Search for Names, Places and Biographies

Hella Körper * 1938

Langenhorner Chaussee 560 (Hamburg-Nord, Langenhorn)

ERMORDET IN DER
"KINDERFACHABTEILUNG"
DER HEIL- UND PFLEGEANSTALT
LANGENHORN

HELLA KÖRPER
GEB. 15.9.1938
ERMORDET 15.1.1942

further stumbling stones in Langenhorner Chaussee 560:
Gerda Behrmann, Uwe Diekwisch, Peter Evers, Elke Gosch, Claus Grimm, Werner Hammerich, Marianne Harms, Hillene Hellmers, Helga Heuer, Waltraud Imbach, Inge Kersebaum, Dieter Kullak, Helga Liebschner, Theo Lorenzen, Jutta Müller, Ingrid Neuhaus, Traudel Passburg, Edda Purwin, Angela Quast, Erwin Sänger, Hermann Scheel, Gottfried Simon, Monika Ziemer

Hella Körper, born on 15.9.1938 in Hamburg, killed on 15.1.1942 in the "children's ward of the Langenhorn sanatorium and nursing home” (Kinderfachabteilung)

Asklepios Clinic North Ochsenzoll,
Henny-Schütz-Allee, memorial house 25, entrance Langenhorner Chaussee 560

Hella Körper was born on September 15, 1938 as the first child of Helene Marie Stanislawa, née Matczak, and the machinist Richard Paul Johannes Körper in her parents' apartment at Frankenstraße 30 in Hamburg. The midwife was not immediately on hand, so that the newborn was apparently dead for half an hour. The mother observed Hella's cramps on the second day and then that she was not developing normally. Hella was baptized Catholic and breastfed by her mother for a year.

An examination lasting several days, from September 5 to 21, 1939, at Rothenburgsort Hospital did not confirm the cramps. The diagnosis there was: "microcephalus” (small head, reduced brain growth), "idiocy”. When Hella's sibling was born, Dr. Meyer, a private doctor in Hammerbrook, Wendenstraße, said it would be better if Hella was institutionalized.

After an "infectious brain disease”, a "head cold”, at the beginning of January 1941, an examination at the Eppendorf Eye Clinic revealed a conspicuous mental defect and the diagnosis of bilateral "congenital macular degeneration” (congenital disease of the retina).

At the age of two and a half, on May 5, 1941, Hella was first admitted to the "Alsterdorfer Anstalten” and stayed there for five months. She was diagnosed with "imbecility” (medium degree of mental weakness), "condition after encephalitis” (inflammation of the brain). The following is recorded from the course of the illness in Alsterdorf: "The child cannot be influenced, cries at the slightest touch, is very sensitive. When it comes to personal hygiene, she is worried, dressed and undressed. [...] She cannot speak, only utters inarticulate sounds. [...] Transferred to the Langenhorn sanatorium and nursing home at her mother's request with the approval of the social welfare administration.”

Dr. Grieve from the Hamburg Health Department wrote to the department of Health Senator Dr. Friedrich Ofterdinger on 15 October 1941: "The child Hella Körper has been in the Alsterdorf Asylum since May 41. The father is currently a soldier in the East. The mother agrees to the admission in Langenhorn and asks that the child be transferred. She asks that the transfer be carried out by the health administration, as she herself is unable to pick up the child and deliver it to Langenhorn because of another small child.”

Senator Ofterdinger replied a day later: "The transfer of the child from the Alsterdorf institutions to the specialized children's ward there is to be carried out from Langenhorn. Please report the admission here.”
On October 23, 1941, the transfer to the "Langenhorn Sanatorium and Nursing Home” took place. Dr. Knigge's admission record states: "The mother, who still has a completely healthy 2-year-old child, agrees to any treatment.” Knigge's records contain derogatory descriptions and thus preliminary justifications for killing it:
"21.XI.41: Runs aimlessly around the room, tearing and pulling at surrounding objects. Runs and screams senselessly. Barely attaches himself to one of the nurses.
17.12.41: Has continued his poor attempts at speech, actually only says 'bab, bab'. Continues to throw tantrums at every little thing. Is extremely sensitive and irritable when you deal with her. The typical sticky intrusiveness of postencephalitics. Scratches his bed neighbors if they happen to reach over. Is still completely unclean.
15.I.42: Exitus [death] under the symptoms of bronchopneumonia [pneumonia]. Diagnosis: idiocy. Microcephaly. Postencephalitic changes [permanent change of character as a result of brain tissue inflammation].”

Hella was killed in the "children's ward of the Langenhorn sanatorium and nursing home”. She died on January 15, 1942 at 2 p.m. in House M 10.

In the minutes and in the death certificate, Friedrich Knigge gave the cause of death as "Idiocy. (microcephaly), status post encephalitis bronchopneumonia”.
He killed with Luminal injections, a sleeping pill. Fever and pneumonia were the result; the children suffered a slow and agonizing death. In most death certificates, as in Hella's case, the words "bronchopneumonia” refer to this death.

The parents were informed of their child's death by telegram an hour later.

Hella was 3 years and 4 months old.

Nine days later, Hella Körper was transferred to Ohlsdorf Cemetery Chapel 12 at 12:30 on January 24, 1942. Her burial took place at 9:30 a.m. by the Großhamburgische Bestattungsgesellschaft (GBG); her parents had ordered "decoration and harmonium and organ music”; grave location Bh 58, row 34, no. 5. Her grave site is no longer preserved.

On June 3, 1942, Friedrich Knigge informed the "Reichsausschuss zur wissenschaftlichen Erfassung von erb- und anlagebedingten schweren Leiden” (Reich Committee for the Scientific Registration of Serious Hereditary and Congenital Diseases) in Berlin of her death after "treatment”.

One month after Helene Körper gave birth to her third child in July 1943, her husband Richard Körper was killed as a soldier in the war.

After the war, on January 18, 1946, in the criminal case against Knigge and others for murder and euthanasia in the "children's ward” of Langenhorn Hospital, Friedrich Knigge gave the following justification during a hearing before the examining magistrate at Hamburg District Court regarding the Hella Körper case: "I convinced myself of the hopelessness and incurability of the condition for about two months and then reported to the Reich Committee. On the basis of my expert opinion and the inspection of the medical file sent along, the committee gave its approval for euthanasia treatment. I carried this out on January 13, 1942. The child died two days later. I had already spoken to the mother when the child was brought in. She readily agreed to undergo a life-threatening procedure.”

Hella's mother testified in court on February 5, 1948: "Dr. Knigge told me that he would operate on Hella. I don't remember the doctor pointing out that the operation was particularly dangerous. I gave Dr. Knigge my consent to perform the operation. [...] I seriously believed that the child's condition could be improved by an operation.”

Translation: Beate Meyer
Stand: November 2024
© Margot Löhr

Quellen: StaH, 213-12 Staatsanwaltschaft, 0013 Bd. 060 Sonderakte Bd. 40, Schirbaum, Gottfried u. a., Akte 29116, 0017 Bd. 001, Bayer Dr. Wilhelm, u. a., S. 142 f., S. 227 f.; StaH, 332-5 Standesämter, Sterbefallsammelakten, 64217 u. 33/1942 Hella Körper; StaH, 332-5 Standesämter, Sterberegister, 9933 u. 33/1942 Hella Körper; StaH, 352-5 Standesämter, Todesbescheinigungen, 1942 Sta 1b Nr. 33 Hella Körper; StaH, 352-8/7 Staatskrankenanstalt Langenhorn, Abl. 2000/01, 64 UA 2 Akte 29116; Standesamt Hamburg 23, Geburtsregister, Nr. 202/1938 Hella Körper; Archiv Friedhof Ohlsdorf, Beerdigungsregister 1942, Nr. 634.