Some German Generals Have Been Acquitted

Wanganui Chronicle, 28 October 1948, Page 5

Some German Generals Have Been Acquitted

NUREMBERG, Oct. 27 (Recd. 12.4 am). —An American war crimes court today acquitted 13 of Germany's top commanders of plotting to launch the second World War. The threeman court, completing a nine months’ trial of three field-marshals, five generals, an admiral, and four lieu-tenant-generals, added that they were not the policymakers. The judgment said: “The acts of commanders and staff officers below policy level, in planning campaigns, preparing the means for carrying them out, moving against a country on orders, and lighting a war after it has been instituted, do not constitute the planning, preparation, initiation and waging of war, or the initiation of invasion that international law denounces as criminal.” The Court also struck out a conspiracy charge, but has to rule on charges of war crimes against prisoners and civilians. Judgment on these two counts will be given this afternoon and tomorrow. The defendants were:— Field-Marshal Wilhelm von Leeb, commander of the northern group of armies in Russia. Field-Marshal Hugo Sperrle, commander of the German .Legion in Spain and of the air fleet which bombed London in 1940. Field-Marshal Georg von Kuechler, who commanded the German 18th Army in the invasion of Holland, and laer succeeded von i.eeb in Russia General Hermann Both, commander of the 15th Motorised Corps in the invasion of Poland and Holland. General Hans Reinhardt, who commanded the 4th Panzer Division in the invasion of Poland. General Hans von Salmuth, chief of staff of an army group in the west. General Karl Hollidt. Admiral Otto Schniewind, chief of the Navy armament -uffice. Lieutenant-General Karl von Roques. Lieutenant-General Hermann Reineeke, chief of the High Command's National Socialist Indoctrination Staff. Lieut-General Walter Warlimont, chief of the Department of National Defence. Lieut.-General Otto Woehler, com-mander-in-chief of the Southern Army Group in Russia. Lieut.-General Rudolf Lehmann, Judge Advocate-General of the German armed forces. The 14th defendant, . General Johannes Blaskowitz, conqueror of Poland and occupation commander in France in 1940, committed suicide the day the trial opened last February.