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Heinz BrucherGerman botanist and geneticist
Date of Birth: 14.01.1915
Country:  Germany |
Content:
- Childhood and Education
- Research and Career
- SS-Sammelkommando
- Head of Plant Genetics at Ahnenerbe
- Post-War Years
- Death
Childhood and Education
Heinrich Brücher was born in Erbach, Germany on February 13, 1915. He attended primary school in Erbach and high school in Michelstadt. From 1933 to 1938, he studied botany, zoology, anthropology, and genetics at the University of Jena and the University of Tübingen.
Research and Career
In 1938, Brücher earned his Ph.D. and in 1940, he defended his doctoral thesis. He worked at the Institute for Human Heredity and Racial Policy and the Kaiser Wilhelm Society. In 1943, he joined the Personal Staff of the Reichsführer-SS.
SS-Sammelkommando
In 1942, Brücher was recommended by Karl Stubb and Ernst Schäfer to lead the SS-Sammelkommando, a team dedicated to collecting plants in occupied territories. From June 1943, Brücher traveled through occupied eastern territories, gathering genetic material in Ukraine and Crimea. He also utilized the unevacuated seed collections prepared by Nikolai Vavilov.
Head of Plant Genetics at Ahnenerbe
On November 1, 1943, Brücher became the head of the Plant Genetics research and training department at Ahnenerbe. In February 1945, he refused an order to destroy the laboratories before the Soviet forces could capture them.
Post-War Years
In 1948, Brücher left Germany for Latin America via Sweden. He worked as a professor of genetics and botany at the University of Tucumán in Argentina, as well as in Buenos Aires, Asunción, and Caracas. Later, he became the Director of a seed development project in the tropics on the island of Trinidad and an advisor for UNESCO in biology.
Death
He was murdered on his farm in 1991. One theory suggests that he was the victim of a robbery, while another claims that he was killed by drug lords for his work on an anti-cocaine virus.
