. NMT04-T0568
Volume IV · Page 568
| WALDEMAR KLINGELHOEFER |
| SS Major Waldemar Klingelhoefer attended
school in Kassel, served in the army from June to December 1918 and after the
war studied music and voice. He gave concerts throughout Germany and later
received a State's Certificate as voice teacher. In 1935 he became an opera
singer. In 1937 he took over Department Culture, SD III-C in Kassel. In 1941 he
was assigned to Einsatzgruppe B as an interpreter. This Einsatzgruppe, already
by November 1941, according to Report No. 133, had killed 45,467 persons. This
score was considerably increased later. It is not contended by the prosecution nor does the evidence at all indicate that Klingelhoefer could be charged with all these executions simply because he belonged to Einsatzgruppe B, which, of course, consisted of several Kommandos. The reference to the larger unit is made only because the defendant has told of various transfers within the Einsatzgruppe. He said that he was in Sonderkommando 7b from 22 June 1941 to 10 July 1941, and then entered Vorkommando Moscow. In October he took over an independent command of this unit and held it until he went on leave. On his return to Russia on 20 December 1941 he entered the group staff' of Einsatzgruppe B where he remained until December 1943. There are scores of reports covering the activity of these various units and it is unnecessary to trace Klingelhoefer in and out of these individual units specifying the exact number of persons killed by the units during the time he was with that particular organization. Report No. 92 shows that Vorkommando Moscow killed over 100 persons as of 13 September 1941 and Klingelhoefer admits he was in charge of that unit during August and September 1941. Report No. 108 declares that by 28 September 1941 the Vorkommando Moscow and the group staff of Einsatzgruppe B had killed 2,029 persons. Between 20 August and 28 September 1941 the Vorkommando and the group staff executed 1,885 people. Klingelhoefer admitted that he was in charge of Vorkommando Moscow during that time. By 26 October, Vorkommando Moscow and the group staff had executed 2,457 persons and, whereas Klingelhoefer cannot be charged with the entire number of 572 persons killed between 28 September and 26 October 1941, he cannot escape responsibility for some of these killings since in this period he commanded part of Vorkommando Moscow. Klingelhoefer has not only described in detail executions he witnessed showing thereby the greatest familiarity with the macabre techniques involved but in his pre-trial affidavit he re- […lated] |
