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[Note: There is no Page 2 in this
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INTRODUCTION |
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The "Einsatzgruppen Case" was
officially designated United States of America vs. Otto Ohlendorf, et al.
(Case No. 9). This trial has become known as the "Einsatzgruppen Case"
because all of the defendants were charged with criminal conduct arising out of
their functions as members of the Einsatzgruppen. The German term
"Einsatzgruppen" may be roughly translated "Special Task Forces". Four such
special units were formed in May 1941 just before the German attack on Russia,
at the direction of Hitler and Heinrich Himmler, the Reich Leader SS, and Chief
of the German Police.
The units were organized by Reinhardt Heydrich,
Chief of the Security Police and SD (Sicherheitsdienst or Security Service) and
operated under the direct control of the Reich Security Main Office (RSHA). The
personnel of the Einsatzgruppen came from the SS, the SD, the Gestapo (Secret
State Police), and other police units. The prosecution alleged that the primary
purpose of the Einsatzgruppen was to accompany the German Army into the
occupied East and to exterminate Jews, gypsies, Soviet officials, and other
elements of the civilian population regarded as "racially" inferior or
"politically undesirable". It was charged that approximately one million human
beings were victims of this program.
The Einsatzgruppen Case was tried
at the Palace of Justice in Nuernberg before Military Tribunal II-A. The
Tribunal convened 78 times, and the trial lasted approximately eight months, as
shown by the following schedule: |
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Indictment
filed |
3 July 1947 |
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Amended indictment
filed |
29 July 1947 |
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Arraignment |
15-22 September
1947 |
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Prosecution opening
statement |
29 September
1947 |
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Defense opening
statement |
6 October
1947 |
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Prosecution closing
statement |
13 February
1948 |
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Defense closing
statement |
4-12 February
1948 |
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Judgment |
8, 9 April 1948
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Sentence |
10 April
1948 |
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Affirmation of
sentences by Military Governor of the United States Zone of
Occupation |
4 and 25 March
1949 |
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The English transcript of the
Court proceedings runs to 6,895 mimeographed pages. The prosecution introduced
into evidence 253 written exhibits (some of which contained several documents),
and the defense 731 written exhibits. The Tribunal heard oral testimony of one
prosecution witness (Francois Bayle, Commander, Medical Corps of the French
Navy) who was called as a handwriting expert during the prosecution's rebuttal
case. The Tribunal heard oral testimony of 18 witnesses, not including the
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