Lays Bare Inner Workings Of Nazi Security Police

Northern Advocate, 4 January 1946, Page 3

Lays Bare Inner Workings Of Nazi Security Police

(Receiyed 11.40 a.m.) NUREMBERG, January 3. SPECIAL S.S. UNITS WERE ATTACHED TO THE GERMAN K ARMY WHEN THE ATTACK ON RUSSIA WAS LAUNCHED WITH ORDERS TO KILL EVERY JEW AND SOVIET POLITICAL COMMISSAR IN THE REGIONS OVERRUN. This was disclosed at the Nazi war criminals’ trial today by Major-General Otto Ohlendorf, who was Chief of Security at Himmler’s headquarters, and the officer responsible for Reich security under Kaltenbrunner. '

A small hunched man, clad in a crumpled grey suit. Ohlendorf calmly but completely laid bare the inner workings of the Nazi security police system which controlled occupied Europe for years by terror. He shifted uneasily under the eyes of the accused ns he told of the vital position held by Kaltenbrunner, and outlined in detail, with the aid of charts, the organisation of the S.S. ‘)0,000 LIQUIDATED

Ohlendorf said he was appointed leader of one of the mobile groups responsible for the liquidation of Jews and Communist functionaries on the Russian front. Under cross-examination, Ohlendorf admitted that 90,000 Jewish men. women and children were liquidated in Russia under his direction.

He personally attended many mass executions and devised methods for carrying them out. “It was my idea that those to bo executed should not-know about it until the last minute, so we simply told them we were taking them to another area,” he said. The victims, until 1942, were shot and buried in anti-tank ditches. Himmler then ordered that women . and children should be executed in gasvans. 15 to 25 at a time. GAS VANS

The gas vans were disguised as ordinary trailers. When the engine was running the gas could be turned on. The occupants died within 15 minutes and suffered no pain.

Vans loaded with the victims were driven to the burial place while the occupants died. Vans were used to spare women and children, “spiritual torment." The mass execution was to spare the Germans, many of # whom were married, the unpleasant job of shooting women and children. Replying to a Russian, Major-Gen-eral Nikitchencko, Ohlendorf said the order was that the entire Jewish population should be liquidated. Nikitchencko: Including childi'en? Ohlendorf, without a flicker of .his eyes: Yes, including children. THREE ADMISSIONS Kaltenbrunner's counsel, cross-ex-amining Ohlendorf, .got him to admit: (1) That Kaltenbrunner deplored the State’s attitude regarding the Church. (2) That Himmler, not Kaltenbrunner, decided on concentration ca-mp releases.

(3) That Heydrich, not Kaltenbrunner, established mobile liquidation groups for the Russian front.

Dr. Herbert Krause, counsel for Schacht, asked Ohlendorf: “Do you know that Schacht was placed in a concentration camp for his part in.the July bomb plot against Hitler?’’

Ghlendorf: “Yes. He was known to have been connected with this matter. He had been inimical to the party since 1937 or 1938. The order to place him in a concentration camp must have come from Hitler or Himmler.”