Q And you were the regimental adjutant. You saw all the reports which came to the regiment.
A I was the Battalion Adjutant.
Q I beg your pardon. Were the two companies who were involved subordinate to your particular Battalion?
A Yes.
Q And as Battalion Adjutant, you saw all the orders which came to the Battalion?
A Yes, on principle when they came in writing.
Q Now do you believe that no order for the companies which were subordinate to your Battalion to carry out an execution of twentyone hundred persons passed through your Battalion Office?
A Presumably, I assume that if it had come in writing and was not, as I said, a special commander affair, then I would have seen it.
Q Was it customary, Mr. Krage, for General Boehme, who was a Lt. General, to issue orders directly to company commanders, who, I take it, were only captains?
A No. I also assume that it was like this: The order of the Commanding General did not go directly to the subordinate units, but I remember that the Battalion received the order to call the company officer for a personal conversation and for regulation of this matter to come to the Military Administration, or whatever it was, and then the matter was discussed.
Q You said that the persons executed were captured partisans?
A Yes, that is what I said. They were taken from a camp which was supposed to contain partisans who had been captured in the course of mopping up operations in the neighborhood of Belgrade.
Q How did you know that?
AAs far as I know, we found out about it by the fact that the company officer reported - I don't think I am wrong -- that he had to collect these people from a camp in or near Belgrade and that this kind of capturing of hostages took place - this was well known because the actual participants in an attack or any kind of sabotage themselves were not very often captured at the spot.
Q Did you ever hear of Communists and Jews being held in hostage camps in Serbia?
A I remember that of course Communists and Jews were in camps, but merely because they were Jews or Communists or whether they were partisans, I don't know, of course.
Q Will you take a look at this document now, Mr. Krage, NOKW-1211which is Exhibit 79 at page 3 in the English and page 2 in the German document book. This is a report from the Commanding General Plenipotentiary in Serbia to the Armed Forces Commander, Southeast, and it is dated 9 October 1941. Under paragraph 3 you will notes "Execution by shooting of about 2000 Communists and Jews in reprisal for 22 murdered of the Second Battalion of the 521st Army Signal Communication Regiment in progress."
Do you know whether your Battalion and your regiment had previously sent a report to this effect to General Boehme?
A I have already said that as far as I remember, the company officer gave a report with regard to this, but when that was, I don't know anymore today.
Q Did ho give the report to the Battalion Commander?
A I saw this report, but whether it was addressed to the Battalion or to the military Commander through the Battalion, I don't know, of course, but I remember that I saw a report by the company officer.
Q Do you think it is a safe assumption that General Boehme is sending this report to the Armed Forces Commander Southeast, based upon a previous report which he has received from the company and the Battalion and the regiment involved?
A Yes. That was quite usual that such reports in the form of an enclosure were passed on. That is possible, but in this case I don't know.
Q Will you look at NOKW-497, Which is Exhibit 80 in Document Book III, page 4 of the English and page 3 of the German. You will note, Mr. Krage, that this is an order from the Plenipotentiary Commanding General in Serbia. The subject is "Reprisal measures for 22 fallen members of the 2nd Battalion, 521st Signal Regiment."
Was the 2nd Battalion the one to which you were attached?
A Yes.
Q And it is directed to the Senior Signal Officer in Serbia, end it says:
"It is requested that a final report concerning the execution of the reprisal measures be presented; that the 2nd Battalion, 521st Signal Regiment be ordered to submit reports only through channels."
Now do you recall what report was sent by you in compliance with this order?
A I cannot say. It is possible that if we received the order that I also assume that it was carried out.
Q Mr. Krage, you say that so far as you know, only between four and five hundred persons were shot in reprisal for the death of the German soldiers at Topola.
A Yes, from our battalion.
Q Did your battalion leave that area shortly around the 9th or 10th of October, do you know?
A My battalion left the area? No, the battalion remained in the Belgrade area.
Q But the two companies who were supposed to carry out the executions, did they leave the area?
A No.
Q They wore just told that they did not have to carry out any further executions.
A Yes. It was reported that we couldn't carry out any further executions, and then they were stopped, I don't remember any other executions.
Q And I think you said that the reason the executions were stopped is because the men in the execution detail from the two companies involved couldn't take the shooting any longer from a psychological standpoint.
A Yes. I remember that the company officer told the battalion commander this, and that other commandos would not be made available because there were no people on account of tho work they had in the Signal Service Center.
Q What was the psychological handicap confronting the German soldiers who were members of the execution squads?
A You can imagine that the companies concerned and, of course, the members of the execution squads, by the loss of their comrades were naturally in rather a state of excitement and at the beginning, had a certain feeling of revenge in carrying out these executions. We, of course, were not fighting units and therefore had not been accustomed to death and that kind of thing especially at the beginning. I can imagine that for every one of the men taking part, at least in the second execution, from pure human feelings didn't carry it out with any particular pleasure.
Q Did all the members of the two companies involved participate in the execution?
A No. This was not possible. Other parts, of course, had to look after the headquarters affairs, etc., guards, etc., and company service, and just those people who were available at that time were used, and these were mostly the same.
Q Do you know how many men were on the execution details from each company?
A I should think that the whole squad was about the size of a platoon, that is, about fifty men, but I don't know the figure with certainty.
Q Do you know any details about the execution, where it was carried out, what happened to the bodies of the dead men?
A I don't know details because I didn't observe it. I remember that, as I have said, it took place on two separate days, I think in two separate places, too, that there was a doctor present and that the people had been told beforehand why they were being shot.
Q What was the name of your regimental commander at that time?
A If I remember correctly at that time the regimental commander was not in the Balkans. I think he was represented by the so-called Major with the staff. I think it was a Major Foerster who was a Major with the staff.
Q And what was the name of your battalion commander?
A The battalion commander at that time was Major Devigneau.
Q Is a man named Pongruber familiar to you?
A Pongruber? I remember a Signal Officer called Pongruber who, so far as I know, was commander of a Corps Signal Battalion. I think I met him once during the Creek campaign, Major Pongruber.
Q Did he have command of a battalion that was subordinate to your regiment, the 521st Signal Regiment?
A No. We had nothing to do with the Corps Signal Battalion of Major Pongruber.
Q Is a 1st Lt. Liep, L-i-e-p, known to you?
A Yes. That was a company officer of one of the companies concerned. This was the third company.
Q Did you ever hear of a 2nd Lt. Lau, H-a-u?
A Lt. Hau? No, I don't remember. He was not a member of my regiment and apart from that I haven't met him.
DR. LATERNSER: Your Honor, I don't know whether the name came through correctly. I don't want a misunderstanding to arise.
BY MR. FENSTERMACHER:
Q I asked you, Mr. Krage, if you knew 2nd Lt. Lau, H-a-u?
A Hau? No.
Q Mr. Krage, will you look now at NOKW-497. I think you have it right with you. This is on page 6 of the English document book and page 4 of the German or with the same exhibit number 80. You will note there, Mr. Krage, that this is a report from the 2nd Battalion, 521st Signal Regiment. I believe that is your battalion.
A. Yes, that is my battalion.
Q And you will note the text:
Q The battalion presents as a supplement to the reports about Communist bandit surprise attack, a report concerning the shootings of Jews, which have been carried out. Further shootings could not be carried out by the battalion, since an allocation of men was impossible on account of their being utilized for reestablishment of the telephone lines from Sabac to Loznica.
The Pongruber Corps Signal Battalion was charged by Col. Wurster with the carrying out of further executions," and the report is signed "Major and Battalion Commander".
Now I assume that that report passed through your hands since you were the battalion adjutant?
A Yes.
Q And you will note that the report talks about the shootings of Jews. It says nothing about the shooting of captured partisans.
A Of course, I can't say anything especial about this today. There is quite a possibility that the most important part it must be seen from the report of Lt. Liepe, as far as it exists today, whether they were Communists or Jews or partisans in general. The expression as such from that time was used for briefness, and certainly Jews were among them. Otherwise they wouldn't be mentioned in this report.
Q You think the word "Jews" was used as a shorter way of saying "captured partisans"?
A The order spoke on the first page about Jews and Communists and, therefore, I assume that is how the expression arose in this order, but I can't say if there were only Jews there. I wasn't there, and I really don't know, I can't remember in detail why the word "Jews" was used here.
Q But even though this report went through your hands, you could recollect nothing when asked by Dr. Laternser about the execution of Jews in reprisal for the death of German soldiers. You could only remember that captured partisans were killed.
DR. LATERNSER: That is not correct, Your Honor. I don't remember that I asked the witness anything of this kind.
THE WITNESS: I myself remember only -
THE PRESIDENT: Just a moment, please, I think the question may be continued. The witness will be able to protect himself if he has been misquoted or if the question has been misquoted.
A You may proceed.
A I remember that I said that I was asked from where the people were taken and then as far as I remember I answered that they were taken from a hostage camp in or near Belgrade, and that as far as I know the people were captured partisans.
The express question whether they were Jews or Communists or only Jews, I can't remember this.
Q Now you will note in the second paragraph, Mr. Krage, it says that
THE PRESIDENT: Just a minute, please. We will take our morning recess at this time.
THE MARSHALL: The Court will be in recess for fifteen minutes.
(A recess was taken.)
THE MARSHAL: Persons in the Courtroom please find their seats.
The Tribunal is again in session.
THE PRESIDENT: You may proceed with the cross examination.
CROSS EXAMINATION (Continued) BY MR. FENSTERMACHER:
Q Thank you, your Honor. Mr. Krage, we were looking at the report of your battalion which you will find there on page two of Document NOKW-497 which is Exhibit No. 80, page 6 of the English and page 4 of the German document book. You will note, Mr. Krage, that the second paragraph states that further shootings could not be carried out by the battalion because the allocation of men was impossible on account of their being utilized for the reestablishment of the telephone lines Sabac to Losnica.
It doesn't say anything about the shootings having been called off because of the psychological factor involved with the German execution squads.
A I have already said that I recall that the Company at least made this report. But I also said that other enlisted men than those who had taken part in the execution were not at our disposal. I explain the fact that one of the reasons which I gave has not been given here simply by the fact that this reason - that the company was used was a reason which released the company from a continuation of the executions in any case since the works which have already been mentioned here were a matter of communication lines which had to precede any execution.
Q You say then that there were several reasons why the shootings were called off, one being the psychological factor and another being that the companies involved were needed to re-establish telephone wires.
A Yes. That is how I imagine that to be and that is how I recall it.
Q Now will you look at the last paragraph? It says there that the Pongruber Corps Signal Battalion was charged by Col. Wurster with carrying cut of further executions. I believe you have identified Col. Wurster as Commander of the 521st Signal Regiment at that time.
A No. Col. Wurster was not the Commander of the Signal Regiment. He was the so-called Higher Signal Officer with the Armed Forces Commander Serbia. He was the Signal expert of the Commanding General and we were territorially subordinate to him as I have mentioned, and supposedly also the Corps Signal Battalion of Pongruber was also subordinate to him since such an order would remain inexplicable to me. But Col. Wurster was not regimental commander.
Q I think you said earlier that you didn't know who Pongruber was?
A I said I know Col. Pongruber as Commander of a Coprs Signal Battalion and I remember the first meeting with him in Greece.
Q Are you sure Pongruber was in Serbia at this time?
A I also recall that a Corps Signal Battalion was stationed in Serbia and I remember that because we, at the beginning of June - that is when we first arrived in Serbia -- made contact with this battalion because we took over some of their quarters. It must have been the battalion Pongruber.
Q This report, as I understand it, means that Col. Wurster who was with the Commander of Serbia gave an order to the Pongruber Corps Signal Battalion to carry out further executions and that your Battalion Commander had information to that effect.
A News regarding executions which had been carried out?
Q News regarding at least an order by Col. Wurster to Pongruber to continue with the executions.
A I can only explain this paragraph as follows. I assume that my commander -- that is the Commander of the Second Battalion of the Signal Regiment -- made representations to Col. Wurster as Chief of the Signal Regiment and gave his reasons. I further assume that in the course of this discussion, our Battalion was released from further executions and that in the course of this discussion the Signal Chief mentioned that the Corps Signal Battalion would have to continue. Otherwise, I could not explain this matter.
I don't assume that we got a written order to stop executions with the message that somebody else would have to take over the executions. On the strength of my experiences, I take it that such things are discussed and dealt within discussions between commanders. As I said, this is just an assumption which I now, after having read this, take as explanation for the version of this letter.
Q You yourself feel a little bit unclear about the matter of further executions? After six years?
A No.
Q You know nothing about the order by Col. Wurster to Pongruber to continue with the executions, did you?
A I must have known it because I assume that I saw it from this letter as a report from this battalion.
Q Now that you have seen this, does it refresh your recollection as to what happened in the matter of further executions?
A This letter only says that Major Pongruber had received the order.
Q Now I am asking you whether you can now recall, after six years, whether any further executions were carried out by Pongruber?
A I cannot say that.
Q As far as you know, only about four or five hundred persons were executed?
A Yes, as far as I remember, that number is correct, because I remember the figures of two executions and I remember the figure of four to seven hundred -- that is to say executed by our Battalion by our units.
Q Did the interpreter -- did you mean four to seven hundred or four to five hundred?
THE INTERPRETER: Four to seven hundred.
THE WITNESS: Five hundred.
THE INTERPRETER: Five hundred -- that is what the witness said.
Q Did you ever receive information from the Pongruber with regard to the executions he carried out in compliance with Wurster's order?
A I can't say that. It is not to be assumed because there is no relationship of dependence between us because if the Battalion of Pongruber had continued with its executions, it would not have been obliged to tell us about that.
Q I thought perhaps as your Battalion Commander you got the order from Wurster to Pongruber; perhaps he also had knowledge of the report from Pongruber to Wurster regarding the further executions?
A If the Battalion Pongruber executed, it made corresponding reports to Col.
Wurster as we did, but that again is only an assumption.
Q. Would you or would you not have gathered information regarding Pongruber's executions? You got knowledge of an order from Wurster to Pongruber; could you also have gotten knowledge of a report from Pongruber to Wurster?
A. I have already said I cannot say that whether the commander got most of these. I don't know personally. I don't remember.
Q. Will you look at the last page of that document, Mr. Krage, it is page 7 of the English, page 5 of the German Document Book. This is a report from First Lieutenant Liepe. I think you already identified him as the commander of the Second Company of your Battalion?
A. The Third Company.
Q. The third Company, thank you. This report of Lt. Liepe again talks about the shooting of Jews on the 9th and 11th; did you ever see Lt. Liepe's report?
A. Yes, I believe that this is the report which I have just mentioned in passing. I take from the version of this report of Lt. Liepe which only mentions Jews, that also the report of the Battalion did only mention Jews.
Q. Do you believe that Liepe's report when it talks about Jews means captured Partisans who also happened to be Jews?
A. Yes, I must assume it.
Q. Now, will you look at paragraph two of Hope's report, which bears you out, Mr. Krage, that two officers and 20 men were killed, that 16 were missing and three were wounded?
A. Yes.
Q. You have a very good memory for figures?
A. I have already stated that of course I know the number of the dead with great certainty, because this incident was rather unique. I also know that the number of the wounded was only very small. Along them was Kerbler, who has been mentioned before, and the last number, that again I was trying to explain, can be figured out when adding the strength of the platoon of the Usce, these platoons usually had the strength of about five or six persons to the remaining number of people who escaped at Topola.
The people missing I thus figured to be about 15 or 16.
Q. Do you also remember the uniqueness of the number of people killed in retaliation for the death of these German soldiers?
A. I have already stated it, giving the figure of between 400 and 500. Naturally, I remember the figure of my own comrades more accurately and I think this is quite comprehensible.
Q. Now, will you turn to page 5 of that document, page 9 of the English, page 7 of the German Document Book. Will you notice the second paragraph of that page of Liepe's report. Here he talks about shooting of 180 men on 9 October, and in this paragraph he states that another shooting took place October 11. That it went according to plan, and that 269 men were shot. From Liepe's figures it appears that the total of 449 persons were shot.
Continuing with his report he states: "No prisoner escaped in either shooting and the unit had no special events and occurrences to report. A platoon of the unit of Major Pongruber under command of 2nd Lt. Hau was employed for strengthening the security." Do you recall whether in addition to the two companies of your Battalion which participated in the execution, that there was also a platoon of Major Pongruber detailed to the execution spot?
A. I wouldn't have remembered it if I hadn't read it just now.
Q. Do you remember it now that you have read it?
A. Yes, I assume that I read this report, because such a report must have passed through my hands, but Lt. Hau is personally unknown to me, and it is of course possible that at this opportunity he was used for security purposes.
Q. Now, that you have read this, does it refresh your recollection regarding the details of this execution; can you say now that you remember that in 1941 in October a platoon of Major Pongruber was attached to the execution squads of the two companies for security purposes?
A. If that is contained in the document I take it to be a natter of course that it happened in this manner.
Q. Now, will you continue with the report, page 10 of the English and page 8 of the German Document Book: "Altogether 449 men were shot on the 9th and 11th of October 1941 by the units named." Now, will you note the last paragraph, Mr. Krage:
"Unfortunately, an additional shooting by the units named had to be stopped on account of commitment and a transfer of the mission to the unit of Major Pongruber resulted."
Do you remember now whether Pongruber actually carried out the mission of continuing the execution of the 2100 Serba which General Boehme had previously ordered?
A. I must stick to my statement that I did not gain any knowledge of the fact that the executions of 2200 persons had been carried out.
Q. You can't say whether or not Major Pongruber carried out further executions, you do not know?
A. It is possible, but I don't know it.
Q. I just want to show you one more document, Mr. Krage, this is NO. 3402 -- I don't seem to have that document, so we will pass by it, Mr. Krage.
JUDGE CARDER: That is Exhibit 83 in Book 3, isn't it?
MR. FENSTERMACHER: I wanted to show the witness the actual photostat copy. Perhaps Dr. Laternser wouldn't mind if I submit the witness the German Document Book. It is on page 9 of the German Document Book. Supposing you show the witness. Dr. Laternser, I wonder if I could borrow your German Document Book III to show the witness this particular exhibit?
Q. Mr. Klage, will you turn to page 15 in that document book. Mr. Klage, this is a report of the Chief of Security Police in the SD, dated Berlin, 21 October 1941. I don't suppose you have ever seen this particular report. Will you turn to Paragraph 3-b) of the report which is on page 16 of the German Document Book. First, do you know whether an SD unit was operating near Topola, near your unit, in October 1941?
A. A field Police unit?
DR. LATERNSER: The prosecution has just asked concerning an SD unit. That was translated as Field Police.
THE PRESIDENT: Is it correct?
Q. My question is, your Honor, Mr. Krage do you know whether an SD unit was operating near Topola, near your unit in Serbia, in October 1941?
A. I didn't know anything of a SD unit near Topola. I only know that in Belgrade the SD was employed, but I don't know anything of a unit near Topola.
Q. This particular report of the Chief of the Security Police in the SD says in par. 3 b), under Special Events, that General Boehme's order, according to which 100 Serbs will be executed for every soldier killed and 50 for every soldier wounded, has established a completely clear routine for action. Do you remember ever receiving a 100: 1 and 50 to one order of General Boehme?
A. I remember an order to this effect, but I believe it originated from the OKW, and not from General Boehme.
That was a fundamental order.
Q General Boehme could have passed that order down to your Regiment and Battalion, could he not?
A Yes, I remember this OKW order.
Q And this particular SD report does on to say, "On the strength of this order, for instance, 2200 Serbs and Jews were shot in reprisal for an attack on a convoy near Ropola, during which 22 members of the Wehrmacht perished."
A I can only say what I have already stated, the number of executions carried out by us, that is by the company concerned, was between 400 and 500. Other units must have carried out executions, but I don't remember that.
Q Mr. Krage, there were 22 soldiers killed in the attach on Topola
A Yes, and 16 missing.
Q If we add these two figures we get 38, and you recall that the number of persons actually executed by the two companies involved was in the neighborhood of 400 to 500, that would mean a ratio of 10 to one. Did you ever receive an order to execute at the ratio of 10 to one in reprisal for the Topola action?
A I can only remember that the orders which were received by the troops regarding the reprisal measures became more and more aggravated in the same ratio as the sabotage acts and attacks from ambush increased. Whether initially there was an order of one to 10 I really cannot say now, but I certainly remember the order of one to 100, because of its extreme severity and because we later were affected by it ourselves.
Q Did you ever feel as a soldier or Battalion Adjutant that the orders which you were receiving from your superiors and which you had the duty to pass on to your subordinated were brutalizing the common German soldier?
A I believe it was rather the opposite. I would ask you to remember that the troops when the campaign was finished, as members of the occupational force, were understandably excited and agitated and embittered when they saw that again and again their comrades were murdered or killed in this way outside of acts of War.
I have not gained the impression that such orders, especially not in the case of such a unit as a signal unit was, had in any way led to a brutalization, as you have called it. I would further like to consider that the individual soldier did not have the right in any way to become active in order to carry out a reprisal action. The individual soldier could only become active on orders, and in our case it was like this, that none of those who actually took part in the offense were caught in the act, so that it could not come to brutal measures in flagranti, so to speak. I rather believe that the troops when they heard of this order of one to 100 were not waiting to see high figures of executions, but they rather hoped that such a deterent order would finally accomplish what military actions could not accomplish in the Balkans -- everybody who knows the Balkans will confirm this -- expecially not with the troops who were at the disposal of the German military leaders at that time. That is how I can answer this question.
Q Some of the orders which you received from your superior officers were so harsh and severe that your troops refused to carry them out. I am thinking now of your statement that the troops were not fit psychologically to carry out the execution as it had been ordered by General Boehme, the execution of 2100 Serbs?
A The term rebellion is not correct. I tried previously to explain it like that. I said that all members of the execution squads, until that time, had hardly ever been used in actual combat, they had only fulfilled their signal tasks. Almost none of them did ever fire a shot at the enemy. That such an experience, that is to say the execution of a great number of human brings who had after all not harmed any of the members of the execution squad, apart from the fact that they, or rather their countrymen, had killed the comrades of these executioners.
This experience was, of course, inclined to produce certain mental effects. I therefore assume that one or another member of this squad asked the Chief of the company to Let him off from the next execution, because of the reasons which I have just mentioned.
But since it was not possible for all of them I assume that on the basis of this experience the company leader made representations in the way I have just described and that then the employment reasons were added to this, and finally gave cause to discontinue the executions at least the executions of our units.
Q Did the fact that the troops did not like to execute large numbers of innocent persons play any part in the psychology with which they treated their victims as members of execution details?
A That I cannot say, since I myself did not take part. I can only try to place myself into the soul of the person who was completely ignorant as to combat, and with regard to the killing of a person. I can only try to imagine what his mental reactions were. Not the idea that the shooting of hostages is something unjust in itself, but merely the mental shock connected with these executions was the reason why the executions were discontinued.
Q Don't you feel, Mr. Krage, that this particular order of General Boehme to execute 2100 Serbs and the 100 to one order which you received through channels, was intended to terriroze the Serbian population?
A No, on the contrary I assume that the reason for this order was that seeing that military orders had not been a success intimidation of the population was to prevent the population from attacking the supplies and military.
MR. FENSTERMACHER: Thank you, Mr. Krage. No further questions, Your Honor.
THE PRESIDENT: Is there any redirect examination?
REDIRECT EXAMINATION BY DR. LATERNSER:
Q The victims of the attack, the German victims of this attack, all originated from the third and fourth Company of your Battalion?
A Yes, they were all members of these two companies.