|
|
2 Jan. 46
in detail with the two Kreisleiter
concerned. The couriers, who were in most cases SS officers, usually
SS Untersturmführer, gave me terse and strict orders to read and
initial. The orders threatened me with the most terrible punishment,
including execution, if I did not comply with them. However, I could
always excuse my failure to execute the plan because of bad flying
weather and lack of gasoline and bombs. Therefore, Kaltenbrunner
ordered that the Jews in Landsberg be marched to Dachau in order to
include them in the Dachau extermination operations, and that the Mühldorf
action was to be carried out by the Gestapo.
"Kaltenbrunner also ordered an operation 'Wolkenbrand' for the
Concentration Camp Dachau, which provided that the inmates of the
concentration camp at Dachau were to be liquidated by poison with the
exception of Aryan nationals of the Western Powers.
"Gauleiter Giesler received this order direct from Kaltenbrunner
and discussed in my presence the procurement of the required amounts
of poison with Dr. Harrfeld, the Gau health chief. Dr. Harrfeld
promised to procure these quantities when ordered and was advised to
await my further directions. As I was determined to prevent the
execution of this plan in any event, I gave no further instructions to
Dr. Harrfeld.
"The inmates of Landsberg had hardly been delivered at Dachau
when Kaltenbrunner sent a courier declaring the Action Wolkenbrand was
operational.
"I prevented the execution of the 'Wolke A-V and 'Wolkenbrand'
by giving Giesler the reason that the front was too close and asked
him to transmit this on to Kaltenbrunner.
"Kaltenbrunner therefore issued' directives in writing to Dachau
to transport all Western European prisoners by truck to Switzerland
and to march the remaining inmates into Tyrol, where the final
liquidation of these prisoners was to take place without fail."
THE PRESIDENT: The Court will adjourn now.
[The Tribunal adjourned until 3 January
1946 at 1000 hours.]
307
|