Book Review: Nazi War Trials by Andrew Walker

 

Andrew Walker provides a chronological account of the proceedings of the trials of the main Nazi figures. The trial was conducted in four languages and involved more than four-hundred sessions of open court. The involved Nazi figures were charged with ‘crimes against humanity’ and put on trial.

There were no precedents in international law for the trial of war criminals. The Nazis were on the losing side and were on trial. The Charter of the International Military Tribunal was signed after six weeks of legal wrangling (p. 18). Article 6 set the Tribunal’s power to try those charged with committing any of four crimes: Crimes against Peace, War Crimes, Crimes against Humanity and Engaging in a Common Plan or Conspiracy for the accomplishment of any of these.

Nuremberg was the site of the trial. The first formal session of the Tribunal took place in Berlin on 18 October 1945. French and Russians wanted the proceedings to be delayed. The American and the British camps were determined that the trial should start on time.

Jackson set out the case of the United States. For him Communists, trade unionists, figureheads in the Church and the German Jews were the first victims of Nazi concentration camps. According to him, this provided the necessary prelude to the aggression aimed at the rest of Europe. Thomas Dodd, a former member of the FBI made a presentation on the Nazi forced labor program. About 4.75 million foreign workers were forced to work in support of the German economy.

In the French case, before the outbreak of the war the French average daily consumption was 3000 calories per day. By the end of the war it had fallen to 900.  The Dutch daily consumption fell to 400 calories a day. Roman Rudenko made the opening speech for the Soviet presentation. Thousands of people were killed. On the estate of Leo Tolstoy, his books were used as firewood. When it was pointed out to the officer in charge that there were plenty of other materials to hand, he replied that he preferred the light of Russian literature (p. 67).

Details are provided the trials of Goring, Hess, Von Ribbentrop,Keitel, Kaltenbrunner, Rosenberg, Frank and Frick, Streicher and many others.  Suicide of Joseph Goebbels had deprived the court of the chance to try the leading propagandist in the Third Reich (p. 119). Goring, Frank, Frick, Streicher, Saukel, Jodl, Von Ribbentrop, Keitel, Kalten-brunner, Rosenberg, Seyss-Inqurat and the absent Bormann were sentenced to death by hanging (p. 145). Goring committed suicide after having a cyanide capsule in his mouth (p. 146).

The author of the book says that the Nuremberg Trial was a test of the ability of victorious nations to deal justly with the vanquished. Walker further adds that it proved a necessary and admirable conclusion to six years of brutal and terrible warfare (p. 152). This book shows a summary of what happened at Nuremberg between 20 November 1945, when the trial began, and 16 October 1946, when sentence was carried out on those men convicted by the tribunal (p. 12).