dtufail/nuremberg-trials-corpus huggingface dataset:
M. DUBOST: In Holland, according to the testimony found in the report given by the Dutch Government, Page 15, 1 quote: "About 3 days after the attempt against Rauter-about 10 March 1945-1 witnessed the execution of several Dutch patriots by the German 'green' police while I was working in the fields in Waltrop." This Dutch document is classified in the French file as Number F-224 (Document F-224 (a), Exhibit RF-277) and has been submitted to you in its entirety, but the specific passage to which I refer has not been read. The witness continues, on Page 16 of your document book: "I spoke to an Oberwachtmeister of the 'green' police whose name is unknown to me, and he told me that this execution was in revenge for the attempt against Rauter. He told me also that hundreds of Dutch 'terrorists' had been executed for similar reasons." Another witness stated: "About 6 o'clock in the evening"-this is the German who gave the orders to execute the Dutch patriots-"when I went to my office, I received the order to have 40 prisoners shot." On Page 19, the investigators, who are Canadian officers, state the conditions under which the corpses were discovered. I do not believe that the Tribunal will want me to read this passage. On Page 21 the Tribunal will find the report of Munt, completing and rectifying his report of 4 June on the execution of Dutchmen after the attempt against Rauter. The execution was carried out on the order of Kolitz; 198 prisoners were transported. Munt denies having sanctioned the execution of these Dutch patriots, but says that it was nevertheless impossible for him to prevent it, in view of the orders from higher sources which he had received. On Page 22, next to the last paragraph, the same Munt states: "After an attack against two members of the Wehrmacht on two consecutive days, in which both were wounded and their rifles taken away, my chief insisted that 15 Dutch citizens be shot; 12 were shot." An important document is to be found on Page 30 in your document book.
M. DUBOST: It is included in F-224, which comprises the documents relative to inquiries made by the Dutch Government. This is a decree concerning the proclamation of summary police justice for the occupied Netherlands territory. It is signed by the Defendant Seyss-Inquart. Therefore one has to go to him when seeking for the chief responsibility for these summary executions of patriots in Holland. From this decree we take Paragraph 1: ". . . I proclaim, for the occupied Netherlands territory in its entirety, summary police justice which shall enter into force immediately. "Simultaneously, I order that everyone abstain from any kind of agitation which might disturb public order and the security of public life." I skip a paragraph. "The senior SS and Police Leader will take every step deemed necessary by him for the maintenance or restoration of public order or the security of public life. "In the execution-of his task the senior SS and Police Leader may deviate from the law in force." Summary police justice! These words do not deceive us. This is purely and simply a matter of murder, in that the police is authorized in executing its functions to deviate from the law in force. This sentence, which Seyss-Inquart signed and which protected his subordinates who assassinated Dutch patriots as far as German law was concerned, is in itself the condemnation of Seyss-Inquart. In execution of this decree the Tribunal will see that on 2 May -and this is Page 32 of your document book-a summary police tribunal pronounced the death sentence against ten Dutch patriots. On Page 34, another summary police tribunal pronounced the death sentence on ten other Dutch patriots. All of them were executed. On the next page, still in application of the same decree, a summary police court pronounced the death sentence on a patriot, and he was executed. This document, Document F-224(a), Exhibit RF-277, comprises a very long list of similar texts which seems to me superfluous to cite. The Tribunal may refer to the last only, which is especially interesting.
M. DUBOST: We will consider it for a moment; it is on Page 46 of your document book. This is the report of the Identification and Investigation Service of the Netherlands, according to which, while it was not possible to make known at that time the number of Dutch citizens who were shot by the military units of the occupying power, we can state now that a total of more than 4,000 of them were executed. The details of the executions, with the places where the corpses were discovered, follow. This constitutes only a very fragmentary aspect of the sufferings and the sacrifices in human life endured by Holland. That needs to be stated because it is the consequence of the criminal orders of the Defendant Seyss-Inquart. In the case of Belgium, the basic document is the French Document F-685, submitted as Exhibit Number RF-394; and you will find it on Page 48 of your document book. It is a report drawn up by the Belgian War Crimes Commission, which deals only with the crimes committed by the German troops at the time of the liberation of Belgian territory, September 1944. These crimes were all committed against Belgian patriots who were fighting against the German Army. It is not merely a question of executions but of ill- treatment and torture as well. Page 50: "At Graide a camp of the secret army was attacked. 15 corpses were discovered to have been frightfully mutilated. The Germans had used bullets with sawn off tips. Some of the bodies had been pierced with bayonets. Two of the prisoners had been beaten with cudgels before being finished off with a pistol shot." The prisoners were soldiers, taken with weapons in hand and in battle, belonging to those units which officially, according to the testimony in documents previously cited to you, were considered by the German General Staff from that time on as being combatants. "At Foret, on 6 September, several hundred men of the resistance were billeted in the Chateau de Foret. The Germans, having been warned of their going into action, decided to carry out a repressive operation.
M. DUBOST: A certain number of unarmed members of the resistance tried to flee. Some were killed; others succeeded in getting back to the castle, not having been able to break through the cordon of German troops; others were finally made prisoner. "The Germans advanced with the resistance prisoners in front of them. After 2 hours the fighting stopped for lack of ammunition. The Germans promised to spare the lives of those who surrendered. Some of the prisoners were loaded on a lorry; others, in spite of the promise given, were massacred after having been tortured. The castle and the corpses were sprinkled with gasoline and set on fire: 20 men perished in this massacre; 15 others had been killed during combat." The examples are numerous. This testimony to heroic Belgium was necessary. It was necessary that we should be reminded of what we owe her, of what we owe to her combatants of the secret army, and how great their sacrifice has been. With regard to Luxembourg, we have a document from the Ministry of Justice of the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg, which is Document Number UK-77, already submitted under Exhibit Number RF-322, which the Tribunal will find on Page 53 of the document book. The Tribunal will note that a special summary tribunal, similar to those which functioned in Holland, was set up in Luxembourg; that it functioned in that country and pronounced a certain number of death sentences, 21-all of them equally arbitrary, in view of the arbitrary character of the tribunal which pronounced them. The document contains the official indictment of the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg against all the members of the Reich Cabinet, specifically against the Ministers of the Interior, of Justice, and the Party Chancellery, and against the leaders of the SS and Police, and especially against the Reich Commissioner for the Preservation of German Nationality.
M. DUBOST: In the case of Norway, Document UK-79 already submitted under Exhibit Number RF-323, Page 55 of the document book, shows that tribunals similar to the special tribunal set up in Holland by the police were in operation in Norway. They were called the SS tribunals. More than 150 Norwegians were condemned to death. Besides, the Tribunal will remember the testimony of M. Cappelen, who gave an account of what his country and his compatriots had endured. Regarding Denmark, on Page 57 of your document book, Document Number F-666, already submitted as Exhibit Number RF-338, the Tribunal will note that according to this official report of the Danish Government police courts-martial similar to those which functioned in Luxembourg, in Norway, and in Holland, functioned against Danish patriots. These summary police tribunals, composed of SS or police, in reality disguised the arbitrary measures of the police and of the SS; measures not only tolerated, but willed by the government, as can be shown by documents which we placed before you at the beginning of this statement. We, therefore, can assert that the victims of those tribunals were murdered without having been able to justify or defend themselves. In the case of France the question should be carefully examined. The Tribunal knows that from the moment of the landing, answering the call of the General Staff, the French Secret Army rose and began battle. Undoubtedly, in spite of the warning given by the Allied General Staff, these combatants, who a few weeks later were officially recognized by the German side as being combatants, at the beginning found themselves in a rather irregular situation. We do not contest that in many instances they were francs-tireurs; we admit that they could be condemned to death; but we protest because they were not condemned to death, but were murdered after having been brutally tortured. We are going to give you proof thereof.
M. DUBOST: Document F-577, which is submitted under Exhibit Number RF-395, to be found on Page 62 of your document book, states that on 17 August, the day before the liberation of Rodez, the Germans shot 30 patriots with a submachine gun. Then, to finish them off, they tore large stones from the wall of the trench in which they were and hurled them on the bodies with some earth. The chests and the skulls were crushed. Document F-580, Page 79 of your document book, which is submitted to you as Exhibit Number RF-396, shows that five oblates from the order of Marie-as far as I know these lay brothers were not communists-were murdered after having been tortured, because they belonged to a group of the Secret Army. In all, 36 corpses were discovered after this execution, a "punitive measure" carried out by the German Army On Page 85 the Tribunal will read the result of the inquiry and will see under what conditions these 5 monks were killed after having been tortured and under what conditions the Staff of a resistance group, which had been betrayed, was arrested and deported, together with a few members of the same religious order. Evidence is produced that men from the Maquis in the forest of Acheres were arrested and tortured after having been incarcerated in the prison of Fontainebleau. We even know the name of the German member of the Gestapo who tortured these patriots. His name is unimportant-this German, Korf, carried out orders that were given by Keitel and by the other defendants whose names I mentioned just now. Document F-584, submitted under Exhibit Number RF-397, Pages 87 and 88, shows the Tribunal that when the bodies were found it was discovered that 10 of them had been blindfolded before being shot, that 8 had had their arms broken by injury or torture, and many had wounds in the lower parts of their legs as the result of being very tightly bound. That is the report of the commissioner of the police at Pau, drawn up on 28 August 1944, on the day following the liberation of Pau. We now submit Document F-585 as Exhibit Number RF-398.
M. DUBOST: The Tribunal will find it on Page 96 of the document book. I will give a summary: The day following the liberation, 38 corpses were found in two graves near Signes in the mountain of Var. One of the leaders of the Resistance of the Cote d'Azur, Valmy, and with him two parachutists, Pageot and Manuel, were identified. Of this massacre a witness was found-his name is Tuirot-whose statements are copied on Pages 105, 106, and 107 of your document book. Tuirot was tortured, with his comrades, without having been given the opportunity of help from a counsel or a chaplain. The 38 men were taken to the woods. They appeared before a parody of a tribunal composed of SS. They were condemned to death and the sentence was executed. We place now before the Tribunal Document F-586 as Exhibit Number RF-399. The Tribunal will find it on Page 110 of the document book. It deals with the execution at Saint Nazaire and Royans of 37 patriots, members of the French Secret Army, who were tortured before being executed. Here is the statement of facts by an eyewitness: "I came through the ruins and arrived at the Chateau of Madame Laurent, a widow. There a frightful spectacle confronted me. The castle, which the Gestapo had used as a place of torture for the young Maquis, had been set on fire. In a cellar there was the calcinated skeleton which prior to death had had its forearms and a foot pulled off and which had perhaps been burned while still alive." But I proceed. Wherever the Gestapo was in operation there were the same methods. Now we place before the Tribunal Document F-699, which relates to the murder at Grenoble of 48 members of the Secret Army all of whom were tortured. This document is submitted as Exhibit Number RF-400. I now come to Document F-587, which we submit as Exhibit Number RF-401. The Tribunal will find this document on Page 115 of the document book. It concerns the execution by hanging of 12 patriots at Nimes, 2 of whom were dragged from the hospital Where they were under care for wounds received in battle. These young men had all been captured in combat at St.
M. DUBOST: Hippolyte-du-Fort. The bodies of these wretched men had been defiled. On their chests was a placard saying: "Thus are French terrorists punished." When the French authorities wished to perform funeral rites for these unfortunate men, the bodies had disappeared. The German Army had removed them. They have never been discovered. It is a fact that two of these victims were dragged from the hospital. Document F-587 contains particularly the report of a witness who saw the men taken from the hospital ward where they were being cared for. I now submit Document F-561 as Exhibit Number RF-402 Page 118 of your book. It deals with the execution at Lyons of 109 patriots who were shot under inhuman conditions. They were killed at the end of a day's toil. On 14 August Allied planes had bombed the Bron airfield. From 16 to 22 August the German authorities had employed requisitioned civilians and prisoners from the Fort of Montluc at Lyons to fill the bomb craters. At the end of the day, when the work was finished, the civilian laborers went away; but the prisoners were shot on the spot after having been more or less ill-treated. Their bodies were stacked in half-filled craters. Document F-591, which we submit as Exhibit Number RF-403, Page 119 of the document book, is a report of atrocities committed by the German Army on 30 August 1944 at Tavaux (Aisne): "During the afternoon of that day soldiers of the Adolf Hitler Division arrived at Tavaux. They appeared at the home of M. Maujean, who was leader of the resistance. His wife opened the door. Without explanation they shot at her, wounding her in the thigh and also in the lower jaw. They dragged her to the kitchen and broke one arm and one leg in the presence of her children, aged 9, 8, 7, and 6 years, and 8 months. They poured inflammable liquid over Madame Maujean and set fire to her in front of the children. The elder son held his little sister, 8 months old, in his arms. Then they told the children that they would shoot them if they did not tell them where their father was.
M. DUBOST: The children said nothing, although they knew the whereabouts of their father. Before leaving they took the children to the cellar and locked them in. Then the Germans poured gasoline on the house and set it on fire. The fire was put out and the children were saved. These facts were told to M. Maujean by his eldest child. No other person was a witness to these facts because the inhabitants, frightened by the first houses set on fire, had sought refuge either in trenches or in the neighboring fields and woods. "During the same evening 21 persons were killed at Tavaux and 83 houses were set on fire." Next comes a report by the gendarme, Carlier, on the events of the following day. Document F-589, which we submit as Exhibit Number RF-404, shows the number of murders of patriots committed in the region of Lyons. It is dated 29 September 1944: 713 victims were found in 8 departments; 217 only have been identified. This figure is approximate; it is definitely less than the number of people who are missing in the 8 departments of Ain, Ardeche, Drome, Isere, Loire, Rhone, Savoie, and Haute Savoie. A German general, General Von Brodowski, confessed in his diary, which fell into our hands, that he had caused the murder of numerous patriots, and that the Wehrmacht, Police, and SS operated together and were responsible for these murders. These troops murdered wounded men in the hospital camps of the French forces of the interior. This document, which is under Number F-257, is submitted as Exhibit Number RF-405 and is to be found on Page 123 of your document book. In the last four paragraphs the police and the army combine: "I have been charged with restoring the authority of the Army of Occupation in the Department of Cantal and neighboring regions." Dated 6 June 1944: "General Jesser had been charged with the tactical direction of the undertaking. All troops available for the operation will be subordinate to him, as well as all other forces.
M. DUBOST: "The Commander of the Sipo and of the SD, HauptsturmFuehrer Geissler, remains at my immediate disposal; he will submit to me proposals for a possible utilization"-and so forth. "The staff and two battalions of the SS Panzer Division 'Das Reich' are, in addition, to remain available for the operation in Cantal." General Brodowski turned over to the SD (which is equivalent to execution without trial) the French prisoners who were wounded on 15 June 1944. The Prefect of Le Puy asked the liaison staff whether the men wounded in the battle of Montmouchet and taken into safety by the Red Cross of Puy could be delivered to Puy as prisoners of war. This German general, executing the orders of the German High Command-particularly of Keitel and Jodl-said that those wounded men were to be treated as francs-tireurs and to be delivered to the SD or to the Abwehr. Those wounded men were turned over to the German Police and tortured and killed without trial. According to the statement of Goldberg, which I have submitted, any man turned over to the SD was executed. Events took place on 21 June 1944 as indicated by Goldberg, "Twelve suspects were arrested and turned over to the SD." Under the date of 16 August 1944, Page 133, this general of the German Army had 40 men murdered after the battles at Bourglastic and at Cosnat: "In the course of operation Jesser, on 15 July 1944 in the Bourg-Lastic region, 23 persons were executed. Martial law. Attack on Cosnat; 3 kilometers east of St. Hilaire, during the night of 17 July, 40 terrorists were shot." On Page 136, this German general admits in his own diary that our comrades were fighting as soldiers and not as assassins. This general of the German Army acknowledges that the French Forces of the Interior took prisoners: "Southeast of d'Argenton, 30 kilometers southwest of Chateauroux, the 'Jako' discovered a center of terrorists; 16 German soldiers were liberated; arms and ammunition were captured; 7 terrorists were killed, 2 of them being captains.
M. DUBOST: One German soldier was seriously wounded." Another similar incident is also related further on: "Discovery of two camps of terrorists in the region of d'Argenton. Nine enemies were killed, two of whom were officers; 16 German soldiers were liberated." At the bottom of the page he states, "We liberated two SS men." These French soldiers were entitled to the respect of their adversaries. They conducted themselves. as soldiers; they were assassinated.
THE PRESIDENT: We will adjourn now until two o'clock. [The Tribunal recessed until 1400 hours.] Afternoon Session
MARSHAL: May it please the Court, I desire to announce that the Defendants Kaltenbrunner and Seyss-Inquart will be absent from this afternoon's session on account of illness.
M. DUBOST: We had arrived, gentlemen, at the presentation of the terrorist policy carried out by the German Army, Police, and SS, indistinguishably united in their evil task against the French patriots. Not only the militant pat-riots were to be the victims of this terrorist policy. There were threats of reprisals against their relatives, and these threats were carried into effect. We submit Document 719-PS as Exhibit Number RF-406, which you will find on Page 147 of the document book. It is the copy of a teletype from the German Embassy in Paris to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Berlin. The German Ambassador reports a conversation which the Vichy unit had had with Laval. The author of this message, who is probably Abetz, explains that Bousquet, who was with Laval at the time of this conversation, stated that he was completely ignorant of the recent Right of Giraud's brother: "Madame Giraud, three of her daughters, her mother, another brother and the daughter-in-law of Giraud, were in Vals-lesBains. I replied that such measures, were insufficient and that he must not be surprised if the German police some day reverted to sterner measures, in view of the obvious incompetence of the French police in numerous cases." The threat was put into execution. We have already stated that the family of General Giraud were deported. We submit Document F-717 under Exhibit Number RF-407, Page 149 of your document book: "Paris, 1030 hours, 101, Official Government Telegram, Paris, to the French Delegation of the IMT Nuremberg.7p From this telegram it is evident that 17 persons, members of the family of General Giraud, were deported to Germany. Madame Granger, daughter of General Giraud, aged 32, was arrested without cause in Tunis in April 1943, as well as her four children, aged 2 to 11 years, with their young nurse, and her brother-in-law, M. Granger. The family of General Giraud was also arrested, on 9 October 1943. They were first deported to Berlin, then to Thuringia.
M. DUBOST: May I ask the forbearance of the Tribunal; the telegraphic style does not lend itself to interpretation, "Sent first to Berlin and then to Thuringia; women and children of M. Granger to Dachau." (I suppose that we must understand this to mean the wife of M. Granger and the nurse who accompanied her.)
THE PRESIDENT: M. Dubost, what is the document?
M. DUBOST: This is a French official telegram, You have the original before you, Mr. President, "-101-Official State Telegram Paris," typed on the text of the telegram itself.
THE PRESIDENT: Can we receive a telegram from anybody addressed to the Tribunal?
M. DUBOST: Mr. President, it is not addressed to the Tribunal; it is addressed to the French Delegation. It is an official telegram from the French Government in Paris, "Official State Paris," and it was transmitted as an official telegram.
THE PRESIDENT: What does "IMT Paris" mean?