A No, I think I saw these documents here for the first time. It was well known, generally, that Serbia was not quiet, unlike Greece, where everything was absolutely quiet, but I do not remember incidents mentioned in the documents here. When Field Marshal List returned from his leave I merely informed him of the situation in Southern Greece. That is to say, the situation with respect to my area. I knew that the Field Marshal, on his return, had stopped in Belgrade to inform himself of the situation there.
Q Let me now turn to Document Book II of the Prosecution. There Document NOKW-258, which is Prosecution Exhibit No. 53, has been used to incriminate you. It's on page 67 of the English and page 52 of the German text. This document represents the order given by the Chief of the High Command of the Wehrmacht of 16 September 1941, concerning the Communist insurgent movements in occupied territories, and it lays down the reprisal ratio of 1 to 50 and 1 to 100, as a general rule.
General, did you, at that time, receive this order?
A The distribution list, which is contained in the document, does not mention my agency. I assume that later on somehow or other it came to my knowledge. I certainly know it from hearsay, but from my own memory I could not say when it was submitted to my agency.
Q Do you know at all that it was ever submitted to your agency?
A I don't remember. If I could see any documents where the distribution list of the Army Group might be mentioned, and the list would also mention Commander of Southern Greece, that would be proof of it. But so many orders and directives reached us that any individual ones simply cannot be recalled any more.
Q But you knew the order from hearsay?
A Yes, I knew it from hearsay.
Q The next document is NOKW-1342, which is Prosecution Exhibit No. 68. It's on page 137 of the English Document Book and page 105 of the German Document Book.
This document is a letter by the Wehrmacht Commander Southeast, addressed to what was known as Detachment Rosenberg. The date is 2 October 1941. According to that letter the Rosenberg Detachment is being assigned for rations and for matters of discipline to the Commander Southern Greece.
General, do you recall this order?
A Yes, I recall it for the reason that a lieutenant, who was a wearer of the Knight's Cross, reported to me. And this was the very Lieutenant von Ingram, who is mentioned in the document. He was assigned for rations to one of the reserve infantry battalions and so were the soldiers who were part of his detachment. For the rest they were under my command for disciplinary matters. That is to say, it was my right to punish any member of this detachment if he violated the regulations. That is to say, if he violated the regulations by entering localities which were off limits; if he didn't return to barracks after curfew hour; if he was not properly dressed when walking in the streets; or if he was sloppy in saluting officers, or anything of that type.
Q Did you have any factual relations with the service done by the Detachment Rosenberg and were you in a position to issue orders to it as far as their activities were concerned?
A That the Rosenberg Detachment actually did, and anything connected with it, was beyond my sphere of influence. I did not even know in detail what they were doing. When he reported to me he mentioned the fact that he was going to do research work in the archives, as to whether one could find any symptoms of anti-German tendencies there. Any police or security measures did not come into it.
Q Let me now turn to the next document in this book, which is NOKW-458, on page 138 of the English and 106 of the German book. This is Exhibit 69. This document contains an order by the OKW dated 28 September 1941, that a number of hostages of the various political tendencies should be kept ready all the time and a directive by the Wehrmacht Commander Southeast was also addressed, among others, to the Commander Southern Greece. General, did you receive this order at the time, or were you informed about it orally?
A I could not say that from my memory. It certainly reached my agency, which becomes clear from the letter by the Wehrmacht Commander, which is addressed, among others, to the Commander Southern Greece.
Q Is it known to you, General, whether political hostages of that type were kept ready in actual fact?
A I am afraid I cannot make a statement about that either. I am inclined to think that they were not, because the situation at that time in Southern Greece gave no cause to take measures of that type. The Italians reigned in Athens, who were highly sensitive and jealously guarded their rights.
Q I should now like to turn to Document Book III of the Prosecution. There you are charged with Document NOKW 1074, which is Exhibit 108. We also should concern ourselves with Documents NOKW-1014, Exhibit 109 and NOKW-1663, which is Exhibit 114-D. In the latter two documents you have not been formally incriminated by the Prosecution.
Those three documents coincide, in part, with some incidents which were reported to you during the time when you deputized for Field Marshal List, between 23 July and 23 August, 1941, which we have discussed before. Is there anything special you would like to say about these, General?
A On what page is Exhibit 108, please?
Q Exhibit 108 is on page 79.
A This is an activity report by the 717th Infantry Division. I cannot recall the details of this. The activity report did not reach the Army Corps. What I said about my period of deputizing for List applies here also.
Q May I remark about this, General, while you deputized for the Field Marshal we are concerned only with the second half of the document, on page 80 and 81, up to and including 23 August 1941. Any incidents after that we need not concern ourselves with here.
A I do not recall the individual daily reports.
Q Does the same apply to the other two documents as well, which have not been used to charge you formally, as I said before -- Exhibits 109 and 114-D?
A Yes.
Q Let me touch briefly on Volume V of the Prosecution. I would like to draw attention especially to something which I have explained in a different connection, earlier. I said before that the following documents, at least some of them, are concerned with the period of time when you deputized for Field Marshal List. These are Documents NOKW-123, Exhibit 127, on page 27 of the English and 34 of the German; NOKW-1056, which is Exhibit 130, on page 150-a of the English and page 98-a of the German book. These documents, as I mentioned before, are concerned in part with the period of time when you deputized for Field Marsha List. Is there anything you want to say regarding these documents, for that reason?
A No, there is nothing special I have to say about these. I saw these reports here for the first time and the details concerned I cannot recall from the oral reports by the Chief of Staff.
Q This brings me to Document Book VIII. There, Document NOKW-834, which is Exhibit 211, on page 61 of the English and page 52 of the German, has been used to incriminate you. It is a number of activity reports by the Wehrmacht Commander Southeast, of 1942. In the report for the month of June; 2 attacks with high explosives on Wehrmacht vehicles in Athens and 1 attack on the railway line north of Athens are mentioned. General, do you know what reprisal measures were taken thereupon?
A Having once again seen this document I recall the incident. It was reported to me when I returned from my leave at the beginning of June. These were German motor vehicles - hence the expression "Wehrmacht vehicles." The railway line was supposed to be guarded by the Italians and I know from the report by my Chief of Staff that we and the Italians drew up a warning and announced and published it.
Q In this connection I would like to submit a document in Felmy Volume V, Document No.91, on page 11; it will become Exhibit No. 7. It says there, under II:
"To Daily Report Ia Letter Register No. 40439/42 Secret, of 28 May 1942, II, paragraph, it is reported that 3 Greeks found in possession of explosives, were arrested by Italians. The Italian Army Corps was contacted regarding publication of a regulation, released by press and radio, stating that in case of repetition, hostages would be shot recruited from Greek circles previously convicted of hostile attitude or action."
In other words, this is a report by the Wehrmacht Commander Southern Greece of 29 May 1942 addressed to the Wehrmacht Commander Southeast. This document comes from the Washington material, from the War Diary of the Commander Southern Greece. General, did the public warning which is mentioned here have any success at that time?
A No, the warning issued on 29 May was unsuccessful because, about a week later, the aforementioned attack was carried out and therefore the measure which was threatened in the warning was carried into effect; the perpetrators or the hostages were shot.
I take these statements from the Washington material because, as I say, at that time I was on leave and the Commanding General of Crete deputized for me.
Q. From the same War Diary of the Military Commander Southern Greece I should like to read a report of 5 June 1942, addressed to the Wehrmacht Commander Southeast. It is contained in Felmy Document Book V, Document No. 92, on page 12. It will become Exhibit No. 8. It says there, under II, third paragraph, on page 12:
"As a reprisal for the plot against the railway track Liossia-Athens, A German firing squad shot 8, an Italian one 2 hostages this morning. The hostages of the Germans were already under arrest for intending to depart for Egypt to join the British; the hostages of the Italians were arrested Communists. In today's press a joint proclamation dealing with the shooting was released, reading as follows: 'The High Command of the Italian Forces in Greece and the German Commander Southern Greece announce: As a consequence of the plot perpetrated against railway track Liossia--Athens, on the night of June 3rd, the penalty of death has been executed on a certain number of hostages having been held under arrest by both High Commands of the Occupation Forces. In case of repetition of such plots, increasingly stern measures will be taken'". To round off this picture I would like to remark that this report, from which we have started and which was contained in Document NOKW-834, Exhibit 211, was also contained in NOKW-927, Exhibit 205 which is in the same volume. I shall come back to Exhibit 211 once more. At the end of that document, on page 77 of the English book and on page 65 of the German, the reorganization of the channels of command in Southern Greece is explained. In the paragraph which is headed "Reorganization of the Channels of Command Southern Greece" it says, in the last paragraph, No. 4:
"Commandant Fortress Crete will be subordinated directly to Wehrmacht Commander Southeast.
The supply for Crete will be regulated as before by Commander Southeast. The supply for Crete will be regulated as before by Commander South Greece in accordance with the directives of Wehrmacht Commander Southeast and in detail according to the requisitions of Commandant Crete." General, how did it come about that these regulations were issued?
A. We had one years experience at our disposal. It had become quite clear that even the territorial subordination of the Island of Crete to the Commander Southern Greece was without any significance. I therefore suggested to General Loehr, during a conference mentioned in the document, that this territorial subordination be terminated and this suggestion was adopted. Supply problems to Crete were still in the competence of the Commander Southern Greece. That again had been proved to be a good idea by the experience gathered in one year. We had formed what we called a supply staff and that supply staff included representatives of the Navy, the Air Force and a representative of the Commandant of Crete. As the Air Force and Navy were stationed in Athens anyway, three representatives discussed their mutual interests, adjusted themselves to such shipping as was available, and this was then carried out.
DR. MUELLER-TORGOW: If the Tribunal please, we have now discussed all documents which were concerned with the period of time when General Felmy served in Greece for the first time.
Q. General, what can you tell us, by way of a brief summary, about the situation created by the bands in Southern Greece in this first period of your assignment down there.
A. In the 14 months when I stayed in Southern Greece the situation was entirely calm. I went to Delphi, I went to Mikeni, Laublia, I went to Tyrisk-One would go anywhere without any interference; even in the Peleponnes, which later on became so notorious, you could not find a vestige of band activities. The attack with high explosives in Athens, which we mentioned before, against the Wehrmacht vehicles and the railway, was the only incident of an extraordinary nature which happened in those 14 months. Similar conditions prevailed on Crete. I made sure of that myself. You could move about in the country there without any interference. Bands which no doubt existed there were hiding out in the difficult mountain area - the Ida mountains and to the west of the Island. No noticeable influence was evident at that time.
Q. At that period of time when you served in Greece for the first time - 1941/1942, how did relations between German troops and the Greek population work out?
A. Southern Greece, as I said before, was Italian territory. The few German units in the enclaves on the airdromes, for instance in the southern part of the Piraeus, in Sunion-Laurion area, had one can well say friendly relations with the Greek population. A Greek general once told me: "The fact that the German Wehrmacht had beaten us is an honor to us; that you have admitted the Italians into our country, that we cannot forget." It seems to me that statement is typical of the feelings of a Greek soldier toward a German soldier. On the castle a Greek flag was waving - an order then issued by Field Marshal List. After the Italians had appeared, the Acropolis showed the German and Italian but also the Greek flags next to one another.
Q. Who was responsible to supply the population in Southern Greece?
A. That was the responsibility of the Italians. One must bear in mind here that Greece, since the old days, always depended on imports of grain and wheat; its trade balance had always been a passive one. Supplies had stopped and had become most deficient. War had drained the supplies and the Italian administrative machine did not work in a particularly exemplary manner.
Q. Did German agencies intervene in supply questions concerning the Greek population without being actually competent for it?
A. Yes. Field Marshal List suggested this; in the late summer of 1941 a number of relief measures were taken. Some of them were carried out in connection with the German legation. Above all it was hoped that food supplies for the starving population would come in. The units also made every effort to help as much as they could. It goes without saying that such remnants of supplies as were still available in field kitchens were always fetched by little children. We had our "fixed clientele" so to speak there. The German soldier was given only half of his official army pay in Greek currency; Drachmes that amounted to a sum of 15 marks a month to the German soldier. The other half of his army pay was given to him in canteen vouchers, as we called them, which were regarded as legal tender only in German enterprises.
By that measure it was hoped to avoid exerting too much pressure on the Greek market. Greek Government in order to take measures against unemployment wanted to introduce general labor service. That idea seemed to me to be a good one, but the Italians turned it down.
Q. Why did the Italians turn it down?
A. I don't know. I suppose they regarded labor service, which up to a point has certain military customs connected with it, they thought perhaps this was a camouflaged mobilization, and they regarded it as a menace perhaps.
Q. What was the suggestion made by the Greek Government thereupon?
A. The Greek Government then wanted to establish a Free Corps which was to serve in Russia in the fight against Communism. Unless I am very much mistaken, the Greeks participated in the Anti-Communist struggle already in 1919 and 1920, supporting the White armies against the Red armies.
Q. And what did the Italians say about that suggestion by the Greek Government?
A. The Italians stipulated that that Greek Free Corps was to be used only as part of the Italian Army in Russia because an Italian Army was fighting in Russia, but that was expecting too much of the Greeks and they turned that down, and I could understand why. after the events in Albania, they did not want to serve as subordinates to an Italian high command.
Q. General, what measures were taken beyond the matters discussed? I mean you yourself on your own initiative for the benefit of the Greek population during that period of time?
A. I am not very happy about stressing certain things which I did as a perfectly obvious human thing, but as the Prosecution has said that I had terrorized the Greek population and had been partaking in a plan of extermination, I must say something about it.
Late in the autumn of 1941, I together with the German legation established what we called a Sunday of Sacrifice. The Chairman of the committee was Archbishop of Greece, Damaskinos in Athens, who is still in office today. All German soldiers voluntarily contributed from their pay a certain sum of Drachmen which was then put at the disposal of the Greek wounded through Archbishop Damaskinos. In one of the large cinemas of Athens, as part of this Sunday of Sacrifice, a charity concert was held, and I made a speech. I spoke about the sad fate of the Greek wounded. The money collected in that charitable concert was again put at the disposal of Greek wounded through Archbishop Damaskinos.
My special staff in Surion made special relief actions for the small town of Laurion. We built roads, we built huts in order to make it possible for the inhabitants to earn some money. The city of Laurion was supplied with food, and above all with olive oil. That oil I obtained in a devious manner from Crete.
Q. General, would you please stop a moment.
DR. MUELLER-TORGOW: I should like to submit a few affidavits in this connection. The first one is contained in Document Book Felmy Number 2. It is Document Number 48 on page 1, which will become Exhibit Number 9. It is a certificate given by the Mayor of the city of Laurion which the witness has just referred to, and the date is 20th of June 1943. This was at that time given to a member of the staff of General Felmy, a man called Bohtz who has given two affidavits which are contained in the same document book. May I just read this affidavit.
"As a Greek mayor and patriot I deem it my duty, dictated by gratitude, to make this following statement willingly and of my own accord and to testify to the outstanding part as benefactors of the town of Laurion which Mr. Erich Heiden (in a leading capacity) and his subordinates, the engineers Helmut Bohtz and Martin Kolb played during the unhappy years of the occupation of the country (1941 to 1942).
"Guided by a spirit of extreme friendliness towards the Greek and humane ideas the aforementioned gentlemen have, in times of the utmost difficulties concerning the supply of the population with food, done a great deal towards relieving the situation........"
MR. FENSTERMACHER: I object to the admission of this document, it is an unsworn statement, it doesn't comply with Rule 21, and is pure hearsay. We, of course, have no opportunity to cross examine the author.
DR. MUELLER-TORGOW: If the Tribunal, please, the document was drawn up in 1943. The original is available in Greek, and it has been translated into English and German by a member of the Greek Delegation in his official capacity.
PRESIDING JUDGE CARTER: It will be admitted for what it is worth. Overruled.
DR. MUELLER-TORGOW: To continue, I shall start with paragraph 2.
"Guided by a spirit of extreme friendliness towards the Greek and humane ideas the aforementioned gentlemen have, in times of the utmost difficulties concerning the supply of the population with food, done a great deal towards relieving the situation by sending a German motor-ship to Crete in order to bring 30 tons of oil to Laurion; by continuously asking the Italian administration in Athens for the dispatch of allocations of wheat (victuals) and by thoughtfully, and in collaboration with the Greek authorities, having new roads constructed in the vicinity as a W.P.A. measure to help the starving local population.
"Their attitude towards all Greek people was extremely humane and cultivated. This testimony is given in recognition of the services rendered to the Greek authorities by these three gentlemen and for the purpose of testifying to their honorable character. Laurion, 20 June 1943, the Mayor of Laurion (signed)."
The two men mentioned here, Heiden and Bohtz, were members of the LXVIII Corps. Heiden was the quartermaster, in other words, he was responsible for the whole of the supply problems of the Corps; and Bohtz was his assistant.
The next document is on page 2, and is an affidavit given by Erich Heiden who has been mentioned in the previous document. This is Document Felmy number 49 on page 2. It is offered as Exhibit Number 10. It says on page 2 in the fourth paragraph.
"The bad food situation in Greece weighed heavily on his (General Felmy's) mind, especially as he was unable to help as much as he wished to do.
"Although he was not responsible for the feeding of the Greek population, he often asked me, 'Heiden, have you any idea how we could help the Greek population?'
"The following examples show how sincerely Felmy tried to help the Greek population in its plight:
"1. Procurement of ships in 1941 and 1942 for food transports from the Greek Isles. The Greek population was starved and undernourished. Food could not be procured from normal channels. Although it was not he who was responsible, but the Italian Military Government, Felmy provided ships to collect food from the islands for the Greek population of the town of Laurion near to which we had our camp.
(Testimony of the Greek Mayor of the town of Laurion is herewith attached.)
"2. Unorthodox ways of procuring food. Although not necessary for the troops, Felmy ordered the construction of a detour road from Laurion to Sunion in order to provide more food for the Greek population. The workers were paid in food and cash. In this unorthodox way only could food be provided for the starving Greek population.
"3. Social welfare organization. Pregnant women, children, and invalids who were not working on road construction continued to receive their rations," On page 4, it says under paragraph 9:"Calory replacements in cases of requisitioning of food grown in the country.
Felmy ordered that food requisitioned from the land would have to be replaced within the framework of the calory replacements scheme of the International Red Cross. Unofficial requisitioning by the troops was severely punished and requisitioned goods returned."
The next document will be Felmy Document Number 50.
PRESIDING JUDGE CARTER: Before we take up another document, we will recess for the usual noon recess.
(A recess was taken until 1330 hours.)
THE MARSHAL: Persons in the Courtroom will please take their seats.
The Tribunal is again in session.
PRESIDING JUDGE CARTER: You may proceed.
DIRECT-EXAMINATION (Continued) Defendant Helmuth Felmy BY DR MUELLER-TORGOW:
Q. May it please the Tribunal, there are a few affidavits which I would like to offer. First of all, in Document Book II, Document Felmy No. 50 on page 7; this will be offered under Exhibit No. 11. It is an affidavit executed by Carl Helmut Bohtz who was mentioned this morning. To the extend to which his statements refer to the first commitment in Greece, he says mainly the same as had been said in the previous affidavit by Heim. Therefore, I don't want to read from this Document No. 50.
The next document which I am offering is Document Felmy No. 51. This is on page 12 of Felmy Document Book II. It is a second affidavit executed by Bohtz. This will be offered under Exhibit No. 12.
The next one to offer from Document Book Felmy No. III is Document No. 75 on page 24. This will become Exhibit 13. It says in this affidavit that it is executed by one Erich Buchmeier. In the second paragraph it says: In this context only the last paragraph of page 24 is of interest and it says there:
The civilian population itself was poor, peace-loving, and very hospitable. They came to us with their needs and troubles. We helped them wherever we could, and usually the whole family lived off the food of the soldier quartered with them. The Greeks also shared their last with us, and almost all the units cared for the poor population out of the supplies of their field kitchens. Thus, for instance, it can be said, that the then government official SCHWEBKE, now residing in Wehdol No. 21, district Wesermuende, in the dry year of 1942, literally saved the inhabitants of Sunion from death through starvation. As happened in many other cases, he shortened the soldiers' rations and gave these, ready prepared, to the civilians. SCHWEBKE has not been forgotten there to this day, for still in 1944, he visited his friends in Sunion and they visited us also, when we were stationed in Psychikon near Athens. In the quarters Megalla, Pofko, Tripolis, Psychikon, etc.
, also, the poor population daily fetched their food. All this happened not only with the consent of General FELMY but on his express wish.
Of the man Schwebke mentioned here, I shall later on submit an affidavit.
General, will you now please continue with the description of the measures which were taken in the interest of the Greek population during your first assignment in Greece?
A. The wife of the well known Greek gynecologist Logothetopulos
Q. Will you please spell that name?
A.L-o-g-o-t-h-e-t-o-p-u-l-o-s, -- was in charge of a children's nursery. On several occasions she received subsidies in food from my intendent which was suitable for food for children and infants, such as powdered milk etc. The first aid station in Athens was on the request of Athens doctors given medicines and medical equipment because all these things were lacking there. The Greek workers who were employed in German plants received a supplementary ration which they had to eat on the premises of the plant.
Then on German Memorial Day, it was a matter of course that as a particular honor a wreath was laid down on the tomb of the Green Unknown Soldier and the troops were lined up. Although this good relation with the population was not particularly welcomed by the Italians, we still cultivated this good relation and these few examples which I have given may suffice to show our attitude towards the Greek population and to the ancient culture of that country.
In spring 1942, finally through international agreements, a generous help had been achieved for the Greek population in accordance with the so-called Calory Agreement. The Germans and Italians had to deliver from their own stocks the same number of calories as corresponded to the amount of fresh fruit and fresh vegetables which was taken from the country.
Q. In conclusion of the discussion of your first assignment in Greece, I would like to submit a number of affidavits, the first of which is contained in Document Book Felmy No. II and is Document 52 on page 14.
This will he offered under Exhibit No. 14. This is an affidavit executed by Dr. Herbert Schwoerbel who was for many years, not only during the time of the German occupation, press export of the German embassy in Athens. I am reading from the second paragraph of this affidavit on page 14;
After the occupation of Athens by German troops, a food crisis for Greece could not be avoided. Even in normal times, Greece had to import 300,000 to 500,000 tons of grain yearly. Besides also almost the entire requirements of legumes and staple food. Already during the Greek-Italian war, practically all beasts of burden had been requisitioned from the farmers with the effect that the harvest of 1941 was worse than ever. Due to the destruction of all railway bridges and the removal of all available Greek ships on the occasion of the British withdrawal from Greece the Greek internal waterways system also had broken down so that shipments from the rich Northern areas of the country to the South, and especially to Athens, were impossible. As a consequence of the British blockade against Greece also shipments by sea to Athens had become impossible. The same situation applied to the supply of all kinds of fuel, to quote only one example. The supply of electricity for Athens was entirely dependent upon the import of coal for the operation of the power plant. During the German occupation, such imports were practically impossible and the power plant could only be kept in operation by switching over to the Greek soft coal, which is of poor qualify and which produced enough heat only by the use of a supplement of liquid fuel. For that purpose the German Wehrmacht continuously availed Diesel oil for use at the power plant and, thus, forestalled its complete collapse. Also as far as the supply of food was concerned the Army, and in the first line General FELMY, rendered emergency aid that often was most badly needed. I remember that in the early days of summer 1941, on orders from General FELMY sizable supplies of Zwieback and flour were put at the disposal of Greek disabled soldiers and hospitals.
Court No. V, Case No. VII.
I am now reading from page 16, from the top of the page:
"Soon after the occupation of Athens severe divergencies of opinion became evident among a part of the military and the German Legation as to the treatment of the Greek civilian population. These existed in particular regarding the care for the supply of the Greek population. The military had only military viewpoints, they were interested only in their lines of communications and the safeguarding of the war booty. To them the need of the population was important only insofar as it might develop to a military threat. Here it war particularly General FELMY who, in contrast with many other high officers, showed understanding for the civilian views. At the time when other military spoke of the Legation as "The House of the Unsuspecting", FELMY asked me in July 1941 to see him every week and report to him about the mood, the worries and the distress of the Greek population. During these discussions, I was able to learn that FELMY had a sympathetic heart for the Greeks, quite in contrast to his Chief of Staff. Thus, in the spring of 1942, FELMY gave me the order to make a comprehensive survey about the famine in Greece and its consequences (Increase in fatalities, etc.) in order to obtain statistics with which he could negotiate in Berlin for better provisions for the population. From our weekly discussions I had the impression that FELMY was quite anxious to get along fine with the civilian population. On his suggestion there was a Sunday of Sacrifice in the fall of 1941 when the Greek population was asked to collect for the benefit of their disabled Greek war veterans. The patronage over this collection was shared by General FELMY and the Archbishop of Athens, Damaskinos, who later on became the Greek Regent."
MR. FENSTERMACHER: Your Honor, it doesn't appear from the affidavit, so far as I have been able to ascertain exactly who this man is, and how he is competent to testify to the things he does. Perhaps Dr. Mueller-Torgow could make a statement for the record identifying the man.
DR. MUELLER-TORGOW: As I have mentioned, Dr. Herbert Schwegrbel Court No. V, Case No. VII.
was, to the best of my knowledge, during the whole of the German occupation, and prior to that, press expert of the German Embassy in Athens. He is for the moment in Passau, and working there on a newspaper.
The next document I would like to offer is Document Felmy 53. It is the following document in the same document book. It is on page 18. It will be offered under Exhibit 15. This is an affidavit by Wilhelm Krekeler, and I am reading this affidavit.
"General of the Airforce FELMY came practically every weekend from Athens to his Staff at Sunion (during the period from August 41 July 42), and we spent with him on Sunday mornings, particularly in officers training, interesting and instructive hours. At such occasions, we often had the opportunity to find in him an extremely experienced soldier and benevolent superior, who was familiar with all phases of the art of war -- at least so it seemed to us young officers. But we also found in him a fatherly friend and a man who was always ready to help and who, in my opinion, had complete understanding for the great distress of the Greek population. During my time, there was an order prohibiting the troops to buy food inclusive of fruit from the Greek civilian population. Such purchases were severely punished, regardless of whether they were for personal use or for the troops. I can no longer say whether this order was issued by the former General of the Airforce, FELMY, however, I think I have to assume that, since he was Commander in Chief of Southern Greece at the time."
The affiant Krekeler was at the time to be with the Special Staff F. In this capacity he worked on personnel matters of non-commissioned officers and men.
The next document I am going to offer is Document 54, contained on page 19. This will become Exhibit 16. It is an affidavit executed by one Karl Woehrle:
"I was stationed in Greece as a medical man from the beginning to the end of the German occupation there and part of the time under the command of General FELMY, and from my own experience and hearsay I remember Court No. V, Case No. VII.