Leo Wolfer

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Leo Wolfer (* 1880 ; † 1942 in Salzburg ) was the director of the Salzburg state hospital and responsible for the T4 campaign in the Lehen state hospital.

Life

Like his son Heinrich Wolfer, Leo Wolfer was responsible for the selection of mentally ill people in the Salzburg state sanatorium and for their transport to the Nazi killing center in Hartheim . However, he did not want this to be made public and therefore had to leave the clinic every time the buses of the “ Gemeinnützige Krankentransport GmbH (Gekrat)” arrived to transport the sick.

After the end of the war, the head of the women's department, Hans Gföllner, reported through Director Wolfer that he was not necessarily an active operator of the extermination campaign. "He just did not have the courage [...] to take an energetic medical point of view against superiors, namely party officials, which he should have acknowledged at least with a retirement".

Director Wolfer tried very hard to keep the action secret. He repeatedly threatened subordinates with the Gestapo in the event of indiscretions . He acted similarly with angry relatives who confronted him about the unexpected death reports. Immediately after the transports, Wolfer asked the Reichsstatthalter to discreetly forward the suddenly increasing number of resignation notices in order to avoid too much attention at the competent court.

Leo Wolfer died of lung cancer in 1942.

Remembering victims

Stumbling block for Johanna Standl in Salzburg

In Salzburg there is a stumbling block at Griesgasse 8 (Kindergarten Marianum) to remember Johanna Standl. She came as a patient to the Salzburger Landesheilanstalt in 1934 and was deported to Hartheim on May 21, 1941 under Director Leo Wolfer and gassed there.

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ^ Karl Engl: The incidents in the state sanatorium Lehen . Salzburger Nachrichten of March 11, 1947.
  2. ↑ Stolpersteine ​​Salzburg [1]
personal data
SURNAME Wolfer, Leo
BRIEF DESCRIPTION Austrian psychiatrist
DATE OF BIRTH 1880
DATE OF DEATH 1942
Place of death Salzburg