GERMAN PRISON CAMPS

Grey River Argus, 19 September 1945, Page 5

GERMAN PRISON CAMPS

TRIAL OF CONTROLLERS Case for Prosecution LONDON, Sept. 17 At the trial in connection with Belsen and Auschwitz camps, Camp Commandant Kramer closelv - followed the charges. ‘ The proceedings were translated into German and Polish. The defence, through Major T. C. Winwood, for Kramer and 11 otners, and Major L. S. Cranfield for Grese, submitted that the charges had not disclosed an offence. They asked’ for further assistance in the preparalion of the defence. Major Winwood said that a letter had been sent to the 30th Corps Headquarters, asking them to provide experts on international law, and to obtain books from England. Headquarters replied, saying that the officer would travel to England to get the books, but not at the public expense. Law experts said Major Winwood' could not appear for i.ne defence, because there were no means of paying their expenses. The defence asked the Court’s assistance in securing witnesses who had been so far not available.

The Court adjourned at ipid-day to consider the defence appeals. Meanwhile the accused lunched on a bowl of soup and a mug of coffee. The Court decided' to overrule an application for separate trials relating to Auschwitz and Belsen, and separate trials for several of the accused, including Kramer. The President of the Court. MajorGeneral Berney Hicklin, refused to stop the proceedings on the defence’s submission. He said that they could be raised later. He suggested that the questions of assistance required could be taken up with the prosecution direct.

Opening the case for the prosecution, Colonel T. M. Backhouse said that there was ample evidence to justify the Court concluding that the accused participated in cruelties in both camps under their joint leauei-, and that all were part of a common action. There were no words with which adequately to describe their crimes. At Auschwitz there was deliberate extermination of thousands, probably millions, of people. Wnen the British arrived at Belsen on April 15 there were 13,000 corpses lying unburied', despite the fact that auring the preceding few days. 2,000 inmates were engaged in dragging corpses for 12 hours daily, and burying them in large pits. Eighty per cent, of the living were suffering from dysentery, and typhus was rampant. Of 12,000 men, 2.242 were acutely ill, more than 700 required treatment, and there were 59 new cases daily. Of 28,000 women, 2,U00 were acutely ill, 18,000 required treatment, and there were 125 new cases daily. Thirteen thousand inmates died' during six weeks after the arrival of the British, despite every care and attention. Death was mainly due to starvation, thirst and ill-treatment. Beating to death, shooting and starvation were killing every person in the camp. The average life of a man in Block 18 was 12 days. The ordinary ration was a cup of weak ersatz coffee in the morning and turnip soup with a little bread at mid-day. An evening meal did not exist. Hq continued: “The Court will watch a film which will show the degradation to which the human mind descended. You will see well-fed members of the S.S. and you will see people fighting with a can an a piece of string for water from a tank. What you will' not see is that the water was foul, with bodies in it. You will see the ‘dead, living and dying, but the film cannot give you the abominable smell and squalor wnich stank to hign heaven.” Col. Backhouse said the the Belsen day began with reveille at 4 a.m. from which no one was exempt. The sick and d'ying sometimes stood for hours. There latterly was almost a complete dearth of food, for which reason many inmates resorted to cannibalism. The British found that one in ten of the corpses had a piece of flesh cut from the thigh or other part of the body. Towards the end, shooting went on almost incessantly. Every guard carried a whip, stick or revolver. The defence would possibly claim that this state of affairs resulted from the breakdown of the organisation and' Kramer’s inability to obtain food, but one mile up the road there was a Wehrmacht camp with stocks of food, terrific grain supplies and a bakery capable of turning out 60,000 loaves daily. Aushwitz had much the same routine as Belsen, except that there some S.S women amused themselves by setting large hounds upon tne prisoners and watching them tear the prisoners to pieces. The camp authorites at Auschwitz, where Kramer was section commander, resolved to exterminate all who were unfit to be active beasts of burden. Sick persons and pregnant women were never admitted. They went straight to a gas chamber. Of 45,000 Jews admitted', 60 survived. FRENCH DEATH SENTENCE \ ON BROADCASTER ' PARIS, Sept. 17 The Purge Court sentenced to death Jean Paquis. Paris radio commentator under the Germans, on charges of intelligence with the enemy. Paquis refused to appeal against the verdict ,and turned from the Judges with the cry “Long Live France.” The trial lasted six hours —tne briefest to date. It also attracted the biggest crowd so far. GERMAN RELEASED FRANKFURT, Sept. 17 Dr. Haushofer has been released from custody. The Allied' intelligence officers say he was given a “clean bill.” He is now living with his Jewish wife near Munich.