve the company would be for martha to mary. The only problem was organizing a meeting between them. Magna would have to return to europe and revive his real identity. He first obtained a copy of his birth certificate from the west German Embassy in argentina in one nine hundred fifty six he then applied for an argentinean residence permit and used this document to get an argentine passport under his real identity. The journey he made back to europe in retrospect seems to have been extremely daring if not full hearty in february one nine hundred fifty six he set foot in europe as yosef magaluf he first went to the ski resort of engelberg in switzerland in this hotel he met his son walford to whom he was introduced as uncle fritz. Mata and her son carl hines were also present they all got to know one another in the a delicious was german alpine setting. Then extended his stay with a visit to germany with mata. Goes to construe or. He actually goes to a few spots. In peace for three days hes visiting former colleagues at the kaiser bill institutes supposedly and. It would be very interesting to find out exactly what happened that. On returning to argentina in the spring magdalen decided to live under his real name. In the summer of one nine hundred fifty six he went to the German Embassy to find out more about his status. He planned to remarry and also to borrow money to invest in a new company that meant he needed a passport from his country of birth a few weeks later on september eleventh one thousand nine hundred fifty six he obtained the all important document from west germany how was this possible how could the diplomats be so negligent. I dont believe there was any corruption bribery or that because they didnt have to be. If you were a german diplomat politician doctor lawyer or business man after World War Two ten eleven years after the end of the war the one thing that nobody in germany ever asked anybody else is what to do during the war it was considered a taboo question the zone was it the book. At the time the germans were not particularly determined to prosecute war criminals if it would pose a problem to german society. Mangler was a top top top those who had obtained their qualifications quite legally high level intellectuals. Prosecuting people like that would pose a problem for german society. Or grandmother. The germans negligence tantamount to assistance enabled me to lead a normal professional life in argentina he invested into pharmaceutical laboratories over a Million Dollars mars lent to him by his family the doctor intended to pursue his passion medical science. The offices were located in this one a sari spilled ng. Sequin also remember in the middle of the First Business in his new profession was the five dro from la barra. He made products for sale to the public quite openly under his real name. These papers which were presented for the establishment of the limited company we can see the name mangling he went on. You know i think about a lot of they were pretty good but i you know what if youre somebody i called him dr greg because that was how he had been introduced and then he corrected me telling me that it was dr mengele i am not dr greg or. The media i was rather surprised by this but he explained to me that he had got the name of dr gregory when he left germany after the war because of political problems for the. Business was going well for mandela as was his family life. In october nine hundred fifty six martha and her son karlheinz joined him in point of saturdays. They moved into a new house the doctor had just bought for his family and very dear teas in the comfortable suburb of only bus. The name mengele even appeared in the boy in a serious phone book. The couple were married in january one thousand nine hundred fifty eight during a trip to montevideo the capital of neighboring. Martha is a strong woman obviously always attracted to and she to him and she has a son around the age of his real son rauf who doesnt know until hes fourteen years old that his father is even still alive so before rauf knows that his fathers alive martha cox up takes her son most of what authorities and marries mengele is astonishing. Bit of family dysfunction with a capital d. For dysfunction and shes willing to be with him and the son thinks hes a perfect person or a great father. After several years in exile it seemed logical for mengele to consider returning to germany mengele believes that he was not a wanted man and that his real place was back in going spork at the head of the Family Business but a number of events would put an end to any such considerations. Yet in it he had no doubt performed a number of times a stein surgery he had even been denounced for doing an abortion on a teenage girl who died following an infection or he was arrested by the police yeah you me and there in that i mean it is clear that he benefited from protection however as a situation that could have been disastrous was somehow avoided this shows the level of protection he have. Mengele was only one of a number of doctors arrested he was cleared but shaken by the experience worried that the publicized he would lead to the discovery of his nazi past and wartime activities in late one nine hundred fifty eight he took an extended business trip to paraguay in the meantime events in europe made him determined to remain in hiding. The read lentulus efforts of nazi hunters Eamonn Beason tall and herrmann long pine were beginning to bear fruit long binah a survivor of auschwitz had gathered extensive testimony concerning Yosef Mengele his activities during the war. During a search of the public records long bind found manglers divorce papers listing an address in buenos aires he and visa pressured west German Authorities to draw up an arrest warrant. On june fifth one thousand nine hundred fifty nine a court in fribourg issued an indictment against mengele. An informant tipped off the mengele family mangler was warned and took action. Germanys request for extradition was initially refused by argentina by the time it was finally granted magna had already left for paraguay where he could live undisturbed the country was run by the dictator alfredo who was up german descent mengele was granted parkway and citizenship in november one thousand nine hundred fifty nine there was a moment somewhere in its mine where he thought he could live there as jose mengele. At the same time in one thousand nine hundred fifty nine unknown to everyone the Israeli Secret Service the mossad launched operation attila. They had located and off eichmann the architect of the final solution. On may eleventh one thousand nine hundred sixty the former s. S. Leader was captured in the street in front of his home in the neighborhood of point osiris. Mossad agents had planned to go after mengele too. But he slipped through their fingers. The israelis had not realized that megalo was already in paraguay there during capture of out of iceland was illegal which made israel more inclined to be wary of the paraguay and authorities his new paraguay and citizenship ended up protecting us of mengele even though he felt increasingly at r