Dachau14
Dachau14

Altitude Experiment

The development of aircraft capable of ascending to great altitudes confronted the Luftwaffe medical authorities with the question as to how it was possible to work under such conditions and what possibilities existed for rescue whenever there was a sudden drop in pressure.

In February 1942 experiments on prisoners were started in the Dachau concentration camp under the direction of the aeronautic medic Dr Siegfried Ruff. These experiments were carried out by Dr Hans Wolfgang Romberg and, above all, the Luftwaffe medical corps captain Dr Siegmund Rascher.

More than 70 prisoners lost their lives in the course of these experiments.