He Begged & Cried: Execution of Nazi Doctor Who Killed 400 People

Claus Schilling was one of the oldest and most disturbing medical perpetrators of the Nazi concentration camp system during the Second World War. A respected malaria researcher before the war, Schilling transformed decades of scientific prestige into a tool of systematic cruelty inside Dachau concentration camp. His case exposes how professional ambition and ideological compliance allowed mass murder to masquerade as medical research. Born in Munich in 1871, Schilling built an international reputation as a specialist in tropical medicine. He worked in German colonies, led malaria research at the Robert Koch Institute, and served on international health commissions. Even after retirement, his obsession with malaria continued. When Adolf Hitler came to power, science was subordinated to racial ideology and military needs—and Schilling adapted without resistance. In 1942, at over seventy years old, Schilling arrived at Dachau to conduct malaria experiments on prisoners. Under his supervision, inmates were deliberately infected with malaria through mosquito bites or injections and then subjected to experimental drugs in extreme and often lethal doses. The victims—Poles, priests, Italians, and Soviet prisoners—had no choice. Many died during the experiments; hundreds more succumbed later to complications. Prisoners nicknamed him “Bloody Schilling,” a reflection of both his methods and his indifference to suffering. Schilling justified his actions as scientific necessity, claiming his work would save lives. In reality, his experiments were marked by neglect, brutality, and a complete disregard for human dignity. When Dachau was liberated by U.S. forces in April 1945, the scale of medical crimes shocked even seasoned investigators. Arrested and tried by an American military tribunal, Claus Schilling showed no remorse. He portrayed himself as a devoted scientist and begged to continue his research. The court rejected his defense. On 28 May 1946, Schilling was executed by hanging—one of the few Nazi doctors held fully accountable before the Doctors’ Trial at Nuremberg. His story stands as a warning of how science, stripped of ethics, can become an instrument of mass murder. Narrator: Marchand Steenkamp. Join World History channel and get access to benefits:    / @worldhistoryvideos   Disclaimer: All opinions and comments below are from members of the public and do not reflect the views of the World History channel. We do not accept promoting violence or hatred against individuals or groups based on attributes such as: race, nationality, religion, sex, gender, sexual orientation. World History has the right to review the comments and delete them if they are deemed inappropriate. ► CLICK the SUBSCRIBE button for more interesting clips:    / @worldhistoryvideos   #ClausSchilling #WWII #worldwartwo #nazigermany #holocaustdocumentary #adolfhitler #warcriminals #warcrime #worldhistory #historygermany #worldwar2videos #warcrimes #holocausteducation #holocaustdocumentary #holocaustremembrance #dachau #concentrationcamps #doctor #doctors #medicine #luftwaffe #nazidoctors #nazimedicalexperiments #naziexperiments Claus Schilling biography, Dachau concentration camp, Dachau medical experiments, Dachau experiments, Dachau camp, Nazi Germany, World War 2 Germany, Germany World War 2, Germany WW2, Nazi Party, Famous Nazi doctor, Nazi doctor, Nazi doctors trial, Nazi human experimentation, Doctors trial, Doctors on trial, Nuremberg doctors trial, Medical experiments, Medical experiment, Medical experimentation, Medical experiments during the Holocaust, Holocaust medical experiments, Holocaust experiments, Concentration camp experiments, World War 2 experiments on humans, Medical experiments of the Holocaust, Experiments at Dachau, Experiments WW2, High altitude experiments, Hypothermia experiments, Malaria experiments, Claus Schilling and Benito Mussolini, Dachau liberation, Nazi criminals, Nazi war criminals executed, Nazi executions, Robert Koch Institute in Berlin, Reich Health Leader Leonardo Conti, Nuremberg Code 1947, Dachau trials,