[86] Overall, the prosecution called 37 witnesses compared to the defense's 83, not including 19 defendants who testified on their own behalf. [56][57] After this division of formulating the charges, the British and American delegations decided to work jointly in drafting the charges of conspiracy to wage aggressive war. [163] Contrary to the prosecution, the verdict dated the planning of aggression to the 1937 Hossbach Memorandum and not to the founding of the Nazi Party. Per newspaper accounts of the scene, when the inmates heard the news they "shouted with joy" and "chattering excitedly, hastily shed the red . [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. I had a chance to meet Mr. Christian Delage at a workshop on the . [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. These visits usually were brief, and participants were separated by a screen. [153] Midway through the trial, Winston Churchill's Iron Curtain speech denouncing the Soviet threat delighted the defense. [67] Also prosecuted were leaders of the German economy, such as Gustav Krupp (of the conglomerate Krupp AG), former Reichsbank president Hjalmar Schacht, and economic planners Albert Speer and Walther Funk, along with Speer's subordinate and head of the forced labor program, Fritz Sauckel. [234][235] Further developments in international criminal law in the aftermath of the trials included the Genocide Convention (1948) and the Fourth Geneva Convention (1949). 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. The Nrnberg trials began on November 20, 1945. Twelve further trials were conducted by the United States against lower-level perpetrators, which focused more on the Holocaust. Only Speer stood in the courtroom showing some remorse and, in an act of contrition, admitted his guilt and knowledge of the camps. On occasion, guards assigned to courtroom duty asked for reassignment as they became emotionally and physically sickened by the film evidence of war crimes that was presented. The Nuremberg Trials: Complete Tribunal Proceedings (V. 4): Trial Proceedings From 17th December 1945 to 8th January 1946 by International Military Tribunal (shelved 1 time as nuremberg-trial) avg rating 0.0 0 ratings published Want to Read Rate this book 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars The Nuremberg trials were held by the Allies against representatives of the defeated Nazi Germany, for plotting and carrying out invasions of other countries, and other crimes, in World War II. 18008 Bothell Everett Hwy SE # F, Bothell, WA 98012. These women prisoners constantly did anything they could to get a guard in trouble or disciplined.. Prestianni said of von Neurath, He looked like the movie version of a Prussian general with his mop of white hair and erect bearing. The Nuremberg Trials After the war, the top surviving German leaders were tried for Nazi Germany's crimes, including the crimes of the Holocaust. 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. Master Sgt. My mother had pointed his photo out to me on several occasions but I was too young to remember. Updates? Considered by some as the most intelligent and talented prisoner, he was the quintessential gentleman. [130] The defense presented evidence of Soviet responsibility,[131] and Katyn was not mentioned in the verdict. They were told they would be part of history. [60] Conspiracy charges were especially central to the cases against propagandists and industrialists; the former were charged with providing the ideological justification for war and other crimes, while the latter were accused of economic mobilization without which no war would have been possible. [141] The defendants tried to blame their crimes on Hitler, who was mentioned 1,200 times during the trialmore than the top five defendants combined. After encountering a you tube video by accident I have a different answer. Twelve of the defendants would be sentenced to death. , That used to shut him up but usually only for a few minutes, and then he would start up again with the jokes. I inherited all of it. Verdicts were handed down on October 1, 1946. At the time, I saw these men only as individual prisoners, guilty of unknown crimes. That was until he took his own life by biting down on a cyanide capsule a few hours before he was scheduled to be hanged., Prestianni remembered vividly the night of the executions and Grings suicide. The Nazi war criminal, Arthur Seyss-Inquart, after execution at Nuremberg. The verdict was drafted by British alternate judge Norman Birkett. [159] During the closing statements, most defendants disappointed the judges by their lies and denial. Today, he carries on his World War II and Korean War heritage in various veterans organizations. [205] Where the prosecution was disappointed by some of the verdicts, the defense could take satisfaction. [67] Former Nazis were allowed to serve as counsel[45] and by mid-November all defendants had lawyers. [197] The trials heard 1,300 witnesses, entered more than 30,000 documents into evidence, and generated 132,855 pages of transcripts, with the judgements themselves totaling 3,828 pages. For the subsequent trials held by the United States, see, "International Military Tribunal" redirects here. Most certainly. Michael R. Prestianni of Framingham, Massachusetts, who later survived months of combat in Korea. Dnitz, who was named successor to Hitler during the waning days of the war and served 10 years in prison, remained aloof. Twelve sets of trials, involving over a hundred defendants and several different courts, took place in Nuremberg from 1945 to 1949. If an organization was found to be criminal, the prosecution could bring individuals to trial for having been members, and the criminal nature of the group or organization could no longer be questioned. The defendants included some of the most famous Nazis, including Hermann Gring, Rudolf Hess, Joachim von Ribbentrop, and Wilhelm Keitel. The photograph shows some of the security measures taken at the Nuremberg War Crimes Trials. The trials were not fair, though not in the way you are suggesting. These sketches were given to guards who requested them and to prison officials. my father david c bergeron was a 1st LT with the guards at the war trials. Does anyone know where I can read about the nuremberg trials from the guards perspective? Those men who liberated the camps of the Holocau. 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. Prestianni also favorably related to Ernst Kaltenbrunner, the notorious chief of Germanys security police and a behind-the-scenes prime mover at the January 1942 Wannsee Conference where the proposed extermination of Jewry in central Europe was discussed by top Nazis. [143] Although a few defense lawyers inverted the arguments of the prosecution to assert that the Germans' authoritarian mindset and obedience to the state exonerated them from any personal guilt, most rejected such arguments. I have searched photos of the trials to see if I could find my dad. Between 1939 and 1945, Nazi Germany waged war across Europe, invading Czechoslovakia, Poland, the Low Countries, France, Denmark, Norway, Yugoslavia, Greece, and the Soviet Union, among others. Prestiannis assignment was over, and he was transferred to guard duty at a POW compound at Bamberg, Germany. I wish peace to the world. List of Judges Francis Biddle (American) John J Parker (American) Edward Francis Carter (American) Colonel Sir Geoffrey Lawrence, Lord Justice (British, President of the Tribunal) Sir Norman Birkett (British) Henri Donnedieu de Vabres (French) Robert Falco (French) Major General Iona Nikitchenko (Soviet) 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. I would have kept my distance from them.. Somewhat regularly, cellblock guards also pulled duty patrolling the parapet-style walls 50 feet above the cellblock and the courtyard, where observation of strolling prisoners below could be maintained. Former field marshal Keitel, another prisoner who was eventually executed, gradually alienated himself from the other prisoners. [54] The Soviet judges and prosecutors were not permitted to make any major decisions without consulting a commission in Moscow led by Soviet politician Andrei Vyshinsky; the resulting delays hampered the Soviet effort to set the agenda. It would be so greatly appreciated. He argued that Germans needed Lebensraum (living space) and that they were looking only for land expansion. [6][7] Trainin's ideas were reprinted in the West and widely adopted. Without fanfare or advance warning, on July 18, 1947, the remaining prisoners at Nuremberg were told to assemble their meager belongings. After the war, she and other WACS were asked to stay for the Nuremburg trials to serve as stenographers . [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, due to rivalries and animosity toward each other during their glory years, most adhered to this policy and opted to walk, stand, or sit alone, not engaged in conversations to any degree. False accusations of rape, abuse, or other misconduct by guards were commonplace. Their voices speak directly to the reader and reflect upon the meaning of justice in the post . [115], From 17 January to 7 February 1946, France presented its charges and supporting evidence. [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. Their trial was held before an International Military Tribunal (IMT) in Nuremberg, Germany. [139] Some defendants denied their involvement in, or knowledge of, certain crimes,[140] even resorting to implausible lies. These parapets included watchtowers at the four corners equipped with telephones to contact or summon supervising sergeants or lieutenants, who were constantly on call to resolve problems that might develop. Long live Germany.. Read about WWII here. Michael Prestianni served as a guard at Nuremberg as high-ranking Nazis stood trial for their lives. Number 2 was given to Karl Dnitz, former grand admiral of the German Navy. They wanted to run the whole show. [14][15] The exact form that retribution would take was left unresolved at the Yalta Conference in February 1945. [61], The problem of translating the indictment and evidence into the three official languages of the tribunal, as well as German, was severe due to the scale of the task and difficulty in recruiting interpreters, especially in the Soviet Union. [211] The educational purpose of the Nuremberg Military Tribunals was a failure, in part because of the resistance to war crimes trials in German society, but also because of the United States Army's refusal to publish the trial record in German for fear it would undermine the fight against communism. Everyone within hearing distance knew what the hammering signified. [171] Only eight defendants were convicted on that charge; all of whom were also found guilty of crimes against peace. They, as a group, had no problem with their guilt. In an attempt to further depersonalize them, prisoners were designated by numbers rather than by their familial surnames. was on Court room duty. The tribunal responded that such acts had been regarded as criminal prior to World War II. 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. Attitudes toward certain prisoners were determined by the prisoners themselves, their demeanor in captivity, and their personality traits and attitudes toward their American, British, or French guards. After trial, incarcerated at. John C. Woods, hangman at Nuremberg Anyone else might have been embarrassed about botching such a high-level execution. Prestianni particularly liked Speer, Hitlers architect and the designer of many of Berlins most spectacular buildings and later minister of armament and munitions. They just never admitted to it. Colonels from all four countries were running around trying to determine how it happened.. Subsequent Nuremberg Trials (December 1946 - April 1949) She was given the nickname "Bloody Brigette" by the camp . [127] Evidence was presented on the murder of children, attempts to cover up atrocities,[128] systematic plunder of occupied territories, and confiscation or destruction of cultural heritage. They were not to be shown disrespect. Noticeable dislike existed between the prisoners and most of their Soviet guards. [126] Lev Smirnov presented evidence on the Lidice massacre in Czechoslovakia, adding that such destruction of villages had occurred throughout eastern Europe. Even before this decision, around 1,000 former Latvian Legion soldiers had served as guards at the Nuremberg trials, guarding Nazi war criminals. My mothers cousin was a WAC serving in England during WW2. Also represented were some leaders of the German economy, such as Gustav Krupp (of the conglomerate Krupp AG) and former Reichsbank president Hjalmar Schacht.[2]. [188] The Office of Chief Counsel for War Crimes identified 2,500 major war criminals, of whom 177 were tried. Joachim von Ribbentrop's body after his execution. One was sentenced in absentia. The intentionally weakened table and chair, Prestianni said, prevented possible suicide attempts by hanging. 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. He was a physical fitness fanatic who threw his cell window open in mid-winter and splashed toilet water over his bare chest and then did pushups, before meals, after meals, most any time, over and over. He promoted an intentionalist view of the Nazi state and its overall conspiracy to commit all of the crimes mentioned in the indictment. [217][218] The last prisoner was released in 1958. He had actually tried to usurp Hitlers authority during the last days of the Reich but remained an ardent supporter of the Nazi regime during the trial, often proving himself a skilled debater. [99] According to historian Kim Christian Priemel, the conspiracy charge "invited apologetic interpretations: narratives of absolute, totalitarian dictatorship, run by society's lunatic fringe, of which the Germans had been the first victims rather than agents, collaborators, and fellow travellers". [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". All female prisoners were segregated on a third tier. Upon arriving in the European Theater, Prestianni, a replacement, found himself in the U.S. 1st Infantry Division. BAY CITY . 56 high-ranking SS and other police officers, including 24 leaders of the Einsatzgruppen (mobile killing units) and key officials in Heinrich Himmler's .