The Stammers and Their Guest

The Disappearance of Josef Mengele

This flow traces how Geza and Gitta Stammer moved from sheltering an unknown lodger to bargaining with and resisting the notorious fugitive they had taken in.

increasing

Bearing strength in each event

decreasing

A Mysterious Lodger A Mysterious Lodger from "The Disappearance of Josef Mengele". A Mysterious Lodger A proposed arrangement Wolfgang Gerhard introduced Josef Mengele as Peter Hochbichler, a Swiss livestock specialist seeking work and…

A Mysterious Lodger from "The Disappearance of Josef Mengele". A Mysterious Lodger A proposed arrangement Wolfgang Gerhard introduced Josef Mengele as Peter Hochbichler, a Swiss livestock specialist seeking work and…

A Mysterious Lodger A proposed arrangement Wolfgang Gerhard introduced Josef Mengele as Peter Hochbichler, a Swiss livestock specialist seeking work and shelter. The Stammers accepted a guest who could contribute labor and money. Rural refuge At Nova Europa, Josef Mengele worked among the animals and fields. The isolated setting seemed suitable for concealment, but it depended on the hosts’ ignorance of his identity.

A Face Recognized A Face Recognized from "The Disappearance of Josef Mengele". A Face Recognized The newspaper photograph Gitta saw a photograph of Josef Mengele in a Brazilian newspaper and recognized the man living at the farm.

A Face Recognized from "The Disappearance of Josef Mengele". A Face Recognized The newspaper photograph Gitta saw a photograph of Josef Mengele in a Brazilian newspaper and recognized the man living at the farm.

A Face Recognized The newspaper photograph Gitta saw a photograph of Josef Mengele in a Brazilian newspaper and recognized the man living at the farm. He admitted his identity while denying the reported crimes. Fear replaces hospitality The Stammers worried that Mossad might attack or that authorities would punish them. They wanted their guest gone, but were drawn into negotiations over money and safety.

A Paid Accommodation A Paid Accommodation from "The Disappearance of Josef Mengele". A Paid Accommodation The price of shelter The Stammers asked for financial support and a better farm in exchange for continuing to house Josef Mengele.

A Paid Accommodation from "The Disappearance of Josef Mengele". A Paid Accommodation The price of shelter The Stammers asked for financial support and a better farm in exchange for continuing to house Josef Mengele.

A Paid Accommodation The price of shelter The Stammers asked for financial support and a better farm in exchange for continuing to house Josef Mengele. The fugitive’s family supplied money and property assistance. Uneasy dependence The arrangement gave the Stammers improved circumstances but left them sharing space with a wanted criminal. Their economic gain could not make the household secure or harmonious.

A Household at War A Household at War from "The Disappearance of Josef Mengele". A Household at War Provocation and violence Geza mocked Josef Mengele’s Nazi beliefs and referred to the Auschwitz trials.

A Household at War from "The Disappearance of Josef Mengele". A Household at War Provocation and violence Geza mocked Josef Mengele’s Nazi beliefs and referred to the Auschwitz trials.

A Household at War Provocation and violence Geza mocked Josef Mengele’s Nazi beliefs and referred to the Auschwitz trials. Josef Mengele attacked him by the throat before the family intervened. A bargain instead of departure The Stammers demanded that Josef Mengele leave, but money and property negotiations restored the arrangement. The household continued as a coercive, mutually resentful partnership.

The Final Expulsion The Final Expulsion from "The Disappearance of Josef Mengele". The Final Expulsion A last rupture After Josef Mengele slapped Gitta, the Stammers refused another payment and ended their thirteen-year arrangement.

The Final Expulsion from "The Disappearance of Josef Mengele". The Final Expulsion A last rupture After Josef Mengele slapped Gitta, the Stammers refused another payment and ended their thirteen-year arrangement.

The Final Expulsion A last rupture After Josef Mengele slapped Gitta, the Stammers refused another payment and ended their thirteen-year arrangement. He could no longer command the household through money or intimidation. A diminished exile Josef Mengele moved to a rented bungalow in Eldorado. The people who had sheltered him became part of the life he lost, and his former refuge turned into a memory of dependency.

1961

January 1962

1962 to 1964

1964

1975