Erich Wasicky (19 January 1911 – 20 May 1948) was an Austrian-born chemist and SS officer who served as a deputy director of the Zyklon B gas chamber operations at the Auschwitz-Birkenau concentration camp during World II. He was a member of the Nazi Party and the Schutzstaffel (SS), attaining the rank of SS‑Sturmbannführer (major).
Early life and education
- Born in Vienna, Austria-Hungary.
- Studied chemistry and earned a doctorate in the field, specializing in toxicology.
Nazi affiliation and war activities
- Joined the Nazi Party and the SS in the 1930s.
- In 1942, Wasicky was appointed deputy to Dr. Franz von Bodmann, the chief SS‑physician at Auschwitz.
- He assisted in the selection of prisoners for extermination and supervised the delivery and use of Zyklon B gas in the camp’s gas chambers.
- Wasicky also participated in medical experiments on camp inmates, including studies on the effects of various poisons and the administration of lethal injections.
Post‑war prosecution
- After the liberation of Auschwitz, Wasicky was arrested by the U.S. Army and transferred to Polish authorities.
- He was tried before the Supreme National Tribunal in Kraków in the Auschwitz Trial (also known as the Kraków Trial) in 1947.
- The court convicted him of crimes against humanity and war crimes, citing his direct involvement in the mass murder of approximately 200,000 prisoners and the abuse of human subjects in medical experiments.
- Erich Wasicky was sentenced to death and executed by hanging on 20 May 1948 in Montelupich Prison, Kraków.
Historical significance
Wasicky’s role illustrates the involvement of scientific professionals in the implementation of the Holocaust, highlighting how technical expertise was applied to systematic mass murder. His trial contributed to the establishment of legal precedents for prosecuting medical war crimes and the principle of individual responsibility for participation in genocidal policies.
