Das SS-Ahnenerbe und die »Straßburger Schädelsammlung« - Fritz Bauers letzter Fall.

»SS-Ahnenerbe and the Strasbourg Skull Collection - Fritz Bauer's Last Case« In August 1943, the anatomist August Hirt murdered 86 people at the Natzweiler concentration camp. He wanted to display their skeletons in a museum in Strasbourg in order to demonstrate to its visitors the inferiority of the »Jewish race« from a National Socialist viewpoint. This was the testimony offered by one of Hirt's forced labourers at the Nuremberg Doctors' Trial. Since then Hirt, who died in 1945, has been seen as the originator and prospective beneficiary of this brutal crime. When the historian Michael Kater raised his doubts about the motive and those involved with the Hesse Chief Public Prosecutor, Fritz Bauer, the legendary »Nazi hunter« started to investigate. Bauer died, however, and none of the accused were ever imprisoned. Now, on the basis of in part previously unknown sources, this book records the course of the crime. The biographies and motives of the perpetrators, their helpers and witnesses are painstakingly detailed. The suspicion that Fritz Bauer held during his last case becomes more solid. Furthermore, using a wide range of sources, the book shows that the motive behind this inhuman Nazi crime was in fact far more cynical and barbarous than originally thought. It identifies further perpetrators and the actual purpose of the crime.

Julien Reitzenstein studied jurisprudence and history. The forensic historian has been researching for many years in the area of restitution, and into the history of the SS, the SS »Ahnenerbe« research facility, and »military sciences« under the NS regime. This research is based on intensive archive work so that he repeatedly succeeds in unearthing new material. He has been sharing these results for over a decade in his teaching, for instance at the Heinrich Heine University Düsseldorf, the Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg and the Bundeswehr Command and Staff College. The author lives and works in Ireland.