Helmut Machemer (7 May 190318 May 1942) was a German ophthalmologist who served as "Truppenarzt" with the rank of "Unterarzt", corresponding to the rank of sergeant. He worked with Professor in Münster during the 1930s and, with him, pioneered an electrical treatment for retinal detachment.
After Nazi Germany passed the Nuremberg Laws in 1935, Machemer and his wife began experiencing more serious discrimination as, under these laws and due to her mother's Jewish ancestry, his wife was classified as a Mischling (or "mixed-race") and her rights were restricted. He joined the German army at the outbreak of the Second World War in the hope of winning a first class Iron Cross bravery medal. Machemer hoped this would allow his family to be reclassified as being of "German-blood". He fought in France and Russia, was wounded in action and won both the Iron Cross 1st Class and Iron Cross 2nd Class. Machemer was killed in action at the Second Battle of Kharkov on 18 May 1942, just four days after being notified of the first class award. His wife and children were granted German-blood status in March 1943. Machemer kept extensive written, photographic and film records of his wartime service and these have been published in a book and documentary film.
Early life and career
Helmut Machemer was born on 7 May 1903 in Sprendlingen and spent much of his early life in Münster. He studied medicine at the Universities of Heidelberg, München and Freiburg. In 1929 in Freiburg, he worked on a doctorate (on amphibian development) under the supervision of Prof. Hans Spemann (later Nobel prize winner) and was promoted Nov. 1929 to Dr. phil. nat. In December 1930, he, in addition, was promoted to Dr. med. at the University of Freiburg. He afterwards worked at an eye clinic in Münster under Professor . Machemer dated Erna Schwalbe, who studied medicine at the University of Kiel, from 1929. In June 1932, Erna became aware that she might have Jewish ancestry, which she knew could be an issue due to the rise of the anti-Semitic Nazi Party. Erna's father wrote her a letter which confirmed her mother's ancestry, which he had tried to keep hidden. Erna immediately offered to separate from Machemer, but he refused to do so on the grounds that he loved her and they married in October 1932. Erna's mother divorced her father and moved to the Netherlands the following year, after the Nazis came to power.
Machemer was described by medical historian George Gorin as "a capable retinal surgeon". In 1934, he pioneered, with Szily, a method of treating retinal detachment by use of an electric current to form a chorioretinal scar. Anti-Semitic discrimination escalated under the Nazis and Szily, as a Jew, was forced from his position at the clinic, with Machemer also losing his job there. Erna was also forced to abandon her medical studies. Machemer was unable to set up his own practice as the Association of Statutory Health Insurance Physicians refused to grant a permit because of his marriage. The Machemers considered divorce or emigration, but Szily found Helmut a position as assistant to ophthalmologist in Stadtlohn.
The Machemers, along with their three sons, moved to Dufkampstrasse, Stadtlohn, in 1935. In October of that year, the Nazis passed the Nuremberg Laws; these defined Nazi racial classifications and the rights of each and forbade marriage between those of "German blood" and those of Jewish ancestry. Under these laws, Machemer's wife was classified as "mixed-race" and "half-Jewish" and the family became subject to much more stringent restrictions and discrimination. Machemer was not a supporter of the Nazi Party, but was also not an opponent of the regime.
Second World War
Machemer was 36 years old when the Second World War began with the German invasion of Poland on 1 September 1939. He was unlikely to be drafted due to his age but volunteered for service on the first day of the war. Machemer volunteered in an attempt to make use of a little-known exception in the Nazi racial laws: that the "non-Aryan" family of an Aryan could be classified as being of "German blood", if the man made a significant contribution to the Nazi state. Machemer became convinced that if he was awarded the Iron Cross, first class for bravery on the battlefield then he could secure the reclassification of his family.