Nazi functionary or oppositionist in disguise? The complex life of the anatomist Enno Freerksen (1910-2001).

Enno Freerksen (1910-2001) is one of the most prominent German anatomists of his time, as evidenced by numerous international awards. His political role in the Third Reich, however, remains controversial. While some authors describe him an avowed National Socialist, Karl-Werner Ratschko recently speculated about a late turn of Freerksen towards political resistance. The present work takes these contradictions as an occasion for a comprehensive source-based analysis of Freerksen's activities in the Third Reich. For the first time, a synoptic evaluation of primary sources from eight different archives is undertaken. The study is supplemented by a systematic re-analysis of all available research contributions on Freerksen. The study demonstrates that Freerksen not only joined numerous Nazi organizations - partly even before Hitler came to power -, but also took on several important functions in the Nazi apparatus and worked on National Socialist research topics (e.g. racial hygiene). It can also be shown that his steep scientific career was closely linked to his political activities. The thesis that Freerksen opposed Nazi ideology towards the end of the war, on the other hand, must be clearly rejected. On the contrary: The sources show Freerksen as a National Socialist polyfunctionary, who did not self-critically reflect on his role in the Third Reich even after 1945.

Searching for motives: Suicides of doctors and dentists in the Third Reich and the postwar period, 1933-1949.

The criminal practices of National Socialism not only led to millions of murders, but also to increased suicide rates. The present study examines a specific aspect of this phenomenon: the suicides and corresponding motives of 275 German doctors and dentists in the period from 1933 to 1949. The analysis is based on a wide variety of primary and secondary sources. Most suicides were due to National Socialist repression, with peaks in 1938 and 1942. One fifth of the cases were among National Socialist perpetrators, with a peak of those suicides occurring in 1945. The motives for suicide ranged from despair to a lack of career prospects to a final act of self-determination and political opposition; many of the doctors experienced or expected a social downfall before attempting suicide.