Karl Genzken 1885 – 1957

Biography

Karl Genzken was born on June 8, 1885, in the town of Preetz, Germany. He pursued a career in medicine, becoming a physician whose professional path would lead him into positions of significant institutional authority during a troubled period in European history.

During the Second World War, Genzken rose to prominence within the Nazi regime’s military medical structure, eventually serving as Chief of the Medical Office of the Waffen-SS. This position placed him at the center of medical operations for the Nazi paramilitary organization, a role that carried grave responsibilities during the war years.

Following Germany’s defeat, Genzken was prosecuted as a war criminal, reflecting the serious nature of his wartime activities and the accountability mechanisms established in the postwar period. He spent his final years in Blankenese, where he died on October 10, 1957, at the age of seventy-two.