CHILDREN STARVED

Press, Volume CIII, Issue 30389, 13 March 1964, Page 15

CHILDREN STARVED

Nazi ‘Mercy Killing’ (N.Z. Press Assn.—Copyright) March 11. LIMBURG (West Germany), A former Nazi official told a Limburg War Crimes Court <txlay that some feeble-minded or crippled children were starved to death under Hitler’s “mercy killing” programme. Dr. Hans Hefelmann, aged 58, charged with helping kill 37.000 people in the Nazi drive to “purify the race,” said he knew of at least two officials in the “mercy killing” programme who starved children deemed “unworthy of life” until they died. Hefelmann testified earlier Hitler’s Chancellory, said one was Dr. Walter Schmidt, now serving a life sentence as a war criminal, and the other was a high-ranking Nazi official named Mutschmann. Hefelmann testified earlier that one of the reasons for the “mercy killing” drive was to rid wartime Germany of “useless eaters.” Hitler wanted 500,000 people “liquidated” under the Nazi euthanasia programme, he said. But Hitler’s surgeon. Dr. Karl Brandt, and a Chancellory deputy, Philip Bouhler, managed to scale down the target figure. Fire in Hopper.— Two units from the Sydenham Fire Station and one from the Central Fire Station yesterday, attended a fire in a sawdust hopper at the premises of R A. Hale Ltd., 128 Hazeldean road, a joinery factory. The hopper was slightly damaged. The call was received at 8.5 pun.