The Entomological Institute of the Waffen-SS: evidence for offensive biological warfare research in the third Reich

•Specialists were not considered by Himmler as suitable leaders of this institute.•Karl v. Frisch – unbeknownst to him – was one of the candidates.•Protocols of mosquito experiments show offensive biological warfare character.

In January 1942, Heinrich Himmler, head of the Schutzstaffel (SS) and police in Nazi Germany, ordered the creation of an entomological institute to study the physiology and control of insects that inflict harm to humans. Founded in the grounds of the concentration camp at Dachau, it has been the focus of previous research, notably into the question of whether it was involved in biological warfare research. This article examines research protocols by the appointed leader Eduard May, presented here for the first time, which confirm the existence of an offensive biological warfare research programme in Nazi Germany.