Daniel Mandl
Encyclopedia
Daniel Mandl was a civil engineer
, inventor, a student of anthroposophy
.
, Moravia
. He studied engineering at the University of Vienna
, Austria
. During World War I
, he commanded an artillery
unit of the Austro-Hungarian Army
, and fought in Albania
. A decorated officer, he resumed his studies after World War I. Upon graduation, he was employed by the General Electrical Company in Berlin
. He was involved in the electrification
of Slovakia
, and he introduced the then-new technology of arc welding
to Czechoslovakia
, making improvements to arc welding electrodes. He was a student of anthroposophy
.
After the annexation of rump Czechoslovakia by Nazi Germany on March 15, 1939, Mandl held a teaching position in the Technical School founded by the Brno
Jewish community. He was deported from Brno
to the Terezin
(Theresienstadt ghetto
on March 31, 1942, together with his wife Hajnalka and his son Tommy (Herbert Thomas Mandl
). In Terezin, Mandl worked in the Jewish self-administration. He participated in the Jewish cultural life in the ghetto, delivering at least one lecture, titled "A Chapter from Some Thoughts On the History of Humanity," on June 23, 1944.
Mandl and his son were deported from Theresienstadt concentration camp
to Auschwitz-Birkenau on September 28, 1944. Unbeknownst to his son Tommy at the time, Tommy was the only one selected for the transport but his father volunteered to go with him. From Auschwitz, the Mandls were transported, in turn, to several Dachau-Kaufering
subcamps, where Mandl died March 23, 1945, a mere six weeks before the end of World War II
(cf. testimonies of his son, Herbert Thomas Mandl).
Civil engineer
A civil engineer is a person who practices civil engineering; the application of planning, designing, constructing, maintaining, and operating infrastructures while protecting the public and environmental health, as well as improving existing infrastructures that have been neglected.Originally, a...
, inventor, a student of anthroposophy
Anthroposophy
Anthroposophy, a philosophy founded by Rudolf Steiner, postulates the existence of an objective, intellectually comprehensible spiritual world accessible to direct experience through inner development...
.
Life
Daniel Mandl was born in ProstějovProstejov
Prostějov is a city in the Olomouc Region of the Czech Republic. Today the city is known for its fashion industry and special military forces based there....
, Moravia
Moravia
Moravia is a historical region in Central Europe in the east of the Czech Republic, and one of the former Czech lands, together with Bohemia and Silesia. It takes its name from the Morava River which rises in the northwest of the region...
. He studied engineering at the University of Vienna
University of Vienna
The University of Vienna is a public university located in Vienna, Austria. It was founded by Duke Rudolph IV in 1365 and is the oldest university in the German-speaking world...
, Austria
Austria
Austria , officially the Republic of Austria , is a landlocked country of roughly 8.4 million people in Central Europe. It is bordered by the Czech Republic and Germany to the north, Slovakia and Hungary to the east, Slovenia and Italy to the south, and Switzerland and Liechtenstein to the...
. During World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
, he commanded an artillery
Artillery
Originally applied to any group of infantry primarily armed with projectile weapons, artillery has over time become limited in meaning to refer only to those engines of war that operate by projection of munitions far beyond the range of effect of personal weapons...
unit of the Austro-Hungarian Army
Austro-Hungarian Army
The Austro-Hungarian Army was the ground force of the Austro-Hungarian Dual Monarchy from 1867 to 1918. It was composed of three parts: the joint army , the Austrian Landwehr , and the Hungarian Honvédség .In the wake of fighting between the...
, and fought in Albania
Albania
Albania , officially known as the Republic of Albania , is a country in Southeastern Europe, in the Balkans region. It is bordered by Montenegro to the northwest, Kosovo to the northeast, the Republic of Macedonia to the east and Greece to the south and southeast. It has a coast on the Adriatic Sea...
. A decorated officer, he resumed his studies after World War I. Upon graduation, he was employed by the General Electrical Company in Berlin
Berlin
Berlin is the capital city of Germany and is one of the 16 states of Germany. With a population of 3.45 million people, Berlin is Germany's largest city. It is the second most populous city proper and the seventh most populous urban area in the European Union...
. He was involved in the electrification
Electrification
Electrification originally referred to the build out of the electrical generating and distribution systems which occurred in the United States, England and other countries from the mid 1880's until around 1940 and is in progress in developing countries. This also included the change over from line...
of Slovakia
Slovakia
The Slovak Republic is a landlocked state in Central Europe. It has a population of over five million and an area of about . Slovakia is bordered by the Czech Republic and Austria to the west, Poland to the north, Ukraine to the east and Hungary to the south...
, and he introduced the then-new technology of arc welding
Arc welding
Arc welding is a type of welding that uses a welding power supply to create an electric arc between an electrode and the base material to melt the metals at the welding point. They can use either direct or alternating current, and consumable or non-consumable electrodes...
to Czechoslovakia
Czechoslovakia
Czechoslovakia or Czecho-Slovakia was a sovereign state in Central Europe which existed from October 1918, when it declared its independence from the Austro-Hungarian Empire, until 1992...
, making improvements to arc welding electrodes. He was a student of anthroposophy
Anthroposophy
Anthroposophy, a philosophy founded by Rudolf Steiner, postulates the existence of an objective, intellectually comprehensible spiritual world accessible to direct experience through inner development...
.
After the annexation of rump Czechoslovakia by Nazi Germany on March 15, 1939, Mandl held a teaching position in the Technical School founded by the Brno
Brno
Brno by population and area is the second largest city in the Czech Republic, the largest Moravian city, and the historical capital city of the Margraviate of Moravia. Brno is the administrative centre of the South Moravian Region where it forms a separate district Brno-City District...
Jewish community. He was deported from Brno
Brno
Brno by population and area is the second largest city in the Czech Republic, the largest Moravian city, and the historical capital city of the Margraviate of Moravia. Brno is the administrative centre of the South Moravian Region where it forms a separate district Brno-City District...
to the Terezin
Theresienstadt concentration camp
Theresienstadt concentration camp was a Nazi German ghetto during World War II. It was established by the Gestapo in the fortress and garrison city of Terezín , located in what is now the Czech Republic.-History:The fortress of Terezín was constructed between the years 1780 and 1790 by the orders...
(Theresienstadt ghetto
Ghetto
A ghetto is a section of a city predominantly occupied by a group who live there, especially because of social, economic, or legal issues.The term was originally used in Venice to describe the area where Jews were compelled to live. The term now refers to an overcrowded urban area often associated...
on March 31, 1942, together with his wife Hajnalka and his son Tommy (Herbert Thomas Mandl
Herbert Thomas Mandl
Herbert Thomas Mandl was a Czechoslovak-German-Jewish author, concert violinist, professor of music, philosopher, inventor and lecturer...
). In Terezin, Mandl worked in the Jewish self-administration. He participated in the Jewish cultural life in the ghetto, delivering at least one lecture, titled "A Chapter from Some Thoughts On the History of Humanity," on June 23, 1944.
Mandl and his son were deported from Theresienstadt concentration camp
Theresienstadt concentration camp
Theresienstadt concentration camp was a Nazi German ghetto during World War II. It was established by the Gestapo in the fortress and garrison city of Terezín , located in what is now the Czech Republic.-History:The fortress of Terezín was constructed between the years 1780 and 1790 by the orders...
to Auschwitz-Birkenau on September 28, 1944. Unbeknownst to his son Tommy at the time, Tommy was the only one selected for the transport but his father volunteered to go with him. From Auschwitz, the Mandls were transported, in turn, to several Dachau-Kaufering
Kaufering concentration camp
Kaufering concentration camps were a network of subsidiary camps of the Dachau concentration camp.With the intensification of the Allied air war against German industrial and military enterprises after 1943, the German Armaments Ministry and the Schutzstaffel agreed to accelerate construction of...
subcamps, where Mandl died March 23, 1945, a mere six weeks before the end of World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
(cf. testimonies of his son, Herbert Thomas Mandl).