Heinz Brücher (14 January 1915, Darmstadt, Grand Duchy of Hesse – 17 December 1991, Mendoza Province, Argentina) was a botanist and plant breeder who served as a member of the special science unit in the SSAhnenerbe in Nazi Germany. He was part of a SS Sammelkommando that raided the plant genome material and seed collections of the Soviet Union. After the Second World War, he moved to South America and worked as a professor of botany in Argentina and other countries in South America. He served as an advisor to UNESCO on biology.
Portrait from the 1930s
Biography
Brücher was born in Darmstadt and studied Biology at Jena and Tübingen. By the time Brücher graduated in 1934 he was a member (number 3498152) of the National Socialist party. He obtained a doctorate at Tübingen where he studied the genetic differences in reciprocal crosses of Epilobium hirsutum under Ernst Lehmann and supported cytoplasmic inheritance[1] which Lehmann did not believe in. Brücher turned against Lehmann later, and apart from scientific arguments, he also used Lehmann's supposed political views that were against the Nazi party to bolster his case.[1] Brücher then joined to work as an assistant to the Nazi eugenicistKarl Astel at the Institute for Human Hereditary Research and Race Policy at the University of Jena. He also worked at the Kaiser Wilhelm Institute for Plant Breeding Research and was keen on crop breeding which he saw as very important for national sustainability. When an expedition was mounted into the Soviet Union in 1941, Brücher then an Untersturmführer (Second Lieutenant) was interested in gathering crop seeds and plant material from the region including those held in Soviet research stations. The proposal was supported by SS Sturmbannführer (Major) Dr Ernst Schäfer and approved by Heinrich Himmler which led to the creation of the SS ''Sammelkommando'' or collection expedition which included Hauptsturmführer (Captain) Konrad von Rauch, and an interpreter Arnold Steinbrecher. The seeds and plant material collected by the expedition included large parts that had been deposited by Nikolai Vavilov who had already been imprisoned by Stalin. The seeds were maintained at Graz where the SS Institute for Plant Genetics were established at Lannach Castle. Brücher headed subsequent research and worked with a British prisoner of war, William Denton-Venables, a trained botanist who later served as a director of Taylor & Venables, a seed company in Norfolk. In February 1945 Brücher was ordered to destroy the Lannach facility to avoid its capture by advancing Soviet forces. He refused, and after the second world war Brücher moved to Sweden thanks to Sven Hedin's invitation and worked with Svalof seed company. During this period he married Ollie Berglund, a Swedish plant breeder. He then moved to Argentina which was then under Juan Perón and received there in 1948, a professorship in genetics and botany at University of Tucumán (Tucumán, Argentina). He later worked in Caracas (Venezuela), Asunción (Paraguay) and then in Mendoza and Buenos Aires (Argentina). He also worked in Pretoria in 1964-65 where he claimed to have evidence for white superiority. In 1972 he served as biology advisor to UNESCO.[2][3][4]
Brücher wrote a number of books and papers on the history of grain (1950), origin, evolution and domestication of tropical plants (1977) as well as the monograph Useful plants of neotropical origin and their wild relatives (1989). He wrote biographical papers on Ernst Haeckel and helped prop him up as an icon for Nazi science ideals.[5] He was critical of Vavilov in his publications possibly because he saw Vavilov as a communist and there had been other German botanists like Elisabeth Schiemann (1881–1972) who had supported his theory while holding anti-Nazi positions. After moving to South America, Brücher focused on ethnobotanical research and worked on the wild relatives of potatoes and beans.[6] A species, Solanum brucheri named after him by Donovan Stewart Correll was found later to be a hybrid of S. acaule Bitt. And S. infundibuliforme Philippi (Hawkes and Hjerting, 1969).[4][7]
Brücher's wife who worked at the University of Caracas[8] and one of his two sons were killed in the late 1960s at roadside checkpoint in Venezuela by a guard, apparently by mistake. On 17 December 1991 he was killed on his farm Condor Huasi (or Condor house, though a picture of a motif at its entrance suggests a Nazi eagle) in the district Mendoza (Argentina). His murder was claimed to be the result of a burglary but the case was never closed and no arrests were made. According to Daniel Gade, an associate from the University of Vermont, Brücher, was a vocal opponent of alcohol and drugs. Brücher even used the word "hygiene" when referring to addictions in his publication, a term from Nazi times and personally avoided alcohol and meat. Gade suggests, based on evidence available, that Brücher was working on strains of Fusarium oxysporum to target the cocaine plant and destroy its cultivation, and suggested that drug lords may have found this as a possible motive for his murder. Unlike many other Nazi officers in South America, Brücher did not change his surname. He went by the local name of Don Enrique which was the Spanish form of his first name Heinz (and a cognate of Henry).[3][4]
^ abHoßfeld, Uwe (1999). "Die Epilobium-Kontroverse zwischen den Botanikern Heinz Brücher und Ernst Lehmann: Ein Beitrag zur Geschichte der 'Plasmon-Theorie'". NTM International Journal of History and Ethics of Natural Sciences, Technology and Medicine (in German). 7 (1): 140–160. doi:10.1007/BF02914149. ISSN 0036-6978. S2CID 147340713.
^Thornstrom, Carl-Gustaf; Hossfeld, Uwe (2001). "Instant appropriation-Heinz Brücher and the SS botanical collecting commando to Russia 1943". Plant Genetic Resources Newsletter (129): 54–57.
^ abPearce, Fred (9 January 2008). "The great seed blitzkrieg" (PDF). The New Scientist: 2–5.
^ abcGade, Daniel W. (2006). (PDF). Journal of Ethnobiology. 26 (1): 82–106. doi:10.2993/0278-0771(2006)26[82:CEAECP]2.0.CO;2. S2CID 146518906. Archived from the original (PDF) on 12 August 2017. Retrieved 2 November 2019.
^Brücher, H. (1935). "Ernst Haeckel. Ein wegbereiter biologischen Staatsdenken". Nationalsozialistiche Monatshefte. N.M. 6: 1088–1098.
^Brücher, H. (1968). "Die Evolution der Gartenbohne Phaseolus vulgaris L. aus der südamericanischen Wildbohne Ph. aborigineus Burk". Angewandte Botanik. 42: 119–1128.
heinz, brücher, january, 1915, darmstadt, grand, duchy, hesse, december, 1991, mendoza, province, argentina, botanist, plant, breeder, served, member, special, science, unit, ahnenerbe, nazi, germany, part, sammelkommando, that, raided, plant, genome, material. Heinz Brucher 14 January 1915 Darmstadt Grand Duchy of Hesse 17 December 1991 Mendoza Province Argentina was a botanist and plant breeder who served as a member of the special science unit in the SS Ahnenerbe in Nazi Germany He was part of a SS Sammelkommando that raided the plant genome material and seed collections of the Soviet Union After the Second World War he moved to South America and worked as a professor of botany in Argentina and other countries in South America He served as an advisor to UNESCO on biology Portrait from the 1930sBiography EditBrucher was born in Darmstadt and studied Biology at Jena and Tubingen By the time Brucher graduated in 1934 he was a member number 3498152 of the National Socialist party He obtained a doctorate at Tubingen where he studied the genetic differences in reciprocal crosses of Epilobium hirsutum under Ernst Lehmann and supported cytoplasmic inheritance 1 which Lehmann did not believe in Brucher turned against Lehmann later and apart from scientific arguments he also used Lehmann s supposed political views that were against the Nazi party to bolster his case 1 Brucher then joined to work as an assistant to the Nazi eugenicist Karl Astel at the Institute for Human Hereditary Research and Race Policy at the University of Jena He also worked at the Kaiser Wilhelm Institute for Plant Breeding Research and was keen on crop breeding which he saw as very important for national sustainability When an expedition was mounted into the Soviet Union in 1941 Brucher then an Untersturmfuhrer Second Lieutenant was interested in gathering crop seeds and plant material from the region including those held in Soviet research stations The proposal was supported by SS Sturmbannfuhrer Major Dr Ernst Schafer and approved by Heinrich Himmler which led to the creation of the SS Sammelkommando or collection expedition which included Hauptsturmfuhrer Captain Konrad von Rauch and an interpreter Arnold Steinbrecher The seeds and plant material collected by the expedition included large parts that had been deposited by Nikolai Vavilov who had already been imprisoned by Stalin The seeds were maintained at Graz where the SS Institute for Plant Genetics were established at Lannach Castle Brucher headed subsequent research and worked with a British prisoner of war William Denton Venables a trained botanist who later served as a director of Taylor amp Venables a seed company in Norfolk In February 1945 Brucher was ordered to destroy the Lannach facility to avoid its capture by advancing Soviet forces He refused and after the second world war Brucher moved to Sweden thanks to Sven Hedin s invitation and worked with Svalof seed company During this period he married Ollie Berglund a Swedish plant breeder He then moved to Argentina which was then under Juan Peron and received there in 1948 a professorship in genetics and botany at University of Tucuman Tucuman Argentina He later worked in Caracas Venezuela Asuncion Paraguay and then in Mendoza and Buenos Aires Argentina He also worked in Pretoria in 1964 65 where he claimed to have evidence for white superiority In 1972 he served as biology advisor to UNESCO 2 3 4 Brucher wrote a number of books and papers on the history of grain 1950 origin evolution and domestication of tropical plants 1977 as well as the monograph Useful plants of neotropical origin and their wild relatives 1989 He wrote biographical papers on Ernst Haeckel and helped prop him up as an icon for Nazi science ideals 5 He was critical of Vavilov in his publications possibly because he saw Vavilov as a communist and there had been other German botanists like Elisabeth Schiemann 1881 1972 who had supported his theory while holding anti Nazi positions After moving to South America Brucher focused on ethnobotanical research and worked on the wild relatives of potatoes and beans 6 A species Solanum brucheri named after him by Donovan Stewart Correll was found later to be a hybrid of S acaule Bitt And S infundibuliforme Philippi Hawkes and Hjerting 1969 4 7 Brucher s wife who worked at the University of Caracas 8 and one of his two sons were killed in the late 1960s at roadside checkpoint in Venezuela by a guard apparently by mistake On 17 December 1991 he was killed on his farm Condor Huasi or Condor house though a picture of a motif at its entrance suggests a Nazi eagle in the district Mendoza Argentina His murder was claimed to be the result of a burglary but the case was never closed and no arrests were made According to Daniel Gade an associate from the University of Vermont Brucher was a vocal opponent of alcohol and drugs Brucher even used the word hygiene when referring to addictions in his publication a term from Nazi times and personally avoided alcohol and meat Gade suggests based on evidence available that Brucher was working on strains of Fusarium oxysporum to target the cocaine plant and destroy its cultivation and suggested that drug lords may have found this as a possible motive for his murder Unlike many other Nazi officers in South America Brucher did not change his surname He went by the local name of Don Enrique which was the Spanish form of his first name Heinz and a cognate of Henry 3 4 The standard author abbreviation Brucher is used to indicate this person as the author when citing a botanical name 9 References Edit a b Hossfeld Uwe 1999 Die Epilobium Kontroverse zwischen den Botanikern Heinz Brucher und Ernst Lehmann Ein Beitrag zur Geschichte der Plasmon Theorie NTM International Journal of History and Ethics of Natural Sciences Technology and Medicine in German 7 1 140 160 doi 10 1007 BF02914149 ISSN 0036 6978 S2CID 147340713 Thornstrom Carl Gustaf Hossfeld Uwe 2001 Instant appropriation Heinz Brucher and the SS botanical collecting commando to Russia 1943 Plant Genetic Resources Newsletter 129 54 57 a b Pearce Fred 9 January 2008 The great seed blitzkrieg PDF The New Scientist 2 5 a b c Gade Daniel W 2006 Converging Ethnobiology and Ethnobiography Cultivated Plants Heinz Brucher and Nazi Ideology PDF Journal of Ethnobiology 26 1 82 106 doi 10 2993 0278 0771 2006 26 82 CEAECP 2 0 CO 2 S2CID 146518906 Archived from the original PDF on 12 August 2017 Retrieved 2 November 2019 Brucher H 1935 Ernst Haeckel Ein wegbereiter biologischen Staatsdenken Nationalsozialistiche Monatshefte N M 6 1088 1098 Brucher H 1968 Die Evolution der Gartenbohne Phaseolus vulgaris L aus der sudamericanischen Wildbohne Ph aborigineus Burk Angewandte Botanik 42 119 1128 Brucher Heinz 1915 1991 on JSTOR a href Template Cite journal html title Template Cite journal cite journal a Cite journal requires journal help Annual Report of the Bean Improvement Cooperative Obituary Dr Ollie Brucher Issue 15 1972 p 2 International Plant Names Index Brucher External links EditWho killed the Nazi scientist by Mat Youkee 2018 Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Heinz Brucher amp oldid 1123003848, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
