Was Castration Used By The Germans On Prisoners Of War?

It is not certain whether the Germans used castration as a punishment on Prisoners of War. Many of the details about what happened to Prisoners of War remain unknown and could always remain unknown. It is known, however, that Nazis used castrations as a punishment on homosexuals. Between 1937 and 1940 there was a list produced of over 90,000 homosexually active 'suspects'. A significant amount of these men were arrests and at least 50,000 were kept in brutal conditions for sever jail sentences. While most homosexuals were not send to concentration camps, they were exposed to inhumane treatment in prison. Some were executed or experimented upon while others were subjected to hard labor and torture. The homosexual prisoners were dehumanized and were assigned with a number to replace their name and a code that was associated with the reason for their detention. Between ten and 15 thousand men were sent to concentration camps for being gay. At these camps the men were assigned with pink triangles to make it clear why they were there. Most of the men died in the camps, either from exhaustion, castration or as a result of being subject to gruesome medical experiments. Hundreds of gay men were murdered at a time.

There are a number of different cultures that have used castration as a form of punishment. In Ancient China, any husbands who committed adultery were sentences to be castrated. When the Chinese overthrew the Mongol rule, many were castrated. There are rumours that Ghengis Khan was castrated by a princess who wanted revenge for against the treatment of the Tanguts and to stop him from raping her. Many religions have castration as a central part of their practise. The cult of Cybele, Early Christianity, Skopsty and Heaven's Gate all practise the theme of castration.