Evening star., 1944-08-08
Eight Officers
for Plot
Against Hitler
Berlin Radio Tells of
Executions Two Hour!
After End of Trial
BY the Associated Press.

ps tlie hSSOCldteQ fTeSS.
LONDON, Aug. 8.-Marshal Err
win Won Witzleben and seven
German Army officers were
hanged today, Berlin announced
after trial in which they con-
fessed plotting to kill Hitler and
surrender Germany to the Allies.
This brought to 16 the announced
deaths of alleged conspirators in the
Berlin proclaimed plot which cul-
minated in the July 20 bomb explo-
sion at Hitler headquarters.
Todays executions took place two
hours after conclusion of the trial of
Won Witzleben and the seven others,
all of whom had been expelled
previously from the army.
An official account of the officers
trial, broadcast by DNB, official
German news agency, disclosed the
alleged plot against Hitler had been
Matching since last summer. Col.
Count Claus Won Stauffenberg, named
by Berlin as the man who attempted
the assassination, was declared to
have brought explosives into Hit
ler's presence twice before July 20
but to have refrained from letting
them go because Heinrich Himmler,
Gestapo chief, was not with Hitler.
Three former generals and four
lesser officers were tried with Mar
shal Won Witzleben, who was quoted
as testlfying that he and Col Gen.
Ludwig Beck were to have headed
the military under the coup.
Gen. Beck, former chief of the
German general staff, committed
suicide, Berlin said. after frustra-
ton of the conspiracy. Berlin an
nounred earlier the deaths of seven
other accused officers-four by ex-
ecution July 20 and three more by
suicide.
Maj. Gen. Stieff, one of those
on trial. told the Himmler- ruled
Peoples Court, Berlin said, that he
knew the details of still another
abandoned plot to kill Hitler. This
called for the placing of time bombs
in the packs of three private SOL
diers-without their knowledge
and setting the bombs to explode
when they appeared before the
Fuehrer for demonstration of new
equipment.
The broadcast said police officials
led the defendants into the Berlin
supreme court for the trial. The
deliberations were concluded today
Account of Trial.
Berlin gave this account:
The officers were accused of par
tlcipatlon in the assassination at
tempt ''in order to stir up revolt
in Germany. to assume command of
the Wehrmacht, to seize state au-
thority and to conclude a dishonor-
able peace"
The court consisted of an infantry
general, a Berlin businessman, a
peoples councillor and a municipal
councillor. A Berlin baker and a
civil engineer served as substitute
judges. The jury wore long red
robes.
The officers were represented by
eight defense councillors appointed
by the state.
When the chief of the defendants
Marshal Won Witzleben. gave the
German salute the president of the
coLrt declared, The German salute
may be given only by Germans who
are men of honor"
Aside from Gen. Stieff, those or
trial with Marshal Witzleben were
Maj. Gen. Erich Hoeppner. 1t. Gen
Won Hase, 1t. Col. Bernardis, Capt
Friedrich Karl Klausing, 1t. Vor
Hegen and 1t. Count Yorck Won
Wartenburg
Stieff Questioned First.
DR.. Roland Freisler was president
of the court and Chief Prosecutor
Lautz headed the staff presenting
the Reich's case.
Gen. Sti first to be questioned
answered DA1e yes when asked
if he had be aed.in assassina-
ton plans as early as the summer of
1943.
Gen. Stieff's answers implicated
his immediate senior, former Artil-
lery Gen. Wagner reported by Ber-
lin to have committed suicide after
the plots failure). When Gen
Stleff termed Gen. Wagner an "old
comrade," the court president
snapped that it would be better to
call him an "old criminal"
Marshal Witzleben frankly ad-
(See TRIALS. Page A-5J