Inside Hitler's Killing Machine

May 1945: With the end of the war and the surrender of the Third Reich, the world discovered the full horror of a genocidal system on a scale never before seen in the history of humanity. The elimination of millions of individuals had been meticulously planned by a regime whose organization and methods were just beginning to be understood.

It is a word that sends a chill down the spine: “Ahnenerbe”. Driven by a scientific megalomania, the race for new discoveries led this Nazi think tank to carry out countless acts of barbarism. Stored on hundreds of microfilms which are only now available, the reports from this institution reveal the gruesome secrets of science according to Hitler.

It took less than 10 years for Hitler to set up the concentration camps, many of which became centers for mass killing. As research and archaeological exploration continue, this documentary dives into established historiographical elements to explain how a system of concentrating populations became the rationalized apparatus of genocide.

Autumn 1941: a young Austrian doctor was deployed to Mauthausen concentration camp. Barely six weeks later he had already caused hundreds of deaths. His name was Aribert Heim. He was nicknamed "Dr. Death" or the "Butcher of Mauthausen" and was one of the concentration camp’s most evil torturers. Who was this man who seemed so pleasant, cheery and jovial? How did he become this bloodthirsty monster, a veritable butcher, and great admirer of Adolf Hitler, who used prisoners to carry out experiments? This documentary looks back at the improbable destiny of this man who never repented, and whose violence was tainted with the greatest perversity.