Angel of Death Traveling in grotesque and rickety cattle cars without food, water or sanitation, many Jews, Roma and enemies of the Nazis arrived at the Auschwitz concentration camp tired, hungry and confused. As the huge doors of the cattle car opened into the blinding light of the sun, the frightened people could barely make out the silhouettes of the terrifying men in uniform carrying guns and shouting orders at them, while hastily dragging the tired bodies standing on the doors of the wagon. German shepherd dogs, leashed by SS guards, barked furiously and angrily at the crowd of hungry individuals. Amidst all the screaming, barking and confusion, one figure stood distinctly before everyone, Josef Mengele. Born on March 16, 1911, Josef was the first child born to Karl and Walburga Mengele after Walburga's first tragic stillbirth. The Mengele family lived in the small, picturesque town of Gunzburg, located in the southern state of Bavaria, along the mighty Danube River. Before Josef's birth, his father Karl ran an agricultural machinery factory together with a mechanic named Andreas Eisenlauer. In 1907 the factory burned to the ground, leaving Karl and Andreas with ample insurance funds to rebuild the factory from scratch on a plot of land outside the city. After a few years, with only seven men on the payroll, Andreas left the company due to poor health, handing over all powers to Karl. The business quickly prospered under Karl's sole control; by the time Josef was born, his father had become wealthy enough to buy a Benz automobile. After purchasing the expensive car, Karl arrived home to surprise his wife, but received only disapproval and disgust from his cold and insensitive wife. Bad weather... middle of the paper... 1959. In 1964 the University of Munich withdrew his degree and the University of Frankfurt withdrew his medical degree. He is believed to have died on 7 February 1979 from drowning due to a stroke suffered while swimming which prevented him from returning safely to shore. In the summer of 1985 Wolfgang Gerhard's body was exhumed and positively identified as Josef Mengele. With Mengele buried underground, the monster of Auschwitz, its experiments and its victims can also be put to rest. Bibliography: Harran, Marilyn, et al. Chronicle of the Holocaust. Lincolnwood, IL: PublicationsInternational, Ltd, 2000. Lynott, Douglas. "Joseph Mengele: The Angel of Death." 2000. The Crime Library.April 20, 2001."Mengele" 2001. About.com. April 23, 2001.Posner, Gerald and Ware. Mengele: the complete story. McGraw-Hill Publishing,1986.