Aribert Heim
An SS physician who turned a concentration camp infirmary into a chamber of horrors, experimenting on and murdering prisoners with chilling, surgical cruelty.
1914–1992 (age 78)·Austrian SS doctor·Birthday: June 28·The Greatest Generation
Biography
Aribert Heim stands as a haunting figure in the annals of Nazi medical atrocities. An Austrian-born doctor and dedicated Nazi, he served at the Mauthausen concentration camp for just a few months in 1941, a period that cemented his monstrous nickname, 'Dr. Death.' In the camp's infirmary, he performed pseudo-medical experiments and murders without a shred of therapeutic intent. His methods were grotesquely inventive: injecting gasoline, phenol, or poison directly into prisoners' hearts, performing amputations and organ removals without anesthesia, and keeping the skull of a murdered Jewish prisoner as a macabre paperweight. After the war, he evaded capture, living under aliases in Germany and possibly Egypt, becoming one of the most-wanted Nazi war criminals. His decades-long disappearance, fueled by false leads and dead ends, ended only when investigators confirmed he had died in Cairo in 1992, a final escape from earthly justice.
The Greatest Generation
1901–1927
Grew up during the Depression, fought World War II, and built the postwar economic boom. Defined by shared sacrifice, institutional trust, and a belief that hard work and loyalty would be rewarded.
Aribert was born in 1914, placing them squarely in The Greatest Generation. The events that shaped this generation — world wars, depression, and rapid industrialization — shaped the world they entered and the choices available to them.
#1 When Aribert Was Born
The biggest hits of 1914
Aribert's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1914Born
World War I begins
President: Woodrow Wilson
1919Started school
Treaty of Versailles signed; Prohibition ratified
President: Woodrow Wilson
1927Became a teenager
Lindbergh flies solo across the Atlantic; The Jazz Singer premieres
President: Calvin Coolidge"My Blue Heaven" — Gene Austin
1930Could drive
Pluto discovered
Gas: $0.20/galHome: $3,510President: Herbert Hoover"Body and Soul" — Paul WhitemanBest Picture: All Quiet on the Western Front
1932Could vote
Amelia Earhart flies solo across the Atlantic
Gas: $0.18/galPresident: Herbert Hoover"Night and Day" — Fred AstaireBest Picture: Grand Hotel
1935Turned 21
Social Security Act signed into law
Gas: $0.19/galHome: $3,450President: Franklin D. Roosevelt"Cheek to Cheek" — Fred AstaireBest Picture: Mutiny on the Bounty
1944Turned 30
D-Day: Allied forces land at Normandy
Gas: $0.21/galHome: $3,400Min wage: $0.30/hrPresident: Franklin D. Roosevelt"Swinging on a Star" — Bing CrosbyBest Picture: Going My Way
1954Turned 40
Brown v. Board of Education desegregates US schools
Gas: $0.29/galHome: $8,925Min wage: $0.75/hrPresident: Dwight D. Eisenhower"Little Things Mean a Lot" — Kitty KallenBest Picture: On the Waterfront
1964Turned 50
Civil Rights Act signed; Beatles arrive in America
Gas: $0.30/galHome: $13,450Min wage: $1.25/hrPresident: Lyndon B. Johnson"I Want to Hold Your Hand" — The BeatlesBest Picture: My Fair Lady
1974Turned 60
Nixon resigns the presidency
Gas: $0.53/galHome: $22,600Min wage: $2.00/hrPresident: Gerald Ford"The Way We Were" — Barbra StreisandBest Picture: The Godfather Part II
1984Turned 70
Apple Macintosh introduced
Gas: $1.13/galHome: $59,800Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: Ronald Reagan"When Doves Cry" — PrinceBest Picture: Amadeus
1992Died at 78
LA riots after Rodney King verdict
Gas: $1.13/galHome: $84,300Min wage: $4.25/hrPresident: George H.W. Bush"End of the Road" — Boyz II MenBest Picture: Unforgiven
Key Achievements
- Served as an SS-Hauptsturmführer (captain) and physician at the Mauthausen concentration camp.
- Subjected prisoners to lethal and torturous pseudo-medical procedures, including direct cardiac injections of toxic substances.
- Was placed on the Simon Wiesenthal Center's list of most-wanted Nazi war criminals for decades.
- Successfully evaded capture for over 40 years after World War II, living under assumed identities.
Did You Know?
He was a competitive swimmer in his youth and reportedly once considered trying out for the Austrian national team.
For years, rumors persisted that he was living in Patagonia, Chile, though he was eventually traced to Egypt.
His son, Rüdiger Heim, publicly expressed shame over his father's actions and cooperated with investigators.
The hunt for Heim officially closed in 2012 when German authorities and the Simon Wiesenthal Center confirmed his 1992 death in Cairo.
“I was a doctor following orders to strengthen the race.”
