The Cologne school massacre was a mass murder that occurred at the Catholic elementary school () located in the suburb of Volkhoven in

Cologne Cologne ( ; german: Köln ; ksh, Kölle ) is the largest city of the German western state of North Rhine-Westphalia (NRW) and the fourth-most populous city of Germany with 1.1 million inhabitants in the city proper and 3.6 millio ...

West Germany West Germany is the colloquial term used to indicate the Federal Republic of Germany (FRG; german: Bundesrepublik Deutschland , BRD) between its formation on 23 May 1949 and the German reunification through the accession of East Germany on 3 O ...

on 11 June 1964. The perpetrator, Walter Seifert, also known as "" ("Firedevil of Volkhoven"), attacked the people at the school with a home-made flamethrower and a spear, killing eight pupils and two teachers, and wounding twenty-two others. When police arrived at the scene, he fled from the school compound and poisoned himself. He was taken to a hospital, where he died the same evening.

Perpetrator

Willi Walter Seifert (19 June 1921 – 11 June 1964) was born in Bickendorf, a district of Cologne. He was the son of a glass-grinder and had one brother. From 1927 to 1935 he attended the Volksschule in Ehrenfeld, and afterwards started an

apprenticeship Apprenticeship is a system for training a new generation of practitioners of a trade or profession with on-the-job training and often some accompanying study (classroom work and reading). Apprenticeships can also enable practitioners to gain a ...

as metal worker at a machine factory, which he successfully finished in 1939. In 1941 he was drafted into the

Luftwaffe The ''Luftwaffe'' () was the aerial-warfare branch of the German ''Wehrmacht'' before and during World War II. Germany's military air arms during World War I, the ''Luftstreitkräfte'' of the Imperial Army and the '' Marine-Fliegerabtei ...

and attended the Waffentechnische Schule der Luftwaffe (Weaponry Technology School of the Airforce) for a year. By the end of the war he was a sergeant in an anti-aircraft battery and afterwards was a

prisoner of war A prisoner of war (POW) is a person who is held captive by a belligerent power during or immediately after an armed conflict. The earliest recorded usage of the phrase "prisoner of war" dates back to 1610. Belligerents hold prisoners of w ...

for several months. Seifert worked for a Cologne car factory, before joining the

Schutzpolizei The ''Schutzpolizei'' (), or ''Schupo'' () for short, is a uniform-wearing branch of the ''Landespolizei'', the state (''Land'') level police of the states of Germany. ''Schutzpolizei'' literally means security or protection police, but it is b ...

on 14 November 1945. On 23 August 1946 he was treated for a bronchial

catarrh Catarrh is an exudate of inflamed mucous membranes in one of the airways or cavities of the body, usually with reference to the throat and paranasal sinuses. It can result in a thick exudate of mucus and white blood cells caused by the swelling o ...

, and an examination by a specialist on 5 September diagnosed with

tuberculosis Tuberculosis (TB) is an infectious disease usually caused by '' Mycobacterium tuberculosis'' (MTB) bacteria. Tuberculosis generally affects the lungs, but it can also affect other parts of the body. Most infections show no symptoms, i ...

in the right lung, resulting in his dismissal from the police on 30 September, as he was unfit for service. From then on Seifert attempted to enforce his claims for subsistence, feeling he was being treated unfairly by the government which he claimed was cheating him of his

war pension War pensions are almost certainly the most ancient type of social security. Plutarch's Life of Solon mentions a law which provides that those who are maimed in war shall be maintained at the public charge. Halsbury's Laws of England traced their hi ...

. In 1953 his tuberculosis was found to be inactive and Seifert declared to have a reduced earning capacity of 30%, though any causality between his illness and his imprisonment during the war was denied. Seifert contested this, accused the doctors of creating false medical reports and complained in long letters to various authorities about his problems. In August 1954 Seifert was examined by a public health officer, who was of the opinion that he was not in need of a

regimen A regimen is a plan, or course of action such as a Diet (nutrition), diet, exercise or medical treatment. A salt#Health effects, low-salt diet is a regimen. A course of penicillin is a regimen, and there are many chemotherapy regimens in the treat ...

, but suggested that he could be sent to a

sanatorium A sanatorium (from Latin '' sānāre'' 'to heal, make healthy'), also sanitarium or sanitorium, are antiquated names for specialised hospitals, for the treatment of specific diseases, related ailments and convalescence. Sanatoriums are often ...

for observation. The doctor also noted in his report that Seifert was a mentally devious person with no will to recover. Seifert again contested the report and wrote a letter titled "Sozialpolitik - Sozialärzte — Sozialmord" (social politics — social doctors — social murder), whereupon he was examined by a medical specialist for

neurology Neurology (from el, νεῦρον (neûron), "string, nerve" and the suffix -logia, "study of") is the branch of medicine dealing with the diagnosis and treatment of all categories of conditions and disease involving the brain, the spinal ...

and

psychiatry Psychiatry is the specialty (medicine), medical specialty devoted to the diagnosis, prevention, and treatment of mental disorders. These include various maladaptations related to mood, behaviour, cognition, and perceptions. See glossary of psych ...

, who noted Seifert's quirky behaviour, his scattered

train of thought The train of thought or track of thought refers to the interconnection in the sequence of ideas expressed during a connected discourse or thought, as well as the sequence itself, especially in discussion how this sequence leads from one idea to ...

, and his constant smile in inappropriate situations. He also recorded that Seifert harboured

paranoid Paranoia is an instinct or thought process that is believed to be heavily influenced by anxiety or fear, often to the point of delusion and irrationality. Paranoid thinking typically includes persecutory beliefs, or beliefs of conspiracy c ...

thoughts about his doctors and showed a peculiar fanatical behaviour, coming to the conclusion that he had

paranoid schizophrenia Schizophrenia is a mental disorder characterized by continuous or relapsing episodes of psychosis. Major symptoms include hallucinations (typically hearing voices), delusions, and disorganized thinking. Other symptoms include social w ...

, but since he did not show any violent or dangerous behaviour the doctor deemed it unnecessary to hospitalise him in a mental institution. Around that time Seifert revealed to his brother that he had a plan to

kidnap In criminal law, kidnapping is the unlawful confinement of a person against their will, often including transportation/asportation. The asportation and abduction element is typically but not necessarily conducted by means of force or fear: the p ...

young girls, to use them whenever he wished. According to his brother's statement, Seifert intended to ambush the girls on country roads, stun them and then bring them home on his moped trailer to hold them captive in a cellar, of which he had already made sketches. On 7 October 1955 Seifert married Renata Urszula and reportedly fell apart when she died of an

embolism An embolism is the lodging of an embolus, a blockage-causing piece of material, inside a blood vessel. The embolus may be a blood clot (thrombus), a fat globule (fat embolism), a bubble of air or other gas ( gas embolism), amniotic fluid (am ...

during

premature birth Preterm birth, also known as premature birth, is the birth of a baby at fewer than 37 weeks gestational age, as opposed to full-term delivery at approximately 40 weeks. Extreme preterm is less than 28 weeks, very early preterm birth is between 2 ...

on 11 February 1961. Holding the doctors responsible for the death of his wife he wrote a 120-page letter titled "Muttermord — Einzelschicksal und Analyse eines Systems" (

Matricide Matricide is the act of killing one's own mother. Known or suspected matricides * Amastrine, Amastris, queen of Heraclea, was drowned by her two sons in 284 BC. * Cleopatra III of Egypt was assassinated in 101 BC by order of her son, Pto ...

- Individual fate and analysis of a system), and sent it to agencies, doctors and pharmaceutical manufacturers. Therein he tried to prove that the treatment of his wife's embolism was done wrong, called society a criminal system and equated doctors with murderers, writing: ::''The doctor is the greatest mass murderer of the poor in the history of mankind (...) What to do? Appeal to their 'conscience' – useless, whoever does something like that has no conscience. Does the aforementioned science count before any court? No, thus begins the

vigilante Vigilantism () is the act of preventing, investigating and punishing perceived offenses and crimes without legal authority. A vigilante (from Spanish, Italian and Portuguese “vigilante”, which means "sentinel" or "watcher") is a person who ...

justice, the terror of the medical society in the pluralistic chaos of criminality. But terror can only be extirpated with counter-terror, and whoever denies me the protection of the law forces the cudgel into my hand.''Kiehne, Karl: ''Das Flammenwerferattentat in Köln-Volkhoven'', i
Archiv für Kriminologie
Vol. 136; F.C.W. Vogel, 1965.

Weapons

Seifert had made all of his weapons about two months prior to the attack. The spear was made from a broomstick and a triangular scraper, while he used a pump bracket to create the mace. His flamethrower was made from an insecticide sprayer with a wire netting attached to the nozzle, and filled with a mixture of old motor oil and paint thinner.

Massacre

On 11 June 1964, shortly after 09:00, Seifert approached the schoolyard of the Catholic elementary school located at Volkhovener Weg 209–211, armed with a self-made flamethrower, a spear and a mace. The school consisted of one main building and four wooden barracks, each housing two classes with a total of eight teachers and 380 pupils. As Seifert entered the school compound through the smaller of two gates he was observed by three crossing guards who mistook him for a

mechanic A mechanic is an artisan, skilled tradesperson, or technician who uses tools to build, maintain, or repair machinery, especially cars. Duties Most mechanics specialize in a particular field, such as auto body mechanics, air conditioning an ...

trying to repair the gate's broken lock and asked him what he was doing there. Seifert ignored them and, after blocking off the gate with a wooden wedge, proceeded towards teacher Anna Langohr who was teaching a group of girls in sports at the schoolyard. When Langohr, who knew Seifert, asked if she could help him, he ignited his flamethrower and attacked her and the girls. Seifert then went to one of the barracks, smashed in the windows with the mace, and aimed his weapon at the children in the classrooms, setting them on fire. He continued to attack the people running and jumping out of the burning building until his flamethrower ran out of fuel, whereupon he threw it away. When teacher Gertrud Bollenrath stepped out on the schoolyard Seifert fatally stabbed her in the chest with his spear and then approached the barrack where Ursula Kuhr and Mrs Kunz were teaching. The two women tried to keep the doors shut, but Seifert managed to open one, and caused Kuhr to lose her balance. After she fell down the flight of stairs and landed on the ground in front of the building Seifert stabbed her in both legs and once between her shoulders. Seifert then fled the school compound and swallowed

E605 Parathion, also called parathion-ethyl or diethyl parathion and locally known as "Folidol", is an organophosphate insecticide and acaricide. It was originally developed by IG Farben in the 1940s. It is highly toxic to non-target organisms, includi ...

, a poisonous insecticide, to commit suicide, but as the substance was diluted he did not die immediately. Chased by 20 to 30 people he ran towards a railway embankment where he tried to fend off his pursuers with his spear. When police arrived at the scene at 09:38 he tried to stab one of the officers, but was eventually immobilised with a shot in his leg. He was arrested and taken to the University Hospital in Lindenthal where he was questioned several times, before he died at 20:35.Death certificate of Walter Seifert
, ''Digitales Historisches Archiv Köln'' (p. 167) The attack had lasted for about 15 minutes. Ursula Kuhr died at the scene, while Gertrud Bollenrath died from her wounds in hospital at 13:00. Along with teachers Anna Langohr and Wiltrud Schweden, twenty-eight pupils were taken to hospitals, some of them with burns to 90% of their body. Eight of the pupils died in the following weeks.
, ''Ursula-Kuhr-Schule''

Victims

''Teachers:'' *Gertrud Bollenrath, aged 62 *Ursula Kuhr, aged 24 ''Students:'' *Dorothea Binner, 9, died on 15 June *Renate Fühlen, 9, died on 19 June Das 7. Todesopfer in Köln
, ''

Hamburger Abendblatt The ''Hamburger Abendblatt'' (English: ''Hamburg Evening Newspaper'') is a German daily newspaper in Hamburg. The paper focuses on news in Hamburg and area, and produces regional supplements with news from Norderstedt, Ahrensburg, Harburg, and P ...

'' (19 June 1964) *Ingeborg Hahn, 9, died on 30 June *Ruth Hoffmann, 10, died on 20 June *Klara Kröger, 9, died on 16 June *Stephan Lischka, 9, died on 16 June *Karin Reinhold, 11, died on 20 JuneTwo children die of injuries
'' Star-News'' (21 June 1964) *Rosel Röhrig, 12, died on 18 June

Aftermath

*Both teachers who died had schools named after them. *Anna Langohr, one of the surviving teachers, was presented with the Medal Cross by

Pope Paul VI Pope Paul VI ( la, Paulus VI; it, Paolo VI; born Giovanni Battista Enrico Antonio Maria Montini, ; 26 September 18976 August 1978) was head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State from 21 June 1963 to his death in Augus ...

as well as with the Medal of Merit ''("Verdienstmedaille")'', the lowest class of the

Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany The Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany (german: Verdienstorden der Bundesrepublik Deutschland, or , BVO) is the only federal decoration of Germany. It is awarded for special achievements in political, economic, cultural, intellect ...

, and the ''"Rettungsmedaille of the State of

North Rhine Westphalia North Rhine-Westphalia (german: Nordrhein-Westfalen, ; li, Noordrien-Wesfale ; nds, Noordrhien-Westfalen; ksh, Noodrhing-Wäßßfaale), commonly shortened to NRW (), is a state (''Land'') in Western Germany. With more than 18 million inhabi ...

"'', a Lifesaving Medal presented to those who risked their lives in the pursuit of saving another person's life. After her death in 1990, aged 93, an elementary school in a neighbouring suburb was named after her.

Bibliography

*Das Todesdrama auf dem Schulhof, ''Neue Illustrierte Extra-Ausgabe'' (June 13, 1964) *Anatomie eines Teufels, ''Neue Illustrierte'' (June 28, 1964) *Der Blutrausch des Amokläufers, ''Bunte Illustrierte'' (June 24, 1964) *Benecke, Mark: ''Mordmethoden''; Bastei Lübbe, 2002. (pp. 288 - 302) *Peter, Barbara: ''Das Herz der Stadt stand still''; Sh-Verlag, 2004.

References

External links

West Germany school tragedy
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'' (June 11, 1964) (Video)
West Germany school attack
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'' (June 12, 1964) (Video)
West Germany school tragedy
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West Germany teachers' funeral
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'' (June 16, 1964) (Video)
Ursula Kuhr Schule Page on the massacre
(In German, with pictures)
Wie lebende Fackeln stürzten Kinder ins Freie
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Noch fünfzehn Kinder mit schweren Verbrennungen im Krankenhaus
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Von Behörden als Querulant abgewiesen
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Noch 10 Kinder in Lebensgefahr
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Ein Kind in Köln heute früh seinen furchtbaren Verletzungen erlegen
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Noch ernste Sorge um 16 Kinder
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Für drei Kinder haben die Ärzte keine Hoffnung mehr
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Lebensgefahr nicht gebannt
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550000 DM für die Opfer von Volkhoven
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'' (July 17, 1964)
Großzügige Hilfe für die Opfer von Volkhoven
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'' (August 26, 2012) {{coord, 51, 01, 00, N, 6, 53, 26, E, region:DE-NW_type:landmark_source:kolossus-dewiki, display=title 1964 in West Germany 1960s in North Rhine-Westphalia 1964 murders in Germany Massacres in 1964

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