Sixty-Fifth Day:
Friday, 22nd February, 1946
[Page 218]
. . .2. The inhabitants of the village of Audriny, in
the Rezhetz District, concealed members of the Red Army
for over one-quarter of a year, armed them, and assisted
them in every way in their anti-government activities.
As punishment I ordered the following:
That the village of Audriny be wiped from the face of the
earth."
As can be seen from a verdict of the Military Tribunal of
the Leningrad Military District, which is submitted to the
Tribunal as Exhibit USSR 91, the Hitlerites burned down, in
February, 1944 ten inhabited localities in the Dedovitch,
Pozherevitz, and Ostrov Districts.
[Page 219]
Numerous punitive detachments, acting on the orders of the
German Supreme Command, burnt down many hundreds of
inhabited localities in the Yugoslav territory.
I refer, as evidence, to the third section of the Report of
the Yugoslav State Commission for Establishment of the
Crimes of the German Invaders which has been presented to
the Tribunal as Document 36-USSR, and also to the special
Memorandum of the Yugoslav State Commission, numbered 2697
(45) and signed by Professor Nedelkovich, which I present to
the Tribunal as Exhibit USSR 309. This document is on Pages
165 and 167 of the document book.
In these documents we find a number of facts concerning the
burning and destruction of villages and hamlets by the
special punitive expeditions of the Hitlerites.
As examples the localities of Zagnezdye, Udora, Mechkovac,
Marsic, Grasniza, Rudnika, Krupnya, Rastovach, Orakh,
Grabovica, Drachic, Lozinda, and many others can be named.
These districts of Yugoslavia were completely devastated
after the Germans had been there.
I also present to the Tribunal the original copy of a notice
by the so-called Commander-in-Chief of Serbia, which I beg
the Tribunal to accept in evidence as Exhibit USSR 200. This
notice was captured by troops of the Yugoslav Army of
Liberation, which fact is duly certified by the Yugoslav
State Commission in Belgrade.
I read into the record only one paragraph:
This document indicates that in the spring of 1943 in the
territory of Zamoisky, Bilgoraisky, Kbrubeshovsky and
Krasnitzky, the Germans burned down a number of inhabited
localities; and in February, 1944, five villages were
destroyed in the Krasnitzky district, with the help of the
Air Force.
The Germans burned and razed to the ground a considerable
number of inhabited localities in Greece. As examples we
will name the settlements Amelofito, Kliston, Kizonia, Ano-
Kerzilion and Kato-Kerzilion in the Salonica district, and
the settlements of Mesovunos and Selli in the Korzani
district, and others.
I present to the Tribunal, as Exhibit USSR 103, certified
photostatic copies of three telegraphic reports of the 164th
German Infantry Division to the Chief of Staff of the 12th
Army. These reports, your Honours, are on Page 170 of your
document book.
Each of these reports consists of nine to ten lines. They
are uniform in type and standardised. But these short
official documents reveal in essence the monstrous system
generally employed by the Hitlerites in the territories
occupied by them.
I will read into the record one of these reports. I read:
Daily Report.
1. The villages of Ano-Kerzilion and Kato-Kerzilion,
which had been ascertained to be the base of a
considerable guerrilla band in this area, were razed to
the ground by the troops of the Division on 17 October.
The male inhabitants between 16 and 60 years of age -
(totalling 207 persons) - were shot, and the women and
children were evacuated to another district.
2. No other special important incidents.
[Page 220]
I should also like to refer to the official report of the
Greek Government, which is presented to the Tribunal as
Exhibit USSR 358. On Pages 39 and 40 of the report, which
correspond to Page 207 of your document book, we find
numerous facts concerning the burning and destruction of
villages on the island of Crete. Thus, the villages of
Skiki, Prassi and Kanados were completely burned down in
retaliation for the murder of some German parachutists by
the employees of the local police at the time of the attack
on the island of Crete.
Certain villages were demolished by the Germans for the sole
reason that they were in the partisans' zone of operations.
It is stated in the report that, out of 6,500 villages,
1,600 were completely or partially demolished. It should
also be noted that the Germans intentionally shelled
undefended towns and caused heavy damage to 23 Greek towns,
among which the towns of Yanina, Arta, Preveza, Tukkala,
Larissa and Canea were almost completely destroyed. This is
mentioned on Page 21 of the report of the Greek Government.
It is on Page 190 of your document book.
Your Honours, the whole world knows of the Hitlerites'
crimes at Lidice. The 10 June, 1942, was the last day of
Lidice and of its inhabitants. The fascist barbarians left
irrefutable evidence of their monstrous crime. They made a
film of the annihilation of Lidice, and we are able to show
this evidence to the Tribunal. Following an order of the
Czechoslovak Government, a special investigation was carried
out. This investigation established that the filming of the
tragedy of Lidice was entrusted by the so-called Protector
to an adviser on photography in the N.S.D.A.P., Dr. Franz
Treml, and was carried out by him in conjunction with
Miroslav Wagner.
Among the documents which we present to the Tribunal are
photographs of the operators who filmed the phases of the
destruction of Lidice.
I present these documents to the Tribunal as Exhibit USSR
370. I would like to remark, your Honours, that this film,
which is German, is a documentary film. It was filmed a few
years ago. The technical state of this reel is not very
satisfactory, and therefore when we present it, there may be
a few defects.
I beg the indulgence of the Tribunal beforehand and request
permission to show this film.
(The demonstration of the film is interrupted.)
GENERAL RAGINSKY: The film is not yet complete. This is the
defective portion to which I drew the attention of the
Tribunal.
(The demonstration of the film continues.)
What the Germans perpetrated in Lidice was repeated a short
time later in another inhabited district of Czechoslovakia,
in the village of Lezhaky.
I will refer as evidence to the Czechoslovak Government's
report, Pages 126-127. This report is presented to the Court
as Exhibit USSR 60.
This report states:
Your Honours, I have quoted above the general directives of
the criminal German Government and the German Supreme
Command concerning the destruction of inhabited centres,
industry, and means of communications in the USSR. Now I
pass on to the presentation of evidence of that destruction
which was effected in execution of these directives by the
Hitlerites everywhere on the territory of the Soviet Union
which they temporarily occupied.
I omit the evidence regarding the destruction of single
towns of the Soviet Union and pass on to the presentation of
my report beginning on Page 42.
[Page 221]
The presentation of all this documentation would seriously
delay the trial. Therefore, I consider it proper to pass on
to the presentation of the general conclusive data
established by the Extraordinary State Commission instead of
presenting separate documents.
From Exhibit USSR 35 I will read into the record only those
sections and data, which have not been read into the record
previously and only those which directly concern the subject
of my report. These extracts, your Honours, are on Pages 223-
224 of your document book. I quote:
The German fascist invaders destroyed 31,850 industrial
works which employed some 4,000,000 workers."
They used special machines for the destruction of means
of communications. Thus were put out of action twenty-
six, and partially destroyed, eight, main railway lines.
They destroyed 65,000 kilometres of rails and 500,000
kilometres of cables for automatic control systems and
railroad signals. They blew up 13,000 railway bridges,
4,100 railway stations and 1,600 water-pressure stations.
They destroyed 317 locomotive depots and 129 locomotive
and wagon repair shops, as well as railway machine works.
They destroyed, damaged or evacuated to Germany 15,800
locomotives, and diesel locomotives, and 428,000 railway
carriages.
The enemy caused great damage to the buildings,
enterprises and institutions and ships of the shipping
lines operating in the Arctic Ocean, in the White Sea,
the Baltic Sea, the Black and Caspian Seas. They sank or
partially damaged more than 1,400 passenger, cargo and
special ships.
The seaports of Sebastopol, Mariupol, Kertch,
Novorossisk, Odessa, Nikolayev, Leningrad, Murmansk,
Lepaya, Tallinn, and others, equipped with modem
technical installations, suffered greatly.
The invaders sank or captured 4,280 passenger and cargo
ships and steam tug boats of the river shipping services,
as well as 4,229 barges. They destroyed 479 harbour and
wharf installations, as well as 89 dockyards and machine
factories.
While retreating under the pressure of the Red Army,
German troops blew up and destroyed 91,000 kilometres of
highway and 90,000 road bridges, of a total length of 930
kilometres."
The documents which were read into the record and presented
to the Tribunal clearly demonstrate how the Hitlerite
conspirators in the territories seized by them in the USSR,
Yugoslavia, Poland, Czechoslovakia and Greece, trampled upon
the laws and customs of war, the fundamental principles of
criminal law and the specific provisions of Articles 46 and
50 of the Hague Convention of 1907.
[Page 222]
Finally these documents show what bestial cruelty and
mercilessness the Hitlerites practised in carrying out their
criminal plans and in reducing to dust and ashes the largest
cultural and industrial centres.
Over a wide area from the White to the Black and the Aegean
Seas, in the territory temporarily occupied by the German
troops, the Hitlerites purposely and according to plan
reduced to ruins densely populated and flourishing Russian,
Bielorussian, Yugoslavian, Greek and Czechoslovakian cities,
towns and villages.
All this was the result of the criminal activity of the
Hitlerite Government and of the German High Command, the
representatives of which are now in the dock.
In conclusion I would like, Mr. President, to present as
evidence and as Exhibit USSR 401 a documentary film
concerning the destruction perpetrated by the Germans on the
territories of the Soviet Union. Documents certifying to the
authenticity of this film are now being submitted to the
Tribunal.
(Projection of the film.)
THE PRESIDENT (after the termination of the film): We will
adjourn until 14.10 hours.
(A recess was taken.)
GENERAL RAGINSKY : Mr. President, in order to exhaust fully
the presentation of evidence in regard to the subject matter
of my report, I ask your permission to examine witness
Joseph Abgarovitch Orbeli who has been brought to the
Courthouse. Orbeli will testify in regard to the destruction
of the monuments of culture and art in Leningrad.
THE PRESIDENT: Have you any objections to make?
DR. SERVATIUS (counsel for the Leadership Corps): I would
like to ask the Court, to decide whether the witness can be
heard on this subject, whether this single piece of evidence
is relevant. Leningrad was never in German hands. Leningrad
was only fired upon with the regular combat weapons of the
troops and also attacked from the air, as is done regularly
by all the armies of the world. It must be established what
is to be proved by this witness.
THE PRESIDENT: The Tribunal considers that there is no
substance in the objection that has just been made, and we
will hear the witness.
JOSEPH ABGAROVITCH ORBELI testified as follows:
BY THE PRESIDENT:
Q. What is your name?
A. Joseph Abgarovitch Orbeli.
Q. Will you repeat the oath after me. State your name again.
A. Orbeli, Joseph.
Q. I - Orbeli, Joseph, a citizen of the Union of Soviet
Socialist Republics.
Summoned as a witness in this trial, in the presence of the
Court, promise and swear to tell the Court nothing but the
truth about everything I know in regard to this case.
(Witness repeated the oath after the President.)
THE PRESIDENT: You may sit if you wish.
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(Part 3 of 8)
[LIEUTENANT-GENERAL M. Y. RAGINSKY continues] "The Commander of the German State Security Police in
Latvia hereby announces the following:
The Hitlerites practised punitive expeditions widely in the
occupied districts of the Leningrad Region.
"The Commander-in-Chief of Serbia announces: the village
of Skela has been burned and razed to the ground."
German punitive detachments also destroyed inhabited
localities in Poland. As evidence I submit to the Tribunal
Exhibit USSR 368, which is an affidavit of the
Plenipotentiary of the Polish Government, Dr. Stefan
Kurovsky. This affidavit is an appendix to the official
report of the Polish Government and is on page 169 of your
document book.
"18 October, 1941. To the Chief of Staff of the 12th
Army, Athens.
Surely, there is no need for comment regarding this
document.
"Lezhaky, like Lidice, was totally destroyed and the
ground where it stood is now covered over with mud."
I pass on to the next section of my report, the destruction
of villages and towns, industry and transport on the
territory of the USSR.
"The German fascist invaders totally or partially
destroyed and burned 1710 towns and more than 70,000
villages and hamlets. They burned and destroyed more than
6,000,000 buildings and rendered some 25,000,000 persons
homeless. Among the destroyed towns which suffered most
are our greatest industrial and cultural centres;
Stalingrad, Leningrad, Kiev, Minsk, Odessa, Smolensk,
Novgorod, Pskov, Orel, Kharkov, Voronezh, Rostov-on-the-
Don, and many others.
I omit the end of Page 43, 44 and 45 and the beginning of
Page 46 of my report.
"The Hitlerites destroyed 36,000 postal and telegraphic
offices, telephone centres and other communication
centres. During their occupation of a part of the
territory of the Soviet Union, and especially during
their retreat, the German fascist invaders caused great
damage to the railway system, waterways and river
transport.
With this I conclude my statement, your Honours.