[National socialist "children's euthanasia" program in the province of Westphalia (1940-1945)]

As part of the organization structure of the "Reich committee for scientifically registering genetic and inherent serious illnesses" "childrens' special wards" were established in the province Westphalia in the child-psychiatry St. Johannesstift in Niedermarsberg (end of 1940), and then in the Provinzialheilanstalt Aplerbeck (end of 1941). The establishment thereof and personnel recruiting were done in close operation with provincial authorities. In Niedermarsberg external nurses were also employed. When the activities in the Marsberger ward became public despite efforts to keep them secret, the provincial association felt forced to establish a replacement ward in Dortmund-Aplerbeck. This ward was integrated stronger into the hospital-internal and regional care structures regarding personnel and institutional aspects than the previous ward. The actions of "child euthanasia" were based on a combination of hierarchical decision-making structures, limited responsibility, and scientific justification. The people performing these activities were provided action options withdrawal possibilities. For the affected parents the events were shifted into a psychological grey area which did not force decisions in principle. The internal conditions of the "childrens' special wards", the procedures and the "treatments" of the children were clearly regulated; the "euthanasia" activities themselves can be comprehended only in fragments from testimonies. By analyzing the reception books in connection with the medical files it is possible to make statements regarding the number of deaths, the death rate and cause, and also several social characteristics of the children. The fate of the children in the Westphalian "childrens' special wards" shows that the work in these regional "Reich committee wards" was limited to caring, observing, selecting and killing. The attempts of scientific justification are exposed as cover-ups.