Twentieth Day:
Friday, 14th December, 1945
[Page 407]
MAJOR WALSH: I will do so, Sir. On Page 1 of the
translation, I quote. The title: "The Warsaw Ghetto is No
More".
Permit me to read some brief excerpts of the daily teletype
reports. Page 13 of the translation, from the teletype
message of 22nd April, 1943, I read:-
[Page 408]
THE PRESIDENT: No, if you want to put them on the screen you
may do so. Perhaps it would be convenient to adjourn now and
you can put them on the screen afterwards.
(A recess was taken.)
(Still pictures were projected on the screen in the
courtroom.)
MAJOR WALSH: This first picture is shown on Page 27 of the
photographs in Document 1061-PS. It is entitled "The
Destruction of a Block of Buildings". The Court will recall
those portions of the teletype messages that referred to the
setting of fires for the purpose of driving out the Jews.
This picture, taken from the record, portrays such a scene.
[Page 409]
This picture is from Page 36 of the photographs in the
exhibit and it is called "Fighting a Nest of Resistance". It
is obviously a picture of an explosive blast being used to
destroy one of the buildings, and the Court may recall the
message of 7th May, 1943, that related to the blowing up of
buildings as a lengthy process requiring an enormous amount
of explosive. The same message reported that the best method
for destroying the Jews was the setting of fires.
This picture is taken from Page 36 of the photographs. The
Court's attention is invited to the figure of a man in mid-
air who appears in the picture about half-way between the
centre and the upper right-hand corner. He has jumped from
one of the upper floors of the burning building. A close
examination of this picture by the Court, in the original
photograph, will disclose other figures in the upper floor
windows, who apparently are about to follow him. The
teletype message of 22nd April reported that entire families
jumped from burning buildings and were liquidated at once.
This picture is from Page 39 of the photographs. It is
entitled "The Leader of the Large-Scale Action". The Nazi-
appointed commander of this action was S.S. Major General
Strupp, who probably is the central figure. I cannot refrain
from commenting at this point on the smiling faces of the
group shown there, in the midst of the violence and
destruction.
THE PRESIDENT: Are you passing from that document now?
MAJOR WALSH: Yes, sir.
THE PRESIDENT: Will you tell the Tribunal where the document
was found?
MAJOR WALSH: Where the document itself was found?
THE PRESIDENT: Found, yes.
MAJOR WALSH: It is a captured document, sir. I have not the
history, but I shall be very pleased to submit the
background and history to the Court at the beginning of the
afternoon session, sir.
THE PRESIDENT: The Tribunal, I think, would like to know
where it was found and to whom it was submitted.
MAJOR WALSH: I have it. I believe that is contained in the
document. The teletype messages, sir, that are contained in
this exhibit, were all addressed to the Higher S.S. and
Police Fuehrer, S.S. Obergruppenfeuhrer and General of the
Police Kruger or his deputy.
It was not always necessary, or perhaps desirable, to first
place the Jews within the ghettos to effect the elimination.
In the Baltic States a more direct course of action was
followed. I refer to Document L-180, now in evidence, which
is Exhibit USA 276. This is a report by S.S. Brigade Fuehrer
Stahlecker to Himmler, dated 15th October, 1941, entitled
"Action Group A", found in Himmler's private files. He
reported that 135,567 persons, nearly all Jews, were
murdered in accordance with basic orders directing the
complete annihilation of the Jews. This voluminous document
provides me with the following statement by the same S.S.
Brigade Fuehrer,
[Page 410]
I ordered the vans of group D to be camouflaged as house-
trailers by putting one set of window shutters on each
side of the small van and two on each side of the larger
vans, such as one often sees on farmhouses in the
country. The vans became so well known that not only the
authorities but also the civilian population called the
van 'death van' as soon as one of the vehicles appeared.
It is my opinion the van cannot be kept secret for any
length of time, not even camouflaged." [Page 411]
The application of gas is not usually undertaken
correctly. In order to come to an end as fast as
possible, the driver presses the accelerator to the
fullest extent. By doing that the persons to be executed
suffer death from suffocation, and not death by dozing
off as was planned. My directions now have proved that
by correct adjustment of the levers death comes faster
and the prisoners fall asleep peacefully. Distorted
faces and excretions, such as could be seen before, are
no longer noticed.
Today I shall continue my journey to group B, where I
can be reached with further news.
Signed Doctor Becker, S.S. Untersturmfuehrer."
The three S-vans which are there are not sufficient for
that purpose. I request assignment of another S-van (5
tons). At the same time I request the shipment of 20 gas
hoses for the three S-vans on hand (two Diamond, one
Saurer), since the ones we have are leaky already.
Signed: the Commandant of the Security Police and the
Security Service, Ostland." [Page 412]
MAJOR WALSH: I think, sir, that will be found in the
assembly of the document book in our case that has been
placed in front of R-124.
I quote from the letter referred to addressed to the Reich
Minister for the Occupied Eastern Territories, the first
paragraph of the translation.
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Nizkor
© The Nizkor Project, 1991-2012
This site is intended for educational purposes to teach about the Holocaust and
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(Part 3 of 9)
"For the Fuehrer and their country the following fell in
the battle for the destruction of Jews and bandits in
the former ghetto of Warsaw."
Fifteen names are thereafter listed.
"Furthermore, the Polish Police Sergeant Julian
Zielinski, born 13th November, 1891 8th Commissariat,
fell on 19th April, 1943, while fulfilling his duty.
They gave their utmost, their life. We shall never
forget them. The following were wounded."
Then follow the names of 60 Waffen S.S. personnel; 11
watchmen from training camps, probably Lithuanians; 12
Security Police Officers in S.S. units; 5 men of the Polish
Police; and 2 regular army personnel, engineers.
"The result of our setting the block on fire was that
during the night those Jews whom we had not been able to
find despite all our search operations, left their hide-
outs under the roofs, in the cellars, and elsewhere and
appeared on the outside of the buildings, trying to
escape the flames. Masses of them - entire families -
were already aflame and jumped from the windows or tried
to let themselves down by means of sheets tied together
or the like. Steps had been taken so that these Jews as
well as the remaining ones were liquidated at once."
And from Page 28 of the translation, the last part of the
first paragraph, I read:-
"When the blocks of buildings mentioned above were
destroyed, 120 Jews were caught and numerous Jews were
killed when they jumped from the attics to the inner
courtyards, trying to escape the flames. Many more Jews
perished in the flames or were killed when the dug-outs
and sewer entrances were blown up."
And on Page 30, second half of the second paragraph, I read:-
"Not until the blocks of buildings were well aflame and
were about to collapse did a further considerable number
of Jews emerge, forced to do so by the flames and the
smoke. Time and again the Jews tried to escape even
through burning buildings. Innumerable Jews whom we saw
on the roofs during the conflagration perished in the
flames. Others emerged from the upper stories in the
last possible moment
And from Page 34, the second paragraph, I read, beginning
the second line:-
"The Jews testify that they emerge at night to get fresh
air, since it is unbearable to stay permanently within
the dug-outs owing to the long duration of the
operation. On the average the raiding parties shoot 30
to 50 Jews each night. From these statements it was to
be inferred that a considerable number of Jews are still
underground in the ghetto. Today we blew up a concrete
building which we had not been able to destroy by fire.
In this operation we learned that the blowing up of a
building is a very lengthy process and takes an enormous
amount of explosives. The best and only method for
destroying the Jews therefore still remains the setting
of fires".
And from Page 35, the last part of the second paragraph, I
read
"Some depositions speak of 3,000 to 4,000 Jews still
remaining in underground holes, sewers and dug-outs. The
undersigned is resolved not to end the large-scale
operation until the last Jew has been exterminated."
And from the teletype message of 15th May, 1943 on Page 44,
we gather that the operation is in its last stage. I read
the end of the first paragraph on Page 44:-
"A special unit once more searched the last block of
buildings which was still intact in the ghetto, and
subsequently destroyed it. In the evening the chapel,
mortuary, and all other buildings in the Jewish cemetery
were blown up or destroyed by fire."
On 24th May, 1943, the final figures have been compiled by
Major General Strupp. He reports on Page 45, last paragraph:-
"Of the total of 56,065 caught, about 7,000 were killed
in the former ghetto during large-scale operation. 6,929
Jews were killed by transporting them to T. II" - which
we believe to be Trablinka [sic], Camp No. 2, which will
later be referred to - "the sum total of Jews killed is
therefore 13,929. Beyond the number Of 56,065 an
estimated number of 5,000 to 6,000 Jews were killed by
being blown up or by perishing in the flames."
The Court has noted within the report 1061-PS a number of
photographs, and with the Court's permission I should like
to show a few of these photographs, still pictures, on the
screen, unless the Court believes that reference to the
original text will be sufficient for the Court's purpose.
"To our surprise it was not easy, at first, to set in
motion an extensive pogrom against the Jews. Klimatis,
the leader of the partisan unit, mentioned above, who
was used for this purpose primarily, succeeded in
starting a pogrom on the basis of advice given to him by
a small advanced detachment acting in Kowne, and in such
a way that no German order or German instigation was
noticed from the outside. During the first pogrom in the
night from 25th to 26th June the Lithuanian partisans
did away with more than 1,500 Jews, setting fire to
several synagogues or destroying them by other means and
burning down a Jewish dwelling district consisting of
about 60 houses. During the following nights about 2,300
Jews were made harmless in a similar way..."
From the last part of Paragraph 3, Page 7, I read:-
"It was possible, though, through similar influences on
the Latvian auxiliary, to set in motion a pogrom against
the Jews also in Riga. During this pogrom all synagogues
were destroyed and about 400 Jews were killed."
Nazi ingenuity reached a new high mark with the construction
and operation of the gas van as a means of mass annihilation
of the Jews. A description of these vehicles of horror and
death, and the operation of them is fully set forth in
captured top secret document dated 16th May, 1942, addressed
to S.S. Obersturmbannfuehrer Rauff, 8 Prince Albrecht-
strasse, Berlin, from Dr. Becker, S.S. Untersturmfuehrer. I
offer this Document 501-PS as Exhibit USA 288. I quote:-
"The overhauling of vans by groups D and C is finished.
While the vans in the first series can also be put into
action if the weather is not too bad, the vans of the
second series (Saurer) stop completely in rainy weather.
If it has rained for instance for only one half hour,
the van cannot be used, because it simply skids away. It
can only be used in absolutely dry weather. It is now
merely a question of whether the van can be used only
when it stands at the place of execution. First, the van
has to be brought to that place, which is possible only
in good weather. The place of execution is usually 10 to
15 Km. away from the highway and is difficult of access
because of its location; in damp or wet weather it is
not accessible at all. If the persons to be executed are
driven or led to that place, then they realise
immediately what is going on and get restless, which is
to be avoided as far as possible. There is only one way
left; to load them at the collecting point and to drive
them to the spot.
And then I read the fourth paragraph on this page:-
"Because of the rough terrain and the indescribable road
and highway conditions, the caulkings and rivets loosen
in the course of time. I was asked if in such cases the
vans should not be brought to Berlin for
On Page 3 in Document 501-PS we find a letter signed by
Hauptsturmfuehrer Truehe on the subject of S-vans, addressed
to the Reich Security Main Office, Room 2-D-3-A, Berlin,
marked "Top Secret". This letter establishes that the vans
were used for the annihilation of the Jews. I read this "Top
Secret" message, subject: "S-vans".
"A transport of Jews, which has to be treated in a
special way, arrives weekly at the office of the
commandant of the Security Police and the Security
Service of White Ruthenia.
It would appear from the documentary evidence that a certain
amount of discord existed between the officials of the
German Government as to the proper means and methods used in
connection with the programme of extermination. A secret
report dated 18th June, 1943, addressed to defendant
Rosenberg, complained that 5,000 Jews killed by the police
and S.S. might have been used for forced labour, and chided
them for failing to bury the bodies of those liquidated. I
offer in evidence this file, Document R-135, Exhibit USA 289
"The fact that Jews receive special treatment requires
no further discussion. However, it appears hardly
believable that this was done in the way described in
the report of the General Commissioner of 1st June,
1943. Imagine only that these occurrences might become
known to the other side and be exploited by them. Most
likely such propaganda would have no effect, only
because people who hear and read about it simply would
not be ready to believe it."
The last part of Paragraph 3 on this page reads:
"To lock men, women and children into barns and to set
fire to them does not appear to be a suitable method for
combating bands, even if it is desired to exterminate
the population. This method is not worthy of the German
cause and hurts our reputation severely."