NMT Case 7

The Hostage Case

Summary

Case 7: The “Hostage Case,” US v. List et al. 6 boxes of trial documents; transcript 10,544 pages. Green Set vol. 11. Covers war crimes committed in the Balkans and Norway, including hostage-taking, execution of civilians and POWs, destruction of villages, and scorched-earth tactics. July 1947 – Feb 1948. Exhibits: 678 prosecution; 1025 defense.

Chronology Overview

10 May 1947Indictment filed
8 JulyArraignment
15 JulyProsecution opening statement
16 July – 28 AugProsecution case (documents and witnesses)
15-16 SepDefense opening statements
16 Sep – 13 Jan 1948Defendants’ cases
14-22 JanRebuttal and final evidence (prosecution and defense)
3 FebProsecution closing statement
4-9 FebDefense closing statements
19 FebJudgment and sentences
18 Jan 1949Sentences affirmed by Military Commander, US Zone
2 MayRuling by US Supreme Court, denying writs of habeas corpus

Persons Involved

Tribunal (Military Tribunal V)

  1. Charles F. Wennerstrum, presiding judge; Iowa Supreme Court
  2. Edward F. Carter, member; Nebraska Supreme Court
  3. George J. Burke, member; adviser to US district courts on criminal procedure

Defendants:

  1. Franz Boehme, general and commander, mountain corps, 1941-45 (committed suicide
  2. before trial)
  3. Ernst Dehner, lt. general, infantry, commander, reserve corps, 1943-44
  4. Hellmuth Felmy, lt. general, air force; commander, Greece, 68th Army Corps, 1943-44
  5. Hermann Foertsch, lt. general, chief of staff, Southeast, 1941-44
  6. Kurt von Geitner, brig. general, chief of staff, Serbia, 1942-44
  7. Walter Kuntze, lt. general, acting commander, 12th Army, 1941-42
  8. Hubert Lanz, lt. general and commander, mountain troops, 1940-44
  9. Ernst von Leyser, lt. general and commander, infantry and mountain corps, 1943-45
  10. Wilhelm List, general and commander in southeast, 1941
  11. Lothar Rendulic, general and commander, Croatia and Norway, 1943-45
  12. Wilhelm Speidel, lt. general, air force, commander, Greece, 1942-44
  13. Maximilian von Weichs, general and commander, 1941-45 (case severed from trial due to illness)

Prosecution:

  1. Telford Taylor, chief of counsel, NMT
  2. James M. McHaney, deputy chief counsel
  3. Clark Denney, chief prosecutor
  4. Theodore F. Fenstermacher, chief prosecutor for Case 7
  5. George Fulkerson, associate counsel
  6. Walter Rapp, associate counsel

Defense counsel:

  1. Friedrich Bergold, for Boehme
  2. Stefan Fritsch, for Rendulic
  3. Hans Gawlick, for Dehner
  4. Hans Laternser, for List and von Weichs
  5. Georg Menzel, for Kuntze
  6. Heinz Mueller-Torgow, for Felmy
  7. Gerhard Rauschenbach, for Foertsch
  8. Fritz Sauter, for von Geitner and Lanz
  9. Edmund Tipp, for von Leyser
  10. Joseph Weisgerber, for Speidel

Indictments (four counts, 10 May 1947)

Introductory paragraph: War crimes and crimes against humanity, including murder, ill treatment, and use as slave labor of POWs and civilian populations; plunder of public and private property; destruction of cities, towns, and villages; and other crimes against civilian populations.

Count One: Hostages. 1. 1939-1945, murder of hundreds of thousands of civilians of Greece, Yugoslavia, and Albania, as reprisal for attacks on Germans. 2. Torture and murder of partisans as punishment for attacks on Germans. 3. Collective punishment (points 1 and 2) used to terrorize, intimidate, weaken, and decimate occupied populations. 4. Ratio of punishment of hostages: up to 100 killed for each German soldier killed; down to 5 for lesser acts. 5. Twenty-three examples from April 1941 to August 1944, in Serbia, Croatia, and Greece. 6. Relevant laws cited.

Count Two: Plunder. 7. 1939-1945, plundering and looting of public and private property; destruction of cities, towns, and villages and murder of inhabitants, in Norway, Greece, Yugoslavia, and Albania. 8. Tactics used to pacify-by-terrorism and to degrade the economic potential of the occupied lands. 9. Sixteen examples from 1941 to 1944, in Norway, Serbia, Croatia, Greece. 10. Relevant laws cited.

Count Three: POWs. 11. 1939-1945, enemy troops from Greece, Yugoslavia, and Italy refused quarter, denied status as POWs, and summarily executed. 12. Twelve examples from 1941 to 1943, in Yugoslavia, Italy, and Croatia. 13. Relevant laws cited.

Count Four: Civilians. 14. 1939-1945, murder, torture, imprisonment in concentration camps, forced labor, deportation for slave labor of civilians (including communists, democrats, nationalists, Jews, and gypsies) of Greece, Yugoslavia, and Albania. 15. Seven examples from 1941 to 1943, in Serbia, Greece, and Croatia. 16. Relevant laws cited.

Judgment and sentences

  1. Dehner: guilty, count 1; 7 year sentence
  2. Felmy: guilty, counts 1, 2; 15 year sentence
  3. Foertsch: acquitted
  4. Geitner: acquitted
  5. Kuntze: guilty, counts 1, 3, 4; life sentence
  6. Lanz: guilty, counts 1, 3; 12 year sentence
  7. Leyser: guilty, counts 3, 4; 10 year sentence
  8. List: guilty, counts 1, 3; life sentence
  9. Rendulic: guilty, counts 1, 3, 4; 20 year sentence
  10. Speidel: guilty, count 1; 20 year sentence
  11. Weichs: case severed due to his illness
  12. Most of those sentenced to prison were released in 1951-52.

Key persons and places

Southeast region:

  1. Wehrmacht commander, southeast: Wilhelm List, 6 Apr–15 Oct 1941;
  2. Felmy deputy for List, 23 July 23–August 1941;
  3. Kuntze acting commander, 17 Oct 1941–8 Aug 1942;
  4. Alexander Loehr commander, 8 Aug 1942–Aug 1943;
  5. von Weichs, commander in chief southeast (and of Army F), 26 Aug 1943–March 1945;
  6. Foertsch, chief of staff to March 1944

Serbia:

  1. first commanders, 1941: Helmuth Foerster (Apr-May); Ludwig von Schroeder
  2. (June-July); Heinrich Danckelmann (July-Aug)
  3. Commanding general and plenipotentiary, Serbia: Lt. General Franz Boehme,
  4. Sep-Dec 1941;
  5. Lt. General Paul Bader, 6 Dec 1941- 25 Aug 1943 (previously commander of 65th Corps,
  6. 1941);
  7. military commander southeast (based in Serbia): General Hans Felber, 26 Aug 1943–26
  8. Sep 1994, then Army Group Serbia, Oct 1944
  9. von Geitner, chief of staff (for Bader and Felber), July 1942-1944
  10. Administrator (govt.): Dr. Harald Turner (1941-)

Croatia:

  1. Commanding general in Croatia, Major general Rudolf Lueters, to Aug 1943;
  2. General Lothar Rendulic, commander (2nd Panzer Army), Aug 1943- June 1944
  3. plenipotentiary in Croatia: Major General von Glaise-Horstenau
  4. von Leyser, commander, 15th Mountain Corps, Nov 1943- July 1944 (then Albania, 21st
  5. Mtn. Corps, 1944-45)
  6. Lt. General Dehner, commander, 69th special reserve group, 1943-44
  7. General Fehn, 21st Mountain Corps, Oct 1943- June 1944 (replacing Bader), then
  8. commander of 15th Mtn. Corps

Greece:

  1. Felmy, commander, southern Greece, 1941-42(?), commander of 68th Army Corps,
  2. 6 June 1943-Oct 1944;
  3. Lanz, commander of 22nd Mountain Corps, 9 Sep 1943-Oct 1944;
  4. Wilhelm Speidel, commander, southern Greece, Oct 1942-Sep 1943; commander of
  5. Greece, Sep 1943-July 1944, followed by Gen. Scheurlen;
  6. General Loehr, commander, Army Group E (based at Saloniki), Aug 1943-44;
  7. Bruno Braeuer, commander in Crete, Nov 1942–June 1944, followed by
  8. Friedrich-Wilhelm Mueller, July 1944-

Norway:

  1. Rendulic, 20th Mountain Army, June 1944–1945

Other

  1. Nationalist/Chetnik leader: Draza Mihailovic (DM)
  2. Nationalist Greek partisan: Gen. Zervas

Detailed Chronology

DateGeneral Content (pros=prosecution; doc=document)Pages
08 Jul 1947Defendants' pleas (not guilty)1-9
15 JulProsecution opening statement; defense motions10-135
16 JulPreliminaries on evidence, exhibit 1; pros doc book1136-228
17 Julpros doc books 1-2229-323
18 Julpros doc books 2-3324-413
21 Julpros doc books 3-4414-514
22 Julpros doc books 4, additions to 3, 5-6515-609
23 Julpros doc books 6-7610-703
24 Julpros doc books 8-9704-808
25 Julpros doc book 9, supplementary documents809-912
28 Julpros doc books 10-11913-1018
29 Julpros doc books 11-12-131019-1117
30 Julpros doc book 13, Z. Iovanovitch testimony1118-1201
31 JulIovanovitch; pros doc books 13-141202-1308
01 Augpros doc books 14-151309-1416
04 Augpros doc book 151417-1435
05 Augmisc trial issues1436-1444
06 Augpros doc book 161445-1545
07 Augpros doc books 16, 17, 181546-1640
11 Augpros doc book 18, Hans Felber testimony1641-1736
12 AugFelber testimony1737-1810
13 AugFelber testimony; photos (exhibit 441); pros doc book 191811-1905
14 Augpros doc book 19; Coogan affidavit; Nicolas Neris testimony1906-2010
15 AugNeris and Costas Triandafilidis testimony2011-2082
16 AugTriandafilidis testimony2083-2151
18 AugTriandafilidis and Stephanos Pappas testimony; doc book 202152-2235
19 Augpros doc book 20; Takis Spiliopolous testimony2236-2317
20 AugSpiliopolous, Triandafilidis (photos, ex 481) testimony; pros doc book 212318-2415
21 Augproc doc book 21; Johannes Sontis testimony; Greek War Crimes Office docs2416-2506
22 AugGreek War Crimes Office docs; pros doc book 22; Ferdinand Jodl testimony; movies on Greece and Norway (ex 509-510)2507-2592
25 AugJodl testimony; pros doc book 23; Arne Dahl testimony2593-2680
26 AugTrygve Schance and Ivar Follestad testimony; doc book 232681-2750
27 Augpros doc books 23-25; Yugoslav photos and docs (ex 551-52)2751-2864
28 AugYugoslav docs (ex 552-53); US-Italy docs; doc books 24-25 ; prosecution rests2865-2960
15 SepDefense opening statements: List and von Weichs, Kuntze, Lanz,2961-3070
16 SepDefense opening statements: Foertsch, von Leyser, Speidel, Rendulic, Dehner, Felmy. List case: List testimony3071-3176
17 SepList testimony3177-3250
18 SepList testimony3251-3284
19 SepList testimony3285-3339
22 SepList testimony3340-3423
23 Septestimony: List, Gert Feine, D. von Winning3424-3504
24 SepWinning testimony; Kuntze case begins3505-3567
25 SepKuntze3568-3603
26 SepKuntze3604-3693
06 OctKuntze; List witness: Rudolf Ibbeken3694-3780
07 OctList witnesses: Ibbeken, F. von Sydow, H. Krage3781-3865
08 OctList witnesses: Krage, K. Kraeutler, H. von Greiffenberg3866-3959
09 OctGreiffenberg testimony; Foertsch case begins3960-4053
10 OctFoertsch, doc book 14054-4139
13 OctFoertsch4140-4228
14 OctFoertsch4229-4314
15 OctFoertsch4315-4399
16 OctFoertsch, doc book 2, 34400-4500
17 OctFoertsch, doc book 34501-4597
20 OctFoertsch4598-4688
21 OctFoertsch, Mathias Schmettow testimony; Geitner begins, testimony by Gerhard Wollney and Heinrich Bub4689-4772
22 OctBub testimony, Geitner doc book 14773-4856
23 OctGeitner4857-4934
24 OctGeitner, doc books 1, 24935-5017
27 OctGeitner doc books 2, 35018-5102
28 OctGeitner case ends; Rendulic begins5103-5180
29 OctRendulic5181-5254
30 OctRendulic, doc book 1, supplement 15255-5336
31 OctRendulic5337-5411
03 NovRendulic, Ulrich von Varnbuehler testimony5412-5495
04 NovVarnbuehler testimony, Rendulic docs, H. Hoelter testimony5496-5577
05 NovRendulic doc book 2, case ends; von Leyser case begins5578-5668
06 Novvon Leyser, doc books 1-3 (begin)5669-5753
07 Novvon Leyser5754-5843
12 Novvon Leyser5844-5940
13 Novvon Leyser5941-6034
14 Novvon Leyser6035-6130
17 Novvon Leyser; H.J. von Besser testimony6131-6226
18 NovBesser and G. Kobe testimony6227-616
19 Novvon Leyser case ends; Lanz case begins6316a-6399
20 NovLanz6400-6484a
21 NovLanz6485-6566
24 NovLanz6567-6639
25 NovLanz6640-6726
26 NovLanz; Georg Lipp testimony6727-6820
01 DecLanz case ends; Felmy case begins6821-6898
02 DecFelmy6899-6978
03 DecFelmy6979-7065
04 DecFelmy7066-7141
05 DecFelmy7142-7238
08 DecFelmy, G. Altenburg testimony7239-7335
09 DecAltenburg, R. Berghofer, J. Lange, Georg Stadtmueller testimony7336-7426
10 DecStadtmueller testimony, Felmy case ends; Speidel case begins7427-7507
11 DecSpeidel7508-7589
12 DecSpeidel7590-vvvv
15 DecSpeidel7669-7754
16 DecSpeidel7755-7858
17 DecSpeidel case ends; Dehner case begins (7866)7859-7932
18 DecDehner case7933-8005
19 DecDehner docs, main case ends (8086); Geitner docs8006-8093
22 DecGeitner docs8094-8172
23 DecGeitner docs; Foertsch docs; Felmy docs8173-8262
05 JanFelmy docs; List docs8263-8370
06 JanList docs8371-8470
07 JanList docs; Weichs case severed; Kuntze docs8471-8565
08 JanKuntze docs; Lanz docs8566-8669
09 JanGeorg Scheller testimony; docs for Speidel, Dehner, and Rendulic; Julius Ruehm testimony, List docs8670-8735
12 Jandocs for Speidel, von Leyser, Dehner, Geitner, Felmy; testimony by Xaver Hirschmann and Joseph Kaiser, Foertsch docs8736-8815
13 JanLanz docs, List testimony, docs for Kuntze and Dehner8816-8886
14 Janpros rebuttal docs, Erich von dem Bach-Zelewski testimony8887-9005
15 Janpros rebuttal docs9006-9090
16 JanHermann Hoth testimony, pros rebuttal docs, Franz von Harling testimony, Hans Reinhardt testimony9091-9185
19 Jantestimony by A. Winter, E. Lattmann, H. Raymann; pros rebuttal docs; F. Prinz von Schleswig-Holstein-Gluecksberg testimony9186-9286
20 Janvon Schleswig testimony cont., testimony by Willy Zorn, Ernst Korn, David Bernstein, Willy Finger9287-9381
21 Jantestimony by W. Finger, Paul Kahlman, Max Pemsel, Heinric von Behr, Hans von Selchow9382-9475
22 JanDefense response to rebuttal: List testimony, Rendulic docs and testimony, Leyser and Felmy testimony, Speidel docs, Hans Felber testimony, Dehner docs9476-9556
03 FebPros closing argument9557-9718
04 FebDefense final arguments: List9719-9874
05 FebDefense: Kuntze, von Leyser, Speidel9875-10032
06 FebDefense: Rendulic, Geitner and Lanz10033-10193
07 FebDefense: Foertsch, Dehner, Felmy10194-10355
09 FebDefense response to pros rebuttal: List, Kuntze, Rendulic, Dehner, Speidel, Lanz and Geitner; pros reply; List statement10356-10418
19 FebTribunal opinion, judgment, and sentences10419-10544