I never really got to know him very well during the few months before he was released, commented Prestianni, but at one time he tried to teach me an intricate German card game, but I never could catch on to it. I had a chance to meet Mr. Christian Delage at a workshop on the . Does anyone know where I can read about the nuremberg trials from the guards perspective? [207][208] In a 1946 poll, 78 percent of Germans assessed the trial as fair, but four years later that had fallen to 38 percent, with 30 percent considering it unfair. It was only sometime later that I realized in retrospect that I had become part of history, Prestianni said. On October 15, 1946, guards and prisoners listened to the pounding of the gallows being constructed. He was good, real sharp, Prestianni related. The Russians always were a problem and only cooperated with the other countries about 10 percent of the time. The duty roster for guards was revised daily in an attempt to prevent the development of unauthorized relationships with prisoners. [6] The Soviet Union wanted to hold a show trial similar to the 1930s Moscow trials, in order to demonstrate the Nazi leaders' guilt and build a case for war reparations to rebuild the Soviet economy, which had been devastated by the war. Nuremberg Trials: A warning to war criminals - DW - 11/20/2020 Pre-war president of the. [238][239] The Palace of Justice houses a museum on the trial and the courtroom became a tourist attraction, drawing 13,138 visitors in 2005. On the night he was to be hanged, Streicher gave Prestianni a signed, handwritten note after supper. At the wars end, he was assigned to the guard detail at Nuremburg. At the time, I saw these men only as individual prisoners, guilty of unknown crimes. Gring was the acknowledged leader among the prisoners. The Nuremberg Trials ended on October 1, 1946. 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. How The Nuremberg Trials Attempted To Punish The Nazis For The Were the Nuremberg trials fair? : r/AskHistory jkeller, Aug 11, 2010 #16. macrusk Proud Daughter of a Canadian WWII Veteran. 'I knew my father would be hanged': Remembering Nuremberg Immediately following the end of the IMT, the American military government held twelve more war crimes trials in Nuremberg. [171] Only eight defendants were convicted on that charge; all of whom were also found guilty of crimes against peace. The Nuremberg Trials - United States Holocaust Memorial Museum Most certainly. During his service in Korea, Prestianni was wounded twice and decorated for valor numerous times. [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. During our conversations, he often asked questions about the United States, a subject in which he appeared to be quite interested, Prestianni added. Streicher, sentenced to death, was perhaps the most despised prisoner of all due to his complete obsession with sex. Boy I wish I asked more questions of the trials. [95][96] As Jackson made clear, the purpose of the trial was not just to convict the defendants but also to assemble irrefutable evidence of Nazi crimes, establish individual responsibility and the crime of aggression in international law, offer a history lesson to the defeated Germans, delegitimize the traditional German elite,[97] and allow the Allies to distance themselves from appeasement. [228] The most controversial charge was crimes against peace. However, fraternization did occur on a regular basis and, for the most part, went unpunished by the prison administration. Call us at (425) 485-6059. We needled him by saying his girls wanted to abandon the Fatherland, marry Americans, and emigrate to the United States.. He promoted an intentionalist view of the Nazi state and its overall conspiracy to commit all of the crimes mentioned in the indictment. Emilio DiPalma (right) stands on guard at the Nuremberg Trials in 1945. Keitel was one of ten defendants hanged in the Palace of Justice in the early morning hours of October 16, 1946. Number 5 was Albert Speer, Hitlers personal architect and confidant. Before his execution, he aligned himself with Jodl and, to a lesser extent, Raeder and Dnitz, the military clique. Number 3 was Konstantin von Neurath, a former high-ranking politician. There was no physical contact, and all conversation via microphone was closely monitored by a guard standing behind each prisoner. [49][48] The French government tried to appoint staff who were not tainted by collaboration with the Vichy regime; some appointments were of those who had been in the French resistance. 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. my father david c bergeron was a 1st LT with the guards at the war trials. I have searched photos of the trials to see if I could find my dad. My father was also a guard, but he said he always was on the outside guarding. Hello everybody, this morning ended an auction on ebay of a Nuremberg Trials Guard uniform and I would hear your thoughts about the patch - especially of the scale on the patch because the right bowl has three strings and the left one has two strings.The Nuremberg Trial patches were German made ( Bullions) and all of . I tried to treat each prisoner without rancor.. My father Ed Rossi was also a guard at the Nuremberg trials. The following is a brief . I asked him why that necessitated the killing of people to achieve this so-called needed land, especially the people of Poland. [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. The tribunal consisted of a member plus an alternate selected by each of the four signatory countries. Twelve sets of trials, involving over a hundred defendants and several different courts, took place in Nuremberg from 1945 to 1949. [48] The French judges were Henri Donnedieu de Vabres, a professor of criminal law, and alternate Robert Falco, who had represented France at the London Conference. Other than that, Hess had no social interaction with the other prisoners. [115], From 17 January to 7 February 1946, France presented its charges and supporting evidence. God have mercy on my soul. [92], The International Military Tribunal began trial on 20 November 1945,[93] after postponement requests from the Soviet prosecution, who wanted more time to prepare its case, were rejected. My father Paul Davis Smith served at a guard at Nuremberg though he never really talked much about it so I dont know in what capacity. [169][170] The judges did not agree that the conspiracy extended to anyone who participated in the affairs of the Nazi government, only taking being present at the high-level meetings discussing war plans in 1937 and 1939 as evidence of belonging to the conspiracy. During the dead of winter, cell temperatures constantly hovered near freezing, partially due to severe coal shortages throughout most of Germany, and some prisoners were relegated to wearing stockings as gloves and wrapping their feet in underwear or any other available cloth to keep warm. The . Prestianni, the guard contingent, and supervisors under the command of Colonel B.C. Most of the time the prison was dank, uncomfortably cold, and forbidding, especially during the winter months. Even before this decision, around 1,000 former Latvian Legion soldiers had served as guards at the Nuremberg trials, guarding Nazi war criminals. The crew (left to right) Private (1st Class) Carl E McCray (Salem, Va.) and Sergeant E Wilson (Texas.)'. Koch was later tried at Buchenwald and sentenced to life imprisonment. Jobs People Learning . But Woods, an almost charmingly hapless man with a checkered. Answer (1 of 3): Yes, he was a German lawyer named Otto Stahmer from Kiel. [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. After one of those accused, Robert Ley, former director of the nations Labor Front, hanged himself from a drain pipe with a torn towel, prisoners were kept under constant visual surveillance by guards, and while sleeping were forced to do so with their faces and hands exposed above their blankets at all times. After 216 court sessions, on October 1, 1946, the verdict on 22 of the original 24 defendants was handed down. It was in my family until the early 2000s. The prisoners were restricted to groups of six to eight, which were strictly segregated from one another. Until the end of the negotiations, it was not clear that any trial would be held at all, due to acrimonious disputes over fundamental matters; the American delegation threatened to walk out. My mothers cousin was a WAC serving in England during WW2. I need your: The priest was most likely the Nrnberg prisons Lutheran chaplain, Henry F. Gerecke. 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.. The Nuremberg Trials: Table of Contents | Indictments | Defendants & Verdicts Click Left/Right to Scroll American guards maintain constant surveillance over Nazi war criminals in the Nuremberg prison. Waffen-SS Soldiers Guard the Nuremberg Trials [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. [205] Where the prosecution was disappointed by some of the verdicts, the defense could take satisfaction. Two of the six were acquitted, two given prison terms and two sentenced to death. His name was Raymond J Arsenault. Joined: Oct 14, 2007 Messages: 2,804 6731 Whittier Avenue, Suite C-100 McLean, VA 22101, Stay up to date with all of our latest news, Former field marshal Keitel, another prisoner who was eventually executed, gradually alienated himself from the other prisoners. During watch on one bitter cold night, Prestianni contracted pneumonia and collapsed, unconscious. Michael Prestianni served as a guard at Nuremberg as high-ranking Nazis stood trial for their lives. List of defendants at the International Military Tribunal 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. Ten of those men would be hung 16 days later. [194] Luftwaffe general Erhard Milch was tried for using slave labor and deporting civilians. He maintained an air of superiority toward Dnitz, considering him still a subordinate officer. [120] Ultimately, the French prosecution was unable to convince the court that Germanization was a crime against humanity, and incidents such as the German annexation of AlsaceLorraine went unmentioned in the final verdict. [40] Each state appointed a prosecution team and two judges, one being an alternate. Nuremberg Trials patch ? - ARMY AND USAAF - U.S. Militaria Forum He looked like a gaunt corpse, like a ghost. The note said, To a good man in remembrance of my going forth to death., Prestianni said, I have no idea why he gave it to me. [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 International Military Tribunal (IMT) delivered its judgment against the Nazi leaders on September 30 and October 1, 1946. In rendering these decisions, the tribunal rejected the major defenses offered by the defendants. Colonels from all four countries were running around trying to determine how it happened.. Michael R. Prestianni of Framingham, Massachusetts, who later survived months of combat in Korea. Nuremberg: The Nazis Facing Their Crimes - amazon.com [20][21] The offenses that would be prosecuted were crimes against peace, crimes against humanity, and war crimes. While they walked, the prisoners were separated by a prescribed number of yards. [231], The International Military Tribunal for the Far East (Tokyo Trial) borrowed many of its ideas from the IMT, including all four charges. Although controversial at the time for their use of ex post facto law, the trials' innovation of holding individuals responsible for violations of international law established international criminal law. He reportedly carried a whip during liaisons with numerous women. The verdict was drafted by British alternate judge Norman Birkett. Ten of them Hans Frank, Wilhelm Frick, Julius Streicher, Alfred Rosenberg, Ernst Kaltenbrunner, Joachim von Ribbentrop, Fritz Sauckel, Alfred Jodl, Wilhelm Keitel, and Arthur Seyss-Inquart were hanged on October 16, 1946. Staff Sgt. 10 issued by the Joint Chiefs of Staff. The British worked on putting together the aggressive war charge; the French and Soviet delegations were assigned the task of covering crimes against humanity and war crimes committed on the Western Front and the Eastern Front, respectively. Female Nazi war criminals - Capital Punishment U.K He guarded Goehring. I did nothing to be here, he stated. Among those brought to trial were. To move from one corridor to another, guards carried different colored passes. 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. [202] All four powers later fought independence movements using methods that had been ruled illegal at Nuremberg. U.S. veteran Gerald M. Boe, the guard for Hermann Gring during the Nuremberg Trials, shares his memories of that time. Sixteen of these captives were guarded by Pfc. Our editors will review what youve submitted and determine whether to revise the article. [198] The trials targeted 177 defendants and obtained 142 convictions, including 25 death sentences;[199] the severity of sentencing was related to the defendant's proximity to mass murder. [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. But, he gave us no problem and I found him engaging to talk to and an excellent checkers player.. [1] The defendants included some of the most famous Nazis, including Hermann Gring, Rudolf Hess, Joachim von Ribbentrop, and Wilhelm Keitel. These were the intellectuals; the ramrod-stiff military officers; the cunning politicians; the worlds 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 lackeys; and even their self-appointed leader, a bloated, drug-addicted former war hero. [188] The Office of Chief Counsel for War Crimes identified 2,500 major war criminals, of whom 177 were tried. Nuremberg was first and foremost theater to lay bare the crimes of the Nazi regime for the general public, and symbolically prosecute one leading member of the regime for a particular segment (the Army, the Navy, the SS, the Ministry of Propaganda etc). [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). He would just lie on his bed staring at the ceiling with expressionless, sunken eyes and fallow, sort of ashen, death-like skin. FRD provides custom research services to federal agencies, the District of Columbia government, and authorized federal contractors. The Subsequent Nuremberg Trials tried major war criminals, but of lower ranks than those tried in the first trial. 18008 Bothell Everett Hwy SE # F, Bothell, WA 98012. The small letters, tav, shin, and zayin in the list of Haman's ten sons (Esther 9), with the combined numerical value of 707, are seen as a "prophetic" code hinting to the future hanging of the ten Nazis convicted at the Nuremberg trials in the year 5707, which Julius Streicher declared as "Purimfest 1946" before he was hanged. Seven others, over time, were reduced by lengthy prison sentences to hollow, shuffling shadows of their former selves. list of guards at nuremberg trialsdelpark homes sutton list of guards at nuremberg trials. Hermann Gring's Guard on His Suicide at Nuremberg Trials - Witnify Came back to the States in Jun 46. [116] In contrast to the other prosecution teams, the French prosecution emphasized how Nazi ideology and pan-Germanism had led to the Nazis' crimes, and delved into the Sonderweg theory of Germany's development in the nineteenth century. [79] Initially, the Americans had planned to try fourteen organizations and their leaders, but this was narrowed to six: the Reich Cabinet, the Leadership Corps of the Nazi Party, the Gestapo, the SA, the SS and the SD, and the General Staff and High Command of the Wehrmacht. Your Moms birthday and maiden name. The Nazis constructed 20 main concentration camps in Germany, France, the Netherlands, Poland, Estonia, and Lithuania. I inherited all of it. The night Gring pulled that off on October 16, 1946, now that was quite a night, he recalled. I never heard him speak, Prestianni remembered. He was made an MP after the war William A Shoemaker from North Carolina. The first, held by an international tribunal (American, British, French, and Russian), was the "War. Three others were acquitted. The BOTCHED Executions Of The Nuremberg Trials - YouTube The whole focus was on keeping the prisoners under surveillance through the opening in the cell doors, Prestianni said. Emilio "Leo" DiPalma, a World War II veteran and a guard for some of the most notorious Nazi prisoners during the Nuremberg trials, died Wednesday along with several other veterans who. He greeted me in the morning and that was about it. Soldiers in tank stand guard in front of the Palace of Justice in Nuremberg where the International Military Tribunal . He was able to get to get the Hitler peoples autographs. [222] By the late 1950s, the West German consensus on release began to erode, due to greater openness in political culture and new revelations of Nazi criminality, including the first trials of Nazi perpetrators in West German courts. All of those with whom I came in contact spoke flawless English, he remembered. [135] The Soviet Union also called two Holocaust survivors as witnesses, Samuel Rajzmana Treblinka survivorand poet Abraham Sutzkever, who eloquently described the murder of tens of thousands of Jews from Vilna, although their testimony did not directly incriminate any of the defendants. [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. They wanted to run the whole show. [124] Paulus incriminated his former associates, pointing to Keitel, Jodl, and Gring as the defendants most responsible for the war. Did Hermann Gring have a defense attorney during the Nuremberg Trials Cell doors were never opened when food was distributed. [208][209] Many Germans lumped criminal trials with denazification, internment, and confrontation with the concentration camps, as illegitimate victor's justice and the imposition of collective guilt. [22][23] War crimes already existed in international law as criminal violations of the laws and customs of war. The Nuremberg Military Tribunals and "American Justice" Nuremberg - Transcript Viewer - Transcript for NMT 4: Pohl Case The British government was still opposed, unable to see the benefit of such a trial and preferring summary execution of Nazi leaders. So the court then allowed him to choose any lawyer he wanted and Stahmer was his pick. 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. [46] The British chief prosecutor was Hartley Shawcross, assisted by David Maxwell Fyfe, who had been the attorney general in Churchill's government. Twelve paid with their lives. 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. Guards were under strict orders never to respond to verbal abuse by prisoners, no matter how hateful it might be. [139] Some defendants denied their involvement in, or knowledge of, certain crimes,[140] even resorting to implausible lies. The trial, which had lasted nearly 10. Nuremberg Trials: What Happened When Nazis Faced Justice? - Forces Network Their voices speak directly to the reader and reflect upon the meaning of justice in the post . It was a very old, ancient, almost primitive prison, Prestianni recalls. The Nuernberg trial records include transcripts of proceedings . These sketches were given to guards who requested them and to prison officials. 23rd September 2021 at 5:18pm. All female prisoners were segregated on a third tier. Waffen-SS Soldiers Guarded the Nuremberg Trials - VikingLifeBlog None outwardly felt they had done anything to warrant being in prison.. 1. Three of the defendants were acquitted: Hjalmar Schacht, Franz von Papen, and Hans Fritzsche. An accomplished horseman, Streicher continued to wear high leather boots and riding britches during his confinement. At least 30,000 women died here. Did guards favor some prisoners over others? Series of military trials at the end of World War II, This article is about the series of international trials. By. [212], The German churches, both Catholic and Protestant, were vociferous proponents of amnesty,[213] which had cross-party support in West Germany, which was established in 1949.