The subsequent Nuremberg trials (also Nuremberg Military Tribunals; 1946–1949) were twelve trials for war crimes committed by the leaders of Nazi Germany (1933–1945).
The Nuremberg Military Tribunals occurred after the Nuremberg trials, held by the International Military Tribunal, which concluded in October 1946. The subsequent Nuremberg trials were held by U.S. civilian courts and dealt with the cases of crimes against humanity committed by the business community of Nazi Germany, specifically the crimes of using slave labor and plundering occupied countries, and the war crime cases of Wehrmacht officers who committed atrocities against Allied prisoners of war, partisans, and guerrillas.
Background The Allies had initially planned to convene several international trials for war crimes at the International Military Tribunal, but failed because the Allies could not agree upon the proper legal management and disposition of military and civilian war criminals; however, the Control Council Law No. 10 (20 December 1945) of the Allied Control Council empowered the military authorities of every occupation zone in Germany to place on trial people and soldiers suspected of being war criminals. Based on this law, the U.S. authorities proceeded after the end of the initial Nuremberg Trial against the major war criminals to hold another twelve trials in Nuremberg. The judges in all these trials were American, and so were the prosecutors; the chief of counsel for the prosecution was Brigadier General Telford Taylor. In the other occupation zones, similar trials took place.
Trials The twelve U.S. trials after the Nuremberg Military Tribunals (NMT) took place from 9 December 1946 to 13 April 1949. The trials were as follows: #DesignationsDatesDefendants1Doctors' Trial 9 December 1946 – 20 August 1947 23 Nazi physicians of the Aktion T42Milch Trial 2 January – 14 April 1947 Field Marshal Erhard Milch of the Luftwaffe3Judges' Trial 5 March – 4 December 1947 16 Nazi German "racial purity" jurists4Pohl Trial 8 April – 3 November 1947 Oswald Pohl and 17 SS officers5Flick Trial 19 April – 22 December 1947 Friedrich Flick and 5 directors of his companies6IG Farben Trial 27 August 1947 – 30 July 1948 24 directors of IG Farben, maker of Zyklon B7Hostages Trial 8 July 1947 – 19 February 1948 12 German generals of the Balkan Campaign8RuSHA Trial 20 October 1947 – 10 March 1948 14 racial cleansing and resettlement officials9Einsatzgruppen Trial 29 September 1947 – 10 April 1948 24 officers of Einsatzgruppen10Krupp Trial 8 December 1947 – 31 July 1948 12 directors of the Krupp Group11Ministries Trial 6 January 1948 – 13 April 1949 21 officials of Reich ministries12High Command Trial 30 December 1947 – 28 October 1948 13 generals and 1 admiral of the High Command
Result
The Nuremberg process initiated 3,887 cases of which about 3,400 were dropped. 489 cases went to trial, involving 1,672 defendants. A total of 1,416 of them were found guilty; fewer than 200 were executed, and another 279 defendants were sentenced to life in prison. By the 1950s almost all of them had been released.
Many of the longer prison sentences were reduced substantially by an amnesty under the decree of high commissioner John J. McCloy in 1951, after intense political pressure. Ten outstanding death sentences from the Einsatzgruppen Trial were converted to prison terms. Many others who had received prison sentences were released outright.
Criticism Some of the Nuremberg Military Tribunals have been criticised for their conclusion that "morale bombing" of civilians, including its nuclear variety, was legal, and for their judgment that, in certain situations, executing civilians in reprisal was permissible.
Judges JudgePositionDesignationsPrevious or current positionHu C. AndersonPresiding judgeKrupp TrialPresident of the Tennessee Court of AppealsWalter B. BealsDoctors' TrialJustice of the Washington Supreme CourtMallory B. BlairJudgeJudges' TrialJudge of the Third Court of Appeals of TexasJames T. BrandAssociate justice of the Supreme Court of OregonGeorge J. BurkeHostages TrialFormer prosecuting attorney of Washtenaw County, MichiganEdward F. Carter Associate justice of the Nebraska Supreme CourtWilliam C. ChristiansonPresiding judgeMinistries TrialAssociate justice of the Minnesota Supreme CourtJudgeFlick TrialMinnesota Supreme Court JusticeJohnson T. CrawfordRuSHA Trial Judge of the Oklahoma Court of AppealsDoctors' TrialEdward J. DalyKrupp Trial Associate justice, Connecticut Supreme CourtRichard D. DixonAlternate judgeFlick TrialNorth Carolina Superior Court judgeJudgeEinsatzgruppen TrialWinfield B. HaleHigh Command Trial Judge, Tennessee Court of AppealsJustin W. HardingBar of the State of OhioAlternate judgeJudges' TrialPaul M. HebertJudgeIG Farben TrialDean of the Law School of Louisiana State UniversityRobert F. MaguireMinistries Trial Master in Chancery United States District Court for the District of OregonCarrington T. MarshallPresiding judgeJudges' TrialChief justice of the Supreme Court of OhioClarence F. MerrellAlternate judgeIG Farben TrialLawyer from Indiana (friend of Judge Shake)James MorrisJudgeJustice of the North Dakota Supreme Court Michael MusmannoPresiding judgeEinsatzgruppen TrialMilitary governor of an occupied district in ItalyJudgeMilch TrialPohl TrialDaniel T. O'ConnellRuSHA TrialAssociate justice of the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial CourtFitzroy Donald PhillipsMilch Trial Judge, North Carolina Superior CourtPohl TrialLeon W. PowersMinistries TrialJustice of the Iowa Supreme CourtFrank RichmanFlick TrialIndiana Supreme Court justiceHarold SebringDoctors' TrialJustice of the Florida Supreme CourtCharles B. SearsPresiding judgeFlick TrialChief judge of the New York Court of AppealsCurtis Grover ShakeIG Farben TrialChief judge of the Indiana Supreme CourtJohn J. SpeightJudgeEinsatzgruppen TrialLawyer from AlabamaAlternate judgeMilch TrialPohl TrialVictor C. SwearingenDoctors' TrialSpecial assistant to the attorney general of the United StatesRobert M. TomsPresiding judgeMilch TrialJudge of the Circuit Court for Wayne County, MichiganPohl TrialCharles F. WennerstrumHostages TrialChief justice of the Iowa Supreme CourtWilliam J. WilkinsJudgeKrupp TrialKing County Superior Court judgeLee B. WyattPresiding judgeRuSHA TrialAssociate justice of the Supreme Court of GeorgiaJohn C. YoungHigh Command TrialFormer chief justice, Colorado Supreme Court
Notes
References
Bibliography
See also Command responsibility doctrine of hierarchical accountability Research Materials: Max Planck Society Archive
Trials Auschwitz Trial held in Kraków, Poland in 1947 against 40 SS-staff of the Auschwitz concentration camp death factory Frankfurt Auschwitz Trials, 1963–1965 Majdanek Trials, held against Majdanek extermination camp officials. Longest Nazi war crimes trial in history, spanning over 30 years Chełmno Trials of the Chełmno extermination camp personnel, held in Poland and Germany. The cases were decided almost twenty years apart Sobibor Trial held in Hagen, Germany in 1965, concerning the Sobibor extermination camp Belzec Trial before the 1st Munich District Court in the mid-1960s, eight SS-men of the Belzec extermination camp Belsen Trial in Lüneburg, 1945 Dachau Trials held within the walls of the former Dachau concentration camp, 1945–1948 Mauthausen-Gusen camp trials, 1946–47 Ravensbrück Trial, 1946–48
External links The NMT proceedings at the Mazal Library. An overview.