VON MANSTEN ON TRIAL

Ashburton Guardian, Volume 69, Issue 267, 24 August 1949, Page 3

VON MANSTEN ON TRIAL

17 Charges Preferred IN .Z.P. A. —Copyright) (Rec. 10.0 a.m.) LONDON, Aug. 23. The trial of the C 1-year-old German, Field-Marshal Fritz Erich von Manstein, opened to-day. He is accused of liquidating 100,000 Jews while lie was commander of . the eleventh Germany Army in the Crimea, and with 16 other war crimes allegedly committed in Poland and Russia. The Allies have held von Manstein for four years. The first group of charges allege that von Manstein in Poland between September 2, 1939, and October 25, 1939, in violation of the laws and usages of war authorised and permitted the killing and maltreatment of Polish citizens. The .second group of charges allege that von Manstein failed to secure humane treatment for Soviet prisoners of war and accuse him of issuing orders that members of the Soviet forces should be treated as partisans and shot without trial.

The charges which correspondents cay that the prosecution regards as the most serious are those relating to the accusation that von Manstein ordered or authorised the handing over of Jews and gypeies to a special task force for executiong by shooting, hanging, gassing and drowning. Von Manstein early to-day was brought under heavy guard before the court in Hamburg. He epent the night in a bare hospital cell under an antisuicide watch by a British officer. He is the 938th and last German to be tried by a British war crimes court. Mr R. T. Paget, K.C., who is counsel for von Manstein, submitted that the war crimes court had no jurisdiction. Counsel submitted that von Manstein was entitled to trial by court-martial. He added that von Manetein had no desire to avoid being tried. “Like von Rundstedt he ivas most anxious to be tried to clear his name and honour.” Mr Paget submitted that von Manstein was still a prisoner of war and Britain was still nominally at war with Germany. He was prisoner under the Geneva Convention and Britain could not alter his statue. Von Manstein therefore could not be deprived of his rights. He wanted to be tried as a soldier.