list of guards at nuremberg trials list of guards at nuremberg trials

He was proud of his physique, saying he was strong like Germany.. They saw the horrible films the NAZIs took and heard the case the prosecution presented with all the evidence and saw the brutal photos, It was very hard on these young women, but they did their job they were asked to do. Updated on January 22, 2020. list of guards at nuremberg trialsdelpark homes sutton list of guards at nuremberg trials. [114], In mid-December the Americans switched to presenting the case against the indicted organizations, while in January both the British and Americans presented evidence against individual defendants. I played checkers with him on a number of occasions, Prestianni revealed. After the first trial ended in October 1946, the United States held 12 other trials at Nuremberg under the authority of the International Military Tribunal. Colonels from all four countries were running around trying to determine how it happened.. These were the intellectuals; the ramrod-stiff military officers; the cunning politicians; the world's most vicious, depraved, notorious mass murderers; an architect; a filthy-minded and sex-obsessed anti-Semitic newspaper publisher; a gentle writer of poetry; the bombastic bullies; an unrepentant, ghost-like figure; the subservient military Call us at (425) 485-6059. [26], The final version of the charter only gave the court the ability to punish those crimes against humanity that had been committed "in connection with any crimes within the jurisdiction of the Tribunal". The defense lawyers saw themselves as acting on behalf of their clients, but also the German nation;[78] they prioritized the Wehrmacht's reputation over the lives of the generals on trial. [160] On 2 September, the court recessed; and the judges retreated into seclusion to decide the verdict and sentences, which had been under discussion since June. Guides: German Legal Research Guide: Nuremberg Trials Materials If anyone knows how I can verify that he was a guard, please let me know. Other prisoners were outspoken in their condemnation of Hess as a traitor to the Fatherland when he flew to England in May 1941, ostensibly to arrange a peace between Hitlers Germany and Great Britain. I could never beat him in checkers. I tried to treat each prisoner without rancor.. During our conversations, he often asked questions about the United States, a subject in which he appeared to be quite interested, Prestianni added. Back in 1945, his grandfather was stationed in Germany for the infamous Nuremberg trials, during which he got his hands on a pair of sunglasses allegedly worn by a high ranking Nazi. Usually these are prosecution chargeslike crimes against humanityor a defense response. [229] Some defenders of the trial argued that the legal principle of nullum crimen sine lege (no crime without law) was not binding in international proceedings. Why were Waffen-SS soldiers allowed to guard the Nuremberg trials Their voices speak directly to the reader and reflect upon the meaning of justice in the post . [45] At Jackson's recommendation, the United States appointed judges Francis Biddle and John Parker. But the Nuremberg Trials showed contempt for the only-obeying-orders position, and we hold it in contempt too.". Series of military trials at the end of World War II, This article is about the series of international trials. The guards at the Nuremberg War Crimes Trials | Harry S. Truman [189], One set of trials focused on the actions of German professionals: the Doctors' trial focused on human experimentation and euthanasia murders, the Judges' trial on the role of the judiciary in Nazi crimes, and the Ministries trial on the culpability of bureaucrats of German government ministries, especially the Foreign Office. The Nuremberg Military Tribunals and "American Justice" Other prisoners shuffled past him without even glancing in his direction or outwardly acknowledging that he existed. [66][67] The prosecutors wanted to try representative leaders of German politics, economy, and military; and the Americans had a list of 70 names at the London Conference. [233] In 1950, the International Law Commission drafted the Nuremberg principles to codify international criminal law, although the Cold War prevented the adoption of these principles until the 1990s. Generally, I would describe the food, as I recall, quite good, Prestianni remembers. With the possible exception of Speer, none of them could rationalize that they, as individuals, had ever done anything morally wrong for the Fatherland. events, and resources, Michael Prestianni: Guarding the War Criminals at Nuremberg. Hitler's friend, favorite architect, and Minister of Armaments from 1942 until the end of the war. You can contact me via email at RebeccaLeuchter@aol.com. The intentionally weakened table and chair, Prestianni said, prevented possible suicide attempts by hanging. Examine some of the collection's most-accessed trial topics. [201], At the same time as the Nuremberg Charter was finalized, the Allies also signed the Potsdam Agreement, which provided for the mass expulsion of millions of Germans from central and eastern Europe, so that certain acts for which Nazis were convicted at Nuremberg were therefore made an official policy of the Allies. Nrnberg trials, Nrnberg also spelled Nuremberg, series of trials held in Nrnberg, Germany, in 194546, in which former Nazi leaders were indicted and tried as war criminals by the International Military Tribunal. Twelve of the defendants were sentenced to death (Gring, Ribbentrop, Keitel, Kaltenbrunner, Rosenberg, Frank, Frick, Streicher, Sauckel, Jodl, Seyss-Inquart, and Bormann). Streicher had published Der Sturmer, a widely read newspaper filled with pornography, ethnic hate, and anti-Jewish cartoons to enflame the German population. Four were sentenced to terms of imprisonment ranging from 10 to 20 years: Karl Dnitz, Baldur von Schirach, Albert Speer, and Konstantin von Neurath. [22][23] War crimes already existed in international law as criminal violations of the laws and customs of war. Front row, from left to right: Hermann Gring, Rudolf Hess, Joachim von Ribbentrop, Wilhelm Keitel, Ernst Kaltenbrunner, Alfred Rosenberg, Hans Frank, Wilhelm Frick, Julius Streicher, Walther Funk, Hjalmar Schacht. Before his execution, he aligned himself with Jodl and, to a lesser extent, Raeder and Dnitz, the military clique. He has little or no memory of the six remaining defendants, Hitler Youth leader Baldur von Schirach, Labor Front head Robert Ley, Minister of Economics Walther Funk, Plenipotentiary for Labor Deployment Fritz Sauckel, propagandist Hans Fritzsche, or Artur Seys-Inquart, the administrator of the occupied Netherlands. The Nuremberg Trials were a series of trials that occurred in post-World War II Germany to provide a platform for justice against accused Nazi war criminals. [240] The IMT is one of the most well-studied trials in history, and it has also been the subject of an abundance of books and scholarly publications, along with motion pictures such as Judgment at Nuremberg (1961) and The Memory of Justice (1976). I have a brass pot, called an aspersorium, obtained by my father. Im always looking for pictures of the guards and hoping one day I will see him as a young soldier. [146][147] Defense lawyer Alfred Seidl[de] repeatedly tried to disclose the secret protocols of the GermanSoviet pact. list of guards at nuremberg trials Gring was the acknowledged leader among the prisoners. The first of the trials was the Major War Crimes Trial, in which 22 high-ranking Nazis stood trial in the Palace of Justice. US guards at the Nuremberg Trials Today these sketches are highly prized. [151], In order to appease concerns about fair process, the defendants were allowed a free hand with their witnesses and a great deal of irrelevant testimony was heard. . These were 60 year old Emma Zimmer, nee Mezel, and 36 year old . I need your: Master Sgt. He didnt really talk to me very much. When I once asked him why he had done what he was convicted of doing, he replied that he only did what the Fatherland [Germany] instructed him to do. Frick, one of Hitlers closest advisers during the early years of the Nazi regime, was one of those hanged. I inherited all of it. Wells, was military policeman and a Provost Sergeant in charge of a special confinement unit whose responsibilities included providing security for the war crimes trials in Nrnberg. The Chaplain at Nuremberg - The Text Message Nuremberg Guards | WWII Forums [186] These trials were held under Law No. [134] The second film included footage of the liberation of Majdanek and the liberation of Auschwitz and was considered even more disturbing than the American concentration camp film. [132][169] Through a compromise among the judges, the charge of conspiracy was narrowed to a conspiracy to wage aggressive war. He guarded top Nazis at Nuremberg trials; now he'll share his StoryCorps: Nuremberg Trials Guard Dies Of COVID-19 : NPR The trials were not fair, though not in the way you are suggesting. The Nazis constructed 20 main concentration camps in Germany, France, the Netherlands, Poland, Estonia, and Lithuania. He reportedly carried a whip during liaisons with numerous women. Alfried was tried in a separate Nuremberg trial (the Krupp Trial) for the use of slave labor, thereby escaping worse charges and possible execution; found guilty in 1948, pardoned and all property returned 1951. To some, he was demeaned as the foreigner., I didnt like his looks at all. Posted September 22, 2014. Pre-war president of the. Dnitz remained an unrepentant Nazi until his death in 1980. At the time, I saw these men only as individual prisoners, guilty of unknown crimes. American chow was prepared for the guards and other Army personnel. He was made an MP after the war William A Shoemaker from North Carolina. Did Hermann Gring have a defense attorney during the Nuremberg Trials The Nuernberg trial records include transcripts of proceedings . They merely brushed the guilt away with self-serving claims that they were following orders from superiors or perhaps even from Hitler himself in an atmosphere where failure to do so often meant banishment to a concentration camp, Gestapo torture, or even a summary execution. While they walked, the prisoners were separated by a prescribed number of yards. [67] Former Nazis were allowed to serve as counsel[45] and by mid-November all defendants had lawyers. Tags International Military TribunalNurembergGermanywar crimes trialstrials National Archives and Records Administration, College Park, MD Final moments of Nazis executed at Nuremberg - the Guardian The 3rd Battalion of the 26th Infantry Reg., "Blue Spaders," of the 1st Infantry Division were chosen to secure the historic Nuremberg War Crimes Trials. A. Among those brought to trial were. However, fraternization did occur on a regular basis and, for the most part, went unpunished by the prison administration. Gerald lives in MN. The food, prepared in an American-staffed kitchen, offered identical German menus for each prisoner. During watch on one bitter cold night, Prestianni contracted pneumonia and collapsed, unconscious. [210] As the Cold War began, the rapidly changing political environment began to affect the effectiveness of the trials. With the change of command by rotating countries every month, each of the countries altered the previous countrys rules. Jodl, one of 10 prisoners hanged, was another who never admitted to any personal guilt. 125. [87][149] United States admiral Chester Nimitz testified that the United States had used the same methods of submarine warfare that the German admirals were accused of; Dnitz's counsel successfully argued that this meant that such actions could not be crimes. Waffen-SS Soldiers Guarded the Nuremberg Trials - YouTube Did guards favor some prisoners over others? Brush with infamy: Mercer man, 95, oversaw guards at Nuremberg trials My father Ed Rossi was also a guard at the Nuremberg trials. [80][81] The aim was to have these organizations declared criminal, so that their members could be tried expeditiously for membership in a criminal organization. Why Were Sunglasses Worn at the Nuremberg Trials? Goehring gave my Dad a notebook that he had drawn in. He was sent to Nuremburg and stood guard at the Judges quarters. He was totally indifferent to the world around him and to world affairs. While every effort has been made to follow citation style rules, there may be some discrepancies. I would like any information that would lead me to a more detailed understanding of what my father did while part of this undertaking. I wish I would have ask more questions about his experience there. [85] The prosecution examined 110,000 captured German documents[40] and entered 4,600 into evidence,[87] along with 30 kilometres (19mi) of film and 25,000 photographs. This page was last edited on 8 October 2022, at 21:33. Despite being accused of the same crimes, Sauckel was sentenced to death, while Speer was given a prison sentence because the judges considered that he could reform. Also represented were some leaders of the German economy, such as Gustav Krupp (of the conglomerate Krupp AG) and former Reichsbank president Hjalmar Schacht. Courtroom MPs wore stylish white MP-emblazoned helmet liners and similarly labeled brassards. I had no idea of the magnitude of what they had done. He was a true Nazi all the way in every way, Prestianni recalled. [88], The charter allowed the admissibility of any evidence deemed to have probative value, including depositions. Twelve further trials were conducted by the United States against lower-level perpetrators, which focused more on the Holocaust. [21] At the conference, it was debated whether wars of aggression were prohibited in existing international customary law; regardless, before the charter was adopted there was no law providing for criminal responsibility for aggression. we went to Germany with and my younger brother was born there, dad remained un the Army until 1960, when he retired after 32 years service. Q. The first attempt to punish the perpetrators was conducted by the International Military Tribunal (IMT) in the German city of Nuremberg, beginning on November . No favoritism was shown nor was a selection offered. Waffen-SS Soldiers Guarded the Nuremberg Trials - VikingLifeBlog How long did it take you to learn what you are doing? he often asked. Does anyone know where I can read about the nuremberg trials from the guards perspective? The International Military Tribunal (IMT) delivered its judgment against the Nazi leaders on September 30 and October 1, 1946. World War II War Crimes Records | National Archives They were told they would be part of history. The British government was still opposed, unable to see the benefit of such a trial and preferring summary execution of Nazi leaders. I look forward to hearing from him. [173] The war crimes and crimes-against-humanity charges held up the best, with only two defendants who were charged being acquitted on those charges. [172] All 22 defendants were charged with crimes against peace, and 12 were convicted. Batya. During the Nuremberg Trial, American guards maintain constant surveillance over the major Nazi war criminals in the prisonattached to the Palace of Justice. He would have been 92 the following month. By special arrangement with a guard or prison official, he gave his handwritten notes to be mimeographed and returned to him. Sentenced to death, Reich Law Leader 193345 and Governor-General of the, Hitler's Minister of the Interior 193343 and. Martin Bormann was tried and condemned to death in absentia, and Hermann Gring committed suicide before he could be executed. [10][11], Of all the Allies, the Soviet Union lobbied most intensely for trying the defeated German leaders for aggression in addition to war crimes. However, some Russian guards who had perhaps the best reason to want to harshly punish the former German leaders in retaliation for previous atrocities and other crimes committed in the Soviet Union, were friendly and, even in some cases, considerate of the prisoners and American personnel.. All war crimes prisoners ate from a single German menu. They were not to be shown disrespect. My father became an MP after the war. Expressed repentance. What was the name of that individual? [194] Luftwaffe general Erhard Milch was tried for using slave labor and deporting civilians. In July 2020, Dey was found guilty and given a two . But Woods, an almost charmingly hapless man with a checkered. [27] Especially the United States wanted to avoid countenancing any rule that would give an international court jurisdiction over a government's treatment of its own citizens. Johann Georg Richert was found guilty and was executed in Minsk, Byelorussia. Soviet prosecutors in Nrnberg, Germany brought out Friedrich Paulus and Erich Buschenhagen by surprise as witnesses in the war crimes trials. First, it rejected the contention that only a state, and not individuals, could be found guilty of war crimes; the tribunal held that crimes of international law are committed by men and that only by punishing individuals who commit such crimes can the provisions of international law be enforced. We were given strict orders to have no contact whatsoever with these women, no conversation, no nothing and to stay well away from them, noted Prestianni. The . Joachim von Ribbentrop, Nazi Germanys foreign minister beginning in 1938, was amiable, Prestianni said. [73] Also on trial were propagandists Julius Streicher and Hans Fritzsche; Rudolf Hess, Hitler's deputy who had flown to Britain in 1941; Hans Frank, governor-general of the General Governorate of Poland; Hitler Youth leader Baldur von Schirach; Arthur Seyss-Inquart, Reich Commissioner for the Netherlands; and Ernst Kaltenbrunner, the leader of Himmler's Reich Main Security Office. ;"God protect Germany. They write new content and verify and edit content received from contributors. 1 They were convened under the authority of Control Council Law No.. He guarded the prisoners in their cells and also stood guard in the court room. He just celebrated his 93 birthday, and is smart and caring as he has always been. (Robert Ley committed suicide while in prison, and Gustav Krupp von Bohlen und Halbachs mental and physical condition prevented his being tried.) Twelve of the defendants were sentenced to death, three to life imprisonment, four to imprisonment ranging from 10 to 20 years, and three were acquitted. Joined: Oct 14, 2007 Messages: 2,804 [185] Twelve military trials were convened solely by the United States in the same courtroom that had hosted the International Military Tribunal. Seven defendants (Hess, Funk, Raeder, Dnitz, Schirach, Speer, and Neurath) were sent to Spandau Prison to serve their sentences. Considered by some as the most intelligent and talented prisoner, he was the quintessential gentleman. An anti-Semite to the end, and proclaiming that his death was a victory for world Jewry, Streichers final shouted words as he dropped through the trap door to his death were, This is the Purim Festival for 1946. [13] Planners in the United States Department of War were drawing up plans for an international tribunal in late 1944 and early 1945. Upon arriving in the European Theater, Prestianni, a replacement, found himself in the U.S. 1st Infantry Division. In the prison cellblock, each single-occupant cell had two parallel heating pipes beneath a single, heavily scratched, plastic-covered window, the top half of which could be tilted open for limited ventilation. This is evidenced by the change of the guards uniforms back and forth from the heavier, darker, winter uniform to the lighter colored summer uniform. Came back to the States in Jun 46. 18008 Bothell Everett Hwy SE # F, Bothell, WA 98012. The International Military Tribunal set up by the . [36][35] On 8 August, the Nuremberg Charter was signed in London. Ten of those men would be hung 16 days later. On Wednesday, January 31 1951, a curious bit of revelry took place in Landsberg prison as 10 war criminals condemned to death by the Nuremberg military tribunals learned they would live after all. Speer managed to distinguish himself from other defendants, giving the impression of apologizing, although without assuming personal guilt or naming any victims other than the German people. [138], From March to July 1946, the defense presented its counterarguments. [106] Although these aspects had already been covered by the American prosecution, Soviet prosecutors introduced new evidence from Extraordinary State Commission reports and interrogations of senior enemy officers. [119] Unlike the British and American prosecution strategy, which focused on using German documents to make their case, the French prosecutors took the perspective of the victims, submitting postwar police reports and calling eleven witnesses. The Nuremberg Trials: An Account - Famous Trials [190][191] Also on trial were industrialistsin the Flick trial, the IG Farben trial, and the Krupp trialfor using forced labor, looting property from Nazi victims, and funding SS atrocities. [18], At the London Conference, held from 26 June to 2 August 1945, representatives of France, the Soviet Union, the United Kingdom, and the United States negotiated the exact form that the trial would take. When he failed to respond to the periodic shouted challenges from the sergeant-of-the-guard, Prestianni was taken to a hospital in Nuremberg where he remained for two weeks before returning to duty. [125], More so than other delegations, Soviet prosecutors showed the gruesome details of German mistreatment of prisoners of war and forced laborers, as well as the systematic murder of Jews in eastern Europe. The trial, which had lasted nearly 10. These citations refer to documents at "The International Military Tribunal for Germany". The Russians always were a problem and only cooperated with the other countries about 10 percent of the time. My final wish is that Germany should recover her unity and that, for the sake of peace, there should be an understanding between East and West. Minister of Foreign Affairs (until 1938), then Reich Protector for Bohemia and Moravia. Speer spent much of his time drawing exquisite pencil sketches ranging from landscapes to magnificent buildings to quaint German villages. He guarded top Nazis at Nuremberg trials; now he'll share his story By CAROL SMITH, P-I REPORTER Updated Nov 7, 2007 Jack Carver holds a portrait of top-ranking Nazi Hermann Goering, whom he met. Updates? My mother had pointed his photo out to me on several occasions but I was too young to remember. [28] The charter limited the jurisdiction of the court to Germany's actions because the Allies did not want to answer to an international court for their own actions;[29] only Germans could be tried. He never repented for anything he ever did. [81] Senior American officials believed that convicting organizations was a good way of showing that not just the top German leaders were responsible for crimes, without condemning the entire German people. He could never understand why he had been tried for war crimes. End of the trial: Guardian report on the executions, 16 October 1946 Hermann Gring last night died by his own hand. After his release from prison in Nuremberg, a Stuttgart court sentenced him to eight years in a work camp. Recently one of our readers in the US contacted us with a photo of a pair of sunglasses that were in a box in his grandfather's garage. [1] Most of the defendants were also charged with war crimes and crimes against humanity. Today, he carries on his World War II and Korean War heritage in various veterans organizations. List of defendants at the International Military Tribunal, William L. Shierer "The Rise and Fall of the third reich", Nuremberg-chapter of part IV. In most respects, fraternization between guards and prisoners was closely monitored by those who set the policies for the prisoners confinement. Brief Overview of Defendants & Verdicts at Nuremberg Trials Your Moms birthday and maiden name. During the months of imprisonment, the brisk gait of some of the prisoners gradually evolved into defeatist, head-bowed shuffling as acceptance of their fate gradually wore them down and eroded their will. Purimfest 1946: The Nuremberg Trials and the Ten Sons of Haman - the Torah They, as a group, had no problem with their guilt. Postwar trials and denazification - The Holocaust Explained Had I known just who these prisoners were at the time and what they had been accused and convicted of having done, I probably would not have had such a close relationship with them. [12] The United States insisted on a fair trial as a means of reforming Germany. Other generals were tried in the High Command Trial for plotting wars of aggression, issuing criminal orders, deporting civilians, using slave labor, and looting in the Soviet Union. Three were sentenced to life imprisonment. Minister of Foreign Affairs 193238, succeeded by Ribbentrop. William L Shierer "the Rise and Fall of the third Reich", part IV, Nuremberg-chapter, the United States committed the same breach, Last and Near-Last Words of the Famous, Infamous and Those In-Between, "The International Military Tribunal for Germany", The Avalon Project: Documents in Law, History, and Diplomacy, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=List_of_defendants_at_the_International_Military_Tribunal&oldid=1114903079, Successor to Hess as Nazi Party Secretary. After encountering a you tube video by accident I have a different answer. The speech was favorably received by the prosecution, the tribunal, the audience, historians, and even the defendants. Immediately following the end of the IMT, the American military government held twelve more war crimes trials in Nuremberg. It was supposed to pass to me, but my brothers widow lost it and it has not been turned over to me. One was sentenced in absentia. Once the IMT established the criminality of aggressive war, war . Kaltenbrunner had perpetrated extreme barbarism in the extermination of Jews through the planning and execution of the Final Solution. 1. They wanted to run the whole show. Several were militaristically aloof and looked down upon those they considered to be the mere political element. Her last name was Marsico (cant recall her first name} and she was from Montgomery, WV. None outwardly felt they had done anything to warrant being in prison.. Between 20 November 1945 and 1 October 1946, the International Military Tribunal (IMT) tried 24 of the most important political and military leaders of Nazi Germany. The priest was most likely the Nrnberg prisons Lutheran chaplain, Henry F. Gerecke. Prominent banker and economist. Without fanfare or advance warning, on July 18, 1947, the remaining prisoners at Nuremberg were told to assemble their meager belongings.