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Volume IV · Page 529
[senti…] ment and from one's own human ideas. If they are enemies and if they are equal enemies the question would have to be discussed whether one to 116 is a justified ratio of retaliation." |
| The defendant Blobel, like every other
defendant, has been given every opportunity to defend himself against the
serious charges advanced by the prosecution. The Tribunal finds from all the evidence in the case that the defendant is guilty under counts one and two of the indictment. The Tribunal also finds that the defendant was a member of the criminal organizations SS and SD under the conditions defined by the judgment of the International Military Tribunal and is, therefore, guilty under count three of the indictment. |
| WALTER BLUME |
| SS Colonel Blume obtained his Doctor's
Degree in Law at the University of Erlangen. He later served with the Prussian
Secret State Police. In May 1941 he was called to Dueben where he was given
command of Sonderkommando 7a and instructions on the task of exterminating
Jews. This unit formed part of Einsatzgruppe B which in the execution of the
Fuehrer Order killed Jews, Communists and alleged asocials in no inconsiderable
numbers. Blume states that he left his Kommando on 15 or 17 August 1941. The
defendant Steimle stated that Blume remained with the Kommando until September
1941. Report No. 73, dated 4 September 1941, credited Vorkommando 7a with 996 killings as of 20 August. Even if Blume's assertion as to the date of his leaving the assignment were correct, that would only mean that he cannot be charged with that proportion of the 996 murders which occurred during the last 3 or 5 days of this period; and even this only under the additional assumption that prior to his departure he had not given orders which were executed within those 3 or 5 days. Report No. 11, dated 3 July 1941, states that Blume's Kommando liquidated "officials of the Komsomol (Communistic organization) and Jewish officials of the Communist Party." Report No. 34, dated 26 July 1941, speaks of the incident already described in the general opinion — the killing of the 27 Jews who, not having reported for work, were shot down in the streets. This happened in the territory under Blume's jurisdiction. Blume admits having witnessed and conducted executions. He states that he was opposed to the Fuehrer Order and that he made every effort to avoid putting it into effect. But the facts do not support this assertion. From time to time during this trial, various defendants have stated that certain reports were incorrect, that |
