Trials War Criminals
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TRIALS OF WAR CRIMINALS BEFORE THE NUERNBERG MILITARY TRIBUNALS UNDER CONTROL COUNCIL LAW No. 10 NUERNBERG OCTOBER 1946-APRIL 1949 VOLUME IV/1 For sale by the Superintendent of Documents, U. S. Government Printing Office Washington 25, D. C. “THE EINSATZGRUPPEN CASE" Military Tribunal II Case No. 9 THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA —against — Otto Ohlendorf, Heinz Jost, Erich Naumann, Otto Rasch, Erwi Schulz, Franz Six, Paul Blo- bel, walter Blume, Martin Sandberger, Willy Seibert, Eugen Steimle, Ernst Biberstein, Wer- ner Brauner, Walter Haensch, Gustav Nosske, Adolf Otto, Eduard Strauche, Emil Hauss- mann, Waldemar Klingelhoefer, Lothar Fendler, Waldemar von Radetzky, Felix Ruehl, Heinz Schubert, and Matthias Graf, Defendants XI. OPINION AND JUDGMENT............................................................................................. 5 EINSATZGRUPPEN............................................................................................................. 7 AUTHENTICITY OF REPORTS.......................................................................................... 9 THE MAGNITUDE OF THE ENTERPRISE ..................................................................... 18 EMPLOYMENT AS LABOR BEFORE EXECUTION ..................................................... 24 INSTIGATION TO POGROMS.......................................................................................... 25 APPROPRIATION OF PERSONAL EFFECTS AND VALUABLES .............................. 28 PRISONERS OF WAR........................................................................................................ 30 METHODS OF EXECUTION............................................................................................. 32 THE LAW............................................................................................................................ 40 Jurisdiction ....................................................................................................................... 40 Article II ........................................................................................................................... 42 International Law Applied to Individual Wrong-Doers................................................... 46 Self-Defense and Necessity.............................................................................................. 48 Mass Killings for ideological Reasons............................................................................. 50 Death of Noncombatants by Bombing............................................................................. 51 Superior Orders ................................................................................................................ 54 Duress Needed for Plea of Superior Orders ..................................................................... 63 German Precedent on Superior Order Doctrine ............................................................... 66 Noninvolvement............................................................................................................... 70 Partisans ........................................................................................................................... 73 Reprisals........................................................................................................................... 74 Criminal Organizations .................................................................................................... 75 SS 75 Gestapo and SD 76 Crimes Against Humanity................................................................................................ 77 Simferopol........................................................................................................................ 79 The Fuehrerprinzip............................................................................................................... 84 INDIVIDUAL JUDGMENT.................................................................................................... 87 DEFENDANT OTTO OHLENDORF................................................................................. 88 HEINZ JOST........................................................................................................................ 90 DEFENDANT ERICH NAUMANN................................................................................... 92 ERWIN SCHULZ ................................................................................................................ 95 FRANZ SIX ......................................................................................................................... 98 PAUL BLOBEL................................................................................................................. 102 WALTER BLUME ............................................................................................................ 104 MARTIN SANDBERGER ................................................................................................ 107 WILLY SEIBERT.............................................................................................................. 110 EUGEN STEIMLE ............................................................................................................ 113 ERNST BIBERSTEIN ....................................................................................................... 115 WERNER BRAUNE.......................................................................................................... 118 WALTER HAENSCH ....................................................................................................... 119 GUSTAV NOSSKE ........................................................................................................... 126 ADOLF OTT...................................................................................................................... 129 EDUARD STRAUCH........................................................................................................ 133 WALDEMAR KLINGELHOEFER .................................................................................. 137 LOTHAR FENDLER......................................................................................................... 139 WALDEMAT VON RADETZKY .................................................................................... 141 FELIX RUEHL .................................................................................................................. 146 HEINZ HERMANN SCHUBERT..................................................................................... 148 MATHIAS GRAF.............................................................................................................. 151 SENTENCES ......................................................................................................................... 153 XI. OPINION AND JUDGMENT The indictment filed in this case on 29 July 1947 charged the 24 defendants enumer- ated therein with crimes against humanity, war crimes, and membership in criminal organizations. The 24 defendants were made up of 6 SS generals, 5 SS colonels, 6 SS lieutenant colonels, 4 SS majors, and 3 SS junior officers. Since the filing of the indictment the number of the defendants has been reduced to 22. Defendant SS Ma- jor Emil Haussmann committed suicide on 31 July 1947, and defendant SS Brigadier General Otto Rasch was severed from the case on 5 February 1948 because of his inability to testify. Although it is assumed that Rasch's disease (paralysis against or Parkinsonism) will become progressively worse, his severance from these proceed- ings not to be regarded as any adjudication on the question of guilt or innocence. The acts charged in counts one and two of the indictment are identical in character, but the indictment draws the distinction between acts constituting offenses against civilian populations, including German nationals and nationals of other countries, and the same acts committed as violations of the laws and customs of war involving mur- der and ill-treatment of prisoners of war and civilian populations of countries under the occupation of Germany. Count three charges the defendants with membership in the SS, SD, and Gestapo, organizations declared criminal by the International Mili- tary Tribunal and paragraph I (d) of article II of Control Council Law No. 10. Although the indictment accuses the defendants of the commission of atrocities, per- secutions, exterminations, imprisonment, and other inhumane acts, the principle charge in this case is murder. However, as unequivocal as this charge is, questions have arisen which must be definitely resolved so that this decision may add its voice in the present solemn re-affirmation and sound development of international precepts binding upon nations and individuals alike, to the end that never again will humanity witness the sad and miserable spectacle it has beheld and suffered during these last years. At the outset it must be acknowledged that the facts with which the Tribunal must deal in this opinion are so beyond the experience of normal man and the range of man-made phenomena that only the most complete judicial inquiry, and the most ex- haustive trial, could verify and confirm them. Although the principle accusation is murder and, unhappily, man has been killing man ever since {411} the days of Cain, the charge of purposeful homicide in this case reaches such fantas- tic proportions and surpasses such credible limits that believability must be bolstered with assurance a hundred times repeated.