Fifty-Sixth Day: Monday,11th February, 1946
In his next customary speech after the defeat of Poland,
before the Reichstag on 6th October, Hitler reassured
Yugoslavia of his love of peace and of his friendly attitude
in the following words:
[Page 227]
I am now going to read into the record a few paragraphs from
sub-paragraph 2 of the first section of the report of the
Yugoslav State Commission for the Investigation of the
Crimes Perpetrated by the Aggressors.
The excerpts in question begin with paragraph 3, on Page 6
of Exhibit USSR 36, and are marked, for your convenience,
with a red line. In your document book it is Volume I,
Section I:
An official note from the Reich Government, of the same
date, reads as follows -- you will find this on Page 415 of
the document book:
In connection with to-day's adherence of Yugoslavia to
the Tripartite Pact, the German Government affirms its
resolution to respect at all times the sovereignty and
territorial integrity of Yugoslavia....
Signed, Joachim von Ribbentrop." (See Document 2450-
PS.)
Even while Hitler was speaking in this manner, the
occupation, annexation, and dismemberment of the Yugoslav
State was already taking place; soon after began the bombing
of undefended cities, towns and settlements; forcible
evictions; deportations to camps; punitive expeditions; and
hundreds of other acts that were a part of the planned
extermination of the Yugoslav people, which resulted in the
death of 1,650,000 Yugoslav men, women, and children.
On the question of the preparation for the attack on
Yugoslavia and the individuals who directly supervised this
crime, we have at our disposal two very valuable pieces of
evidence.
The first is the original affidavit of the German General
Loehr. Prior to and at the time o the aggression against
Yugoslavia, he was in command of the 4th Air Force. It was
precisely his air units which carried out the raids on
Belgrade. He is undoubtedly a man well acquainted with the
course of operations and its leaders.
On 24th May, 1945, General Loehr was taken prisoner by the
Yugoslav forces. During interrogations to which he was
subjected between 24th May and 6th June, 1945, he states
(you will find the respective excerpts on Page 416,
[Page 228]
as excerpts from our Document USSR 253. We submit the
originals of these excerpts to the Tribunal:
On the following day, 27th March, 1941, the coup d'etat
took place in Yugoslavia. I was called unexpectedly to
Berlin, where I received orders from Reichsmarshal
Goering to prepare for air operations against
Yugoslavia.
After this, preparations against Yugoslavia were begun.
At my first meeting with Goering I was not told of the
date of the war against Yugoslavia, but it was to begin
soon afterwards. At Vienna, I received a written order
in which the commencement of the operations was fixed
for 6th April."
Friedrich Paulus was interrogated on 12th January, 1946, by
the chief prosecutors of the U.S.S.R. His testimony is
registered with us as Exhibit USSR 182. You will find the
passage quoted on Page 419 of your document book. My
colleagues of the Soviet Delegation will probably revert to
this document when dealing with subsequent matters. I shall
therefore merely quote that part which refers to the
preparation for the attack on Yugoslavia.
COL. POKROVSKY: Yes.
THE PRESIDENT: The official document of your Government. The
other interrogatory to which you refer, of Field Marshal
Paulus, is not an official document, is it?
COL. POKROVSKY: The minutes of the interrogation of Field
Marshal Paulus have been compiled in compliance with all
legal standards of procedure applying to such interrogations
by judicial organisations in the U.S.S.R. He is
interrogated as a witness with the warning that he must tell
the truth, in accordance with Articles 95 and 92 of our
penal code. These documents, in the U.S.S.R., are considered
as absolutely official documents, of full probative value,
to be submitted to the Tribunal when necessary.
THE PRESIDENT: Could you tell us where the interrogatory was
made?
COL. POKROVSKY: Paulus was interrogated in person in Moscow,
on 12th January, 1946. This, Sir, must have been pointed out
at the beginning of the interrogation.
THE PRESIDENT: The date is on the document, but not the
place. Go on, Colonel.
COL. POKROVSKY: With your permission, I shall continue my
quotation from the minutes of the interrogation of Field
Marshal Paulus, submitted to you:
[Page 229]
With the defeat of Yugoslavia, the right flank, which
was to be formed at the commencement of military
operations against Russia, was secured."
Your task is to go to Vienna immediately in my special
train, and to transmit the orders and explain the
situation to Field Marshal List (12th Army Group),
General Von Kleist (Armoured Group), and Colonel Von
Witzleben (Chief of Staff of the 2nd Army), who have
been called there.
From Vienna, you are to proceed to Budapest and there
to co-ordinate with the Hungarian General Staff the
strategic employment of the German forces on Hungarian
territory, and the participation of the Hungarian
forces in the invasion of Yugoslavia.'" [
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(Part 3 of 14)
[COLONEL POKROVSKY continues] "After the annexation had taken place, I assured
Yugoslavia as before that her frontier with this
country shall be regarded as inviolable by Germany from
this moment on, and that we want to live in peace and
friendship with her."
"Thus, Hitler regularly gave assurances about friendly
relations with Yugoslavia and about the inviolability
of her boundaries while, at the same time, his band of
conspirators and enslavers were already tightening the
ring of war around Yugoslavia. When Yugoslavia was
completely surrounded by Hitler's armoured divisions,
and when the Government of the Centralist Fifth Column
of Prince Paul, Cvetcovic, and Macek was ready to join
the Tripartite Pact on 25th March, 1941, i.e., 10 days
before the attack on Yugoslavia, the defendant
Ribbentrop stated as follows" -- on Page 413 of your
document book you will find Document 2450-PS: "Germany
herself -- and I solemnly state this -- has neither
territorial nor political interests in this region."
The Tribunal has already been handed a certified extract
from Document 72 of the above-mentioned German book.
"M. Prime Minister: On behalf and on the direction of
the German Government, I have the honor to report to
Your Excellency as follows:
The culminating point in the execution of the breach of
faith so cunningly prepared by the Fascists is the following
statement made by Hitler on 6th April, 1941, that is, at the
moment when the perfidious and treacherous attack on
Yugoslavia had already begun. It is under Document 92-TC --
in your book of documents, on Page 414.
"The German people feel no hatred towards the Serbian
people. Above all, the German people see no reason to
start a war against the Croats and Slovenes; they want
nothing from them."
Certified excerpts have been handed to the Tribunal from the
documents of the German book already quoted on Pages 1 and
4.
"I and my staff went on March 26 to Sofia, as the
campaign against Greece was about to begin.
Passing over the rest of the statement, I proceed to read
into the record excerpts from the minutes of the
interrogation of the former Field Marshal of the German
Army, Friedrich Paulus. In accordance with the wish of the
Tribunal, we submit the original of this interrogation.
"It was clear to both German and Hungarian officers
that these military preparations must have been based
on the preparation of military collaboration between
Germany and Hungary."
THE PRESIDENT: Colonel Pokrovsky, the Tribunal understand
that the first interrogatory to which you refer -- General
Loehr's -- which is contained in Exhibit USSR 253, is an
official document?
"It was clear to the Hungarians that Germany's
assistance was in order to prepare the Hungarian Army
purposely and in advance for future combined military
operations, thus incorporating an ally into its ranks.
With the attack on Yugoslavia, which followed this,
there was no need for special explanations as to the
object of these military preparations.
It was clear that Armed Forces were being made ready
for war with the U.S.S.R., as the attack on Yugoslavia
was part of the operational plan for the attack on the
U.S.S.R.
I shall leave out one paragraph which deals with another
subject . and continue to quote:
"The preparation of the combined German-Hungarian
attack on Yugoslavia was entrusted to me. On 27th or
28th March, 1941, I was called before Hitler at the
Reich Chancellery where, besides Hitler, were present
Keitel, Jodl, Halder and Brauchitsch. Halder met me
with the following words: `The Fuehrer has decided to
attack Yugoslavia in order to eliminate the threat to
the flank during the offensive against Greece and to
seize the main Belgrade-Nish railway line which runs in
a southerly direction; but the main objective of the
attack on Yugoslavia is to have our right flank secure
when, later on, the `Barbarossa' plan is to be carried
out.
The participation of Hitlerite generals of the very highest
rank in the treacherous attack on Yugoslavia simply does not
fit, in any way at all, into the execution of purely
military tasks only.