The Kompoti incident I do not recall at all. I conclude from the files that the troops were out on a mopping up operation there because bands showed their faces in Kompoti near Arta and in the fighting at that time, where artillery was used as I see here, these ten bandits were shot. I assume in the course of the operation and when the bandits returned to the village later, about one week later, it was found that the bandits were establishing trenches somewhere in the neighborhood of Kompoti and at that location, according to the report, eight of the people who were doing the work were shot, because as a rule peaceful inhabitants don't dig out trenches. As we are concerned hero with a bandit invested area, these people must have been members of the bands who in the course of the mopping up operations, that is to say in the course of a mopping up operation, were shot. I cannot give any details about this, because I do not recall the incident.
Q. In Document NOKW-1104 on page 88 of the English and 114 of the German there is a report which is Exhibit 451. It is dated 17 September 1943 and it concerns the destruction of a village near Konica. Can you tell us what this was about -- Konica?
A. This is the village of Konica which has frequently been mentioned in the violent Greek bandits' fighting of recent times. That area at that time was badly infested by the bands which I remember. I myself frequently went to Konica. We had established a school there. These surrounding villages were probably all occupied by bandits all of the time. A number of operations were launched against the bands and in this case, as far as I can deduce from the files, we were concerned with the fact that a telephone detachment was attacked by the bands, suffered losses and that thereupon measures were taken against the village from which the bands had obviously come; an operation was launched and on that occasion such houses as contained ammunition were burned down. When the houses burned the ammunition blew up which happens frequently during these operations against bands.
Q. In the same document, witness, another report is contained which is dated 16 September 1943, according to which along the road to Joannina a supply transport was attacked by the bands. One officer and four men were killed on the German side and a number of men were missing; 7 men were wounded and 2 lorries were badly damaged. One the basis of that report a mopping up operation against these bands was launched.
Q. What can you tell us about that?
A. I recall this incident. It was a surprise attack which damaged us quite a bit. I think this was a case where the Nationalist bands attacked us on the Joannina-Arta road. Troops were used against them in order to render these bands harmless. Several units were used, in fact, which shows that the bands must have been of some size. There was fighting for some of the villages which had been occupied by the bands and it was found again that ammunition was kept in these houses. The civilian population had evacuated the villages and those houses for which there had been fighting and where ammunition had been found were gutted.
In other words, this was a mopping-up operation in reply to band attacks along this road.
Q. In this very large document, witness, we have a number of reports by the troops which are contained on page 117, reports by Regiments 98 and 99. For the report of the 18th to the 23rd of September 1943 concerning mopping-up operations, were you aware of these incidents at the time?
A. What I can see from the files is that these reports were not passed on to the corps which is the reason whey I don't think I was informed about these reports because those reports were brought to my notice which went to the corps which is not the case with these reports, as far as I can make out.
Q. Did you, witness, order these actions which we have discussed in detail and in number? Was it you who caused them or were these independent operations by the units under your command?
A. They were operations which had not been ordered by the corps. They were local engagements by units of the 1st Mountain Division which, because of the band attacks, had to be launched. Some of them were reported to the corps and some of them weren't which becomes clear from the document.
Q. Well, let us discuss another document. Now, witness, this again has been used to incriminate you. It is contained in Volume 19 on page 129 and on page 106 of the English. It is NOKW-909, Exhibit 454. This document contains a number of reports by the 1st Mountain Division which was under your command concerning operations against the bands. Some of them are reports by the units to the division and some others are reports by the division to your headquarters of the 22nd Mountain Army Corps.
For instance, on 27 September 1943 the 1st Mountain Division report that those civilians were shot to death on Korfu. Do you know that report?
A. I saw this report here in the files and I do remember that on Korfu on a number of occasions enemy radio stations were searched for which had kept contact either with Italy or with the bands. These wireless stations were intercepted by our monitoring services. We know that these black, these illegal, transmitting stations were on Korfu and I assume that, in connection with the tracking down of an illegal transmitter, these three so-called civilians were killed.
The circumstances are not known to me in detail, of course, because I was not present. I can only assume that when this illegal transmitter was confiscated this thing occurred. They either resisted or destroyed their installations or attempted to escape or something like that. As I say, I can not give you the details of this incident because I was not present and I have no further evidence in my possession.
Q. Was, under German military concept, the troop entitled to shoot at people who attempted to escape and do not stop although they are asked to?
A. Of course, without any doubt. That, of course, is a measure which is legal even in peacetime up to a point, that persons who are being stopped by a military sentry must stop and if they run away the sentry is entitled to shoot at those people. That, in any case, was the practice with us in Germany. How people abroad do it, I don't know, of course.
Q. In the same document, NOKW-909, which is Exhibit 454, contained in Document Book XIX on page 106 of the English book and 129 of the German a report is contained that in an operation against the bands two villages and, shortly afterwards, a third village and 18 nests of resistance were destroyed. Can you tell us something about that?
A. That operation I recall. This was concerned with a group of bands. I am not quite sure whether it was a Nationalist or Communist band because geographically speaking it was a borderline case. The band group was stationed in the neighborhood of Paramythia which is contained on the map I have submitted, and there they had held their position for some length of time. In the villages there as well as in the surrounding mountains they had their strong hold. The fighting lasted a certain period of time against the group and in the course of this fighting the villages mentioned and the nests of resistance mentioned, as well as a number of supply depots, as the report mentions, were destroyed. The enemy is supposed to have lost 10 killed and some wounded. In other words, it was a tactical operation lasting several days directed against bands in the neighborhood of Paramythia.
That is all I can say about this document. I was informed about it. Any action on my part was not necessary at the time because otherwise I would have done it.
Q. If I have understood you correctly, Witness, you deduce from this report that this was a tactical operation and an act of combat necessitated by the position of the bands in that area. You, therefore, had no cause to raise objections. Have I understood you correctly?
A. Yes, quite. Entirely correct.
Q. The next report in the same document is a report of 29th September 1943 given by the First Mountain Division to your staff. The date is 29th of September 1943: "Arrest of 30 male civilians who were suspected of having committed an important act of sabotage against telephone lines. The evening report of 29th September 1943 by the 98th Regiment shows that these civilians were handed over to the Kommandantura in order to be shot. Do you recall that incident?
A. I cannot remember it too well. I know that in the Arta area, which becomes clear from my order we have discussed before concerning arrest of hostages, - that sabotage on telephone lines occurred frequently. I also know the fighting flared up time and again with the bands who had participated in it. In the course of an operation of that sort these 30 or, as a later report says, 45 civilians, were arrested. As it says here, the civilians were arrested in the abandoned villages of Neovori and Kompoti, as well as in brushwood of the vicinity and turned over to the local administrative headquarters. I believe that the people were handed over to the local headquarters and were then sent on to the prisoners' camp.
Q. If the Tribunal please, I have succeeded in tracking down the officer who is informed about the fate of the 30 civilians. He is in a position to give us reliable information because it was his official duty to work on this matter. This is Affiant Oskar Hosa (H-O-S-A), who, between April, 1943 and October, 1943 -- that is to say, in that period of time with which we are concerned here, was a company chief down there. Herr Hosa has given me an affidavit, which is contained in Lanz Document Book IV. It's Document No 113, page 2.
I offer it as Exhibit No. 114. In view of the importance of this affidavit I beg to read it. It's a very brief document. The affiant states: "The 45 civilians, handed in the Arta Garrison according to evening report of Mountain Infantry Regiment 98 dated 29 September 1943, were not executed by shooting. I cannot recall whether they were removed to the prisoner collecting point or whether they were released." The affiant Hosa, the company chief at the time in the Mountain light Infantry Regiment has signed his document, has sworn to it, and the document is properly certified. This proves that these 45 civilians were arrested but not shot.
The next report on a reprisal measure near Paramythia has been discussed in an additional context. Witness Lanz has declared, on that occasion, that he had no knowledge of it. Then, Witness, we have a report of 30th of September 1943 concerning sabotage of telephone lines. You have also given us your comments about that. The next report is the Daily Report of 2 October 1943, contained in Volume XIX, Page 112 of the English, Document NOKW-909, Exhibit 454. What can you tell us about this?
A. According to the report this was a mopping-up operation in the Arta area which I mentioned before as being infested by bands. The village of Sikorachi was burned down and 3 civilians were shot to death, as it states here. I don't know the details of the case. I cannot clear them up. I can only deduce from the text that it was a tactical operation. As I was not present, I cannot say anything in detail about the matter. I'm bound to assume that it was a measure which had become necessary for military reasons.
Q. This is followed in the document by a report by the Group Haken. What can you tell us about that?
A. That report says that from among 10 pillbbxes 3 were destroyed; 40 bandits were killed, and our own losses amounted to one killed in combat, 16 wounded. It's obviously a fighting operation against bandits who occupied pillboxes and who were then dealt with by the Group Haken, which was the 41st Engineer Battalion.
And in the course of this engagement the losses mentioned in the document occurred. That is all I can tell you about that. That is all I can deduce.
Q. Then, we have a Daily Report of 3 October 1943 which is on Page 134 of the German text. This concerns an operation by the Spindler Group in the area of Tepelene. What do you know about that?
A. Tepelene is a place in Albania. I went there shortly after this fighting had occurred, so I know the neighborhood from memory. It's an area where fighting had previously occurred between the Italians an and the Greeks after 1940-41. The village of Tepelene was completely destroyed from the former fighting at the time when we arrived there. The Spindler Group fought, at that time, under somewhat difficult circumstances against a fairly strong Communist bandit group from Albania. As far as I remember there is a report by the then Captain Spindler in the files. Perhaps you could read this report because it shows what the action was like. And this gives us a relatively clear picture of the conditions at the time.
Q. This report of which we speak now is contained in Volume XIX, on Page 134 of the German text and Page 113 of the English text. It is a Daily Report of October 3, 1943. The affidavit is given by the Captain Spindler, to whom Lanz just had reference, is contained in Volume V. It is Document No. 161, on Page 9 in that volume. It will become Exhibit No. 115. It is an affidavit by the former Captain Spindler---Wilhelm Spindler of Stuttgart. He says that he served as a Captain under Lanz and also as a Battalion Commander with the 99th Mountain Jager Regiment. It concerns a report by the Ia of the First Mountain Division, dated 3 October 1943, to the Corps Headquarters of the 27th Mountain Army, sub-section two reads: "40 Bandits were shot in Tepelene." This is what the affiant says on Page 9:
I can still remember this very case especially well and can guar antee completely that during my service with my battalion and as leader of a combat group in this area merely military engagements and enemy losses and damage by fire resulting from them were concerned.
My opinion in detail is as follows: the attack by Engineer Battalion 41 for opening the mountain pass south of Tepelene with the order to capture the latter place had been bogged down for a long time before two lines of concrete gun emplacements, one behind the other, which began east of the read and were connected with villages which extended farther east. These villages had already been completely destroyed and burned down in fighting from earlier times. The ruins of their houses were partially roofed over again to meet necessary requirements and had been strongly built up by the bandits as rifle and anti-tank position and abundantly furnished with ammunition.
The affiant then describes, on Page 10, how this attack against this band strong-point was carried out. He describes that this was a definite military operation. And on Page 11, sub-section 2, he says: "The bandits mentioned in the report were killed in combat, rifle in hand, and more precisely in the fighting for the mountain pass and the capture of Tepelene. About 46 bandits were killed, and they were semi-uniforms and had weapons with them."
He then says in sub-section 3 that: "The text of one report that 'villages east of the road were burned down' is in accordance with the facts, since we had already found the villages destroyed and burned down from previous fighting. Insofar as they were burned down again during our engagement, this involved only the ruins of houses which had been built up into combat positions."
The affiant has sworn to this very important affidavit, and it has been properly certified.
PRESIDING JUDGE CARTER: We'll recess until 9:30 o'clock tomorrow morning.
(The Tribunal adjourned at 1635 to resume session at 0930 25 November 1947.)
Official Transcript of the American Military Tribunal in the matter of the United States of America against Wilhelm List, et al, defendants, sitting at Nurnberg, Germany, on 25 November 1947, Justice Wennerstrum presiding .
THE MARSHAL: Persons in the courtroom will please find their seats.
The Honorable, the Judges of Military Tribunal V. Military Tribunal V is now in session. God save the United States of America and this honorable Tribunal. There will be order in the courtroom.
THE PRESIDENT : Mr. Marshal, you will ascertain if the defendants are all present in the court.
THE MARSHAL: May it please your Honor, all defendants are present in the courtroom with the exception of the defendant von Weichs who is in the hospital.
THE PRESIDENT: You may proceed, Dr. Sauter.
HUBERT LANZ - Resumed DIRECT EXAMINATION - Continued BY DR. SAUTER (Counsel for the defendant Lanz):
Q. Witness, at the end of yesterday's session you spoke about reports concerning the group Spindler and we stopped when we discussed troop reports which were dated October 1943 and were not submitted to Corps headquarters. This is a report which concerned 16 Italian officers. The document number is, to repeat NOKW, Exhibit 454 in Document Book XIX on page 133 of the German and 112 of the English.
Can you tell us something a bout that report and especially concerning those 16 Italian officers?
A. I discussed than case in another connection when I discussed the Solander affair. I explained the reasons why the 1st Mountain Division took these measures. I also explained that I ordered these people to be disarmed to be sent to the prisoner collection centers , and on the basis of the facts the 1st Mountain Division took measures.
The fighting reported in this report I touched on briefly yesterday as well. An affidavit was read by Captain Spindler who was in command at that time and also about the affair Linkiades. As I explained before, this was the case where I intervened with a court martial.
Q. Witness, in Document NOKW-909, which we are discussing at the moment , which is Exhibit 454 in Document Book 19, on page 137 of the German and 117 of the English, we find reports about the attack by bands on your escort and your alleged order for the seizure of hostages. This question has been discussed once before in a different context and I hardly think you want to add anything there.
A. You are quite right, Dr. Sauter. It is not an alleged order. It is an order which I issued. I have discussed this order, and it was proved that these hostages were released afterwards.
Q. I believe you have submitted an affidavit about that yesterday which proves this. To repeat this once more -- or let me ask you a question. Is that actually the order order concerning hostages which you issued at that time?
I am still discussing the order which an affiant has testified that the hostages were in no case shot. They were either released or sent somewhere else. Is that correct?
A. I am afraid you make a small mistake, Dr. Sauter. These hostages were not sent somewhere else. They were released.
DR. SAUTER: In this connection I offer another affidavit to the Tribunal. It is contained in Document Book IV. It is Document 112 on page 1 of Document Book IV. Just a moment , please. This document was given an exhibit number once before. It was Exhibit 16. I have read it in a different context. I won't refer again to the same document because it is connected with the same problem we are dealing with at the moment.
Q. The next report, witness, in the same document deals with the mopping-up operation of Akmotopos. There a gain you have given an explanation in a different context. I assume you don't want to add anything there. Is that correct?
A. Quite so.
Q. The next daily report and evening report again discuss the fighting at Akmotopos and they also report a measure taken for the safeguarding of the supply route and Joannina-Arta and there the male population from the surrounding villages was employed, What can you tell us about that,witness?
A. The safeguarding of the supply road which had become unsafe by repeated attacks on our transport was carried out and ordered by the so-called road commandant. It was ordered, it appeared, by agreement with the 1st Mountain Division, and what I remember is that this measure was made known to me when I was on a trip from Joannina to Arta. I saw civilians sitting along the road. They had built small huts from straw. One or two men sat together in these straw huts from straw. One or two men sat together in these straw huts along the road, without arms, of course, and members of their families were with them, and their food was sent along. I stopped my car, as I remember very well. I wanted to find out what all this was about . It was somewhat difficult to understand these people but it was found out that the road commandant had to take this measure which was mentioned in the report. He employed these men along the road or, that is to say, along certain stretches of the road, in order to discourage surprise attacks and acts of sabotage along the road.
I inquired into this measure when I returned and I found out that the idea was not a particularly good one and I, therefore, rescinded it. The people were sent back to their villages which were in the neighborhood.
DR. SAUTER: About that problem, if the Tribunal please, a document is of interest which is contained in Document Book Lanz Number III. It is Document No. 72 on page 26 and it is offered as Exhibit 116. It is an affidavit by Hans Mayr who was the garrison commander of Joannina between September 1943 until the early part of October 1943. He speaks about the question of alleged shooting of hostages, acts of sabotage, and also about the employing of male population from the villages in the vicinity for the guarding of telephone lines against acts of terror.
Q Witness, perhaps it is of some importance to clear up this point about the employing of the male population for the safeguarding of the supply road. Can you tell us about that?
A Well, I thought I explained that just now. I explained just now that I encountered these people one day and so forth.
Q Well, did it become known to you whether on that occasion shooting of hostages took place and things like that?
A Nothing of that sort became known to me; namely, that hostages were shot in this connection.
Q In another document contained in Document Book XIX on page 144 of the German and 129 of the English there is a report concerning the burning down of two villages. It is a report by the 1st Mountain Division of 6 October 1943. This burning down was supposed to have been carried out by the reconnaisance detachment 54. Can you recall that case?
A I do not recall the incident. I am sorry. I no longer remember it at all.
DR. SAUTER: Well, I shall now discuss a different document -but I assume that the officer in charge of that operation must have expressed his own comments and it seems to me that the attitude he took was brought to my knowledge here. This report by the officer in charge to which you just had reference is an affidavit contained in Lanz Document Book IV. The number of the document is 144. It is on page 4 of the English book and this is offered as Exhibit 117. It is an affidavit by Kost.
The affiant, Herner Kost, tells us that he was the commanding officer in the cavalry detachment in the period from March 1943 until the 31st of October 1943. In his affidavit he gives us his comments on the report by the 1st Mountain Division of 6 October 1943 which we have just mentioned. This report says -- I quote:
"In the area southeast of Arta 2 villages were burned down by the 2nd Reconnaissance Battalion 54 for bandit activities during the last days."
About this incident with which the prosecution have attempted to incriminate General Lanz, Kost speaks as follows -- I am reading from page 3.
"This report is not quite in accordance with the facts, My troop, the 2nd Reconnaissance Battalion 54, had been detailed at that time to effect security measures for the road loading from Arta to the Gulf of Arta, and to maintain connections with the security company which had been posted at the Gulf of Arta. The troop was distributed along the road at 3 strong points. An uninhabited village, completely destroyed except for 3 houses, was approximately 2 kilometers in front of the center strong point. Regularly every night, at about 2300 hours, these 3 houses were occupied by bandits. From there, almost every night, they raided strong point 2. During a counter-attack these 3 houses were destroyed by mortar fire. After this attack everything remained completely quiet, as the bandit formations evidently withdrew right into the mountains. When this village, with the exception of those 3 houses, was destroyed, and who effected it, is beyond my knowledge. I assume, however, judging by the ruins already covered with grass, that the village fell victim to the battles of the Balkan campaign, or the Greece campaign of the Italians."
This village was approximately 4 to 3 kilometers to the back of our security lines and was completely intact, and all of the population, as far as I was able to judge, was still there. Approximately twice every week a man from this village came up who offered us eggs for sale. As I found out that he did this for the solo purpose of spying, I gave him orders not to come any more.
After approximately 8 days we noticed that along the road telephone poles were blown up during the night, obviously to endanger the communication service, which was done by motor bicycle, from the troop command post to the individual strong points.
These blastings were repeated three times, until we found out one morning that the men of that particular village planted the high explosive charges.
The battalion commander ordered me, following this, to search the village with a platoon of my company. I detailed the 1st platoon for this task. During the search this platoon established that one of the houses in the center of the village had been reconstructed like a pillbox, and that small and large British high explosive charges, several boxes with Italian infantry ammunition, 2 German and several Italian carbines, as well as a German uniform, thoroughly soaked with blood, and a German fatigue suit with waist belt and cap, were concealed there.
In another house, in which as school room was located on the first floor, and the mayor's office on the top floor, several boxes with Italian infantry- and mortar ammunition, as well as some belts with Italian machine gun ammunition, were found. Because of those ammunition finds the village was occupied, in order to await further instructions from the battalion commander.
"During the afternoon of the same day a group of the Mountain Engineer Battalion 54 arrived, who examined the ammunition finds. took along some British explosives and then blew up the two houses containing the ammunition. These two villages were not burned down."
Werner Kost has signed his affidavit and it is duly sworn to and properly certified. It is General Lanz's intention to prove by this affidavit how wrong it is to charge him or any other officer with any other accusation in connection with this particular operation.
Q This brings me to the end of my discussion of Document 909, a long voluminous document, but I would like you, witness, to give us your comments on a different document. This is document 864. It is also contained in Document Book XIX. It is the number NOKW 864. Exhibit 455 contained in Document Book XIX on page 148 of the German and 136 of the English.
This document, witness, is a file note dated 18 October 1943. It is a compilation concerning arrested persons who, it would appear, had been apprehended in the area of the 1st Mountain Division. The file note is addressed to the Commanding General, at least in the copy which is in front of me; that is to say, I assume that means you. will you please look at this file note and tell the court what you can about it?
A The incident concerned with this file note I can still remember. The reason why I can s till remember it is that the file note had a prelude to it. In these days I had inspected the prisoner collecting center in Joannina and supervised it. Without announcing my visit first -- as was my custom to visit various installations in my area without announcing my impending visit, -- on that occasion, namely, when I checked up on the prisoners' collecting center, I was not furnished by the men in charge of the collecting center with the information which I would have needed. He was unable to tell me -- at least, in some cases, he was unable to tell me ---- why the various individuals were in the collecting center at all, which was the very thing I wanted to know. I was absolutely annoyed at this.
When I returned to my office I asked the Ic to come and see me as he was the competent expert. I gave him the order to clear up this affair and report to me orally. I think I am justified in assuming that thereupon Rittmeister von Lenthe contacted the Ic of the 1st Mountain Division and obtained the necessary documents. Having obtained these documents, he reported to me orally about the whole problem. Whether it was on that occasion that he gave me this document which is now a part of Document Book XIX or whether he only used it as an aid memoire for his own report, I am unable to say. I could not tell you.
Q Witness, about the people mentioned under "b", did you order anything there? What type of prisoners are those? Perhaps you can tell us that first.
A What I remember is that in the course of the report I gave instructions to Rittmeister von Lenthe because, after all, this was the purpose of the whole arrangement. I remember giving him instruction to the effect that the prisoners are to be weeded out according to the reasons why they were in the collecting cantor at all. I also remember that I gave orders that no labor must be sent away from the corps area; they should remain in the area because I needed these people myself in order to look after our supply roads, and so on because this was the beginning of the winter and we had very long roads, about 300 kilometers in length, and it gave us very much work. I still remember those instructions.
Q About this incident, the Ic at the time has given us a comment. The Ic's name is Gebhardt von Lenthe, he is 39 years of ago and is a lawyer. He has given us a few affidavits. In this particular one he presents his comments on this problem. It is contained in Lanz Document Book V; it is Document No. 115, on Page 5. This document is offered as Exhibit No. 118. In the first paragraphs the affiant tells us that he was the Ic with the XXIInd Mountain Army Corps, that is to say, under General Lanz, from September, 1943 until the end of the war. He also says that his affidavit concerns the Memorandum for the Commanding General dated the 18th of October 1943, which is the document about which General Lanz has been talking just now. The affiant says in his affidavit as follows, from which I beg to read as it is of great importance for General Lanz' conception of duty. I am reading from the middle of Page 5. This is what the affiant says:
I recall this incident very well indeed. It referred to a report which I requested by order of General LANZ of the 1st Mountain Division, as the population had submitted complaints to LANZ about unjustified arrests, and as he had not received a satisfactory reply from the chief of the prisoner collecting point. At that time, the first Mountain Division, under the Italian High Command, had occupied the sector Joannina for almost 2 months, and the Corps LANZ, which succeeded, did not have any records covering the time before they took over the sector. With tho exception of one case (Lingiados), which General LANZ submitted to a courts martial to be dealt with, no such incidents had come to his knowledge. In order to investigate those complaints, the General requested the report in question. After it arrived I reported to General LANZ.
Concerning the individual points the following was initiated:
1.) All prisoners have to be screened why they are being detained. Particularly those of the Italian period. Whenever no conclusive evidence can be found, the prisoners are to be released.
2.) Nobody must be posted to the labor details, as all workers at our disposal will be used for the maintenance of the supply road, and for the impending winter to clear away the snow.
3.) As to the executions by shooting it has to be ascertained, why, and on whose orders they were done. Therefore, I made all the necessary arrangements. The majority of the prisoners were released after they had been screened. I myself gave orders for their release.
The commanding officer of the engineers attached to the Corps was instructed on how to commit the workers at our disposal for work on the supply roads Joannina-Korca and Joannina-Metsoven, within the road construction program. I investigated about the executions by shooting at tho 1st Mountain Division. As this was connected with repeated inquiries, and as at the beginning of November the Division was suddenly shifted from the Corps area, I was unable to get a clear picture. Part of the shootings happened before our Corps Staff arrived. I cannot recall if I submitted the original of that particular report of the 1st Mountain Division to General LANZ. Anyhow, my reporting was based on this report.
The affidavit is signed "Gebhard von Lenthe," and it has been duly sworn to and properly certified.
General Lanz offers this affidavit because in a concrete example of this sort the Tribunal will be able to realize how the General took care of matters which were not really part of his competence, but where he saw the possibility of alleviating conditions.
Q Witness, in the same Document Book, on Page 148, which is Page 138 of the English, there are two reports by the units, dated tho 19th and 20th of October 1943. Can you toll us anything about these two reports -- their contents and the responsibility?
A I'm afraid I cannot do so in this case because this is a report given by the unit to the division, but not by the division to me. I, therefore, only found this report herein the documents. Therefore, I am afraid I do not know to what the incident referred and where.