Following the excellent article on Simferopol by Hans here and the older debunking of the Paget/Manstein meme by Roberto here, the article below examines the exhibits presented at the Manstein trial, the proceedings of which have been digitized by Yad Vashem in 62 files in the record group TR.4. I will deal with documents in their date order; most of them were discussed at trial in the transcripts digitized at TR.4/58 and TR.4/59.
2/10/41 (Exhibit 248) Operational Situation Report 101 on Cherson and Nikolayev. "From September 16 to 30, 22,467 Jews and Communists were executed. Total number 35,782."
13/10/41 (Exhibit 250) Report by Town Major, Melitopol to Rear Army Area [Korück] District HQ 553: "All Jews (2000) were executed by the SD."
18/10/41 (Exhibit 249) Operational Situation Report 117. Nikolayev. "The districts occupied by the kommandos were cleaned of Jews. 4,091 Jews and 46 Communists were executed during the time span covered by the report, bringing the total to 40,699."
29/10/41 (Exhibit 251) Town Major Mariupol to Rear Army Area District HQ 553: "8,000 Jews were executed by the SD."
5/11/41 (Exhibit 252) Operational Situation Report 129 states: "During the time under report, 11,037 Jews and 31 Communist officials and saboteurs were executed. In all: 31,767."
14/11/41 (Exhibit 288) NOKW-1573 Ortskommandantur 1/853 (translated in the trial as Town Major of Simferopol) to Korück District HQ 553 "The 11,000 Jews remaining are being executed by the SD." See scan by Hans here. Originally cited, with a misquoted death total of 10,000, in the NMT High Command Case, (see page 366 here).
20/11/41 (Exhibit 33) PS-4064 Manstein's version of the Reichenau Order.
27/11/41 (Exhibit 247) NOKW 1651 Ortskommandantur I/287 Kertsch: 11th army requests that "the liquidation of the Jews will have to be expedited due to the jeopardized food position" (TR.4/13, p.50). See also DEJ 7, p.390, n.6.
7/12/41 (Exhibit 318) NOKW 1628 Activity Report Ortskommandantur I/287 Kertsch, TR.4/59, pp.17-18. States that 2,500 Kertsch Jews executed, 1-3 Dec 1941. 'Executed' crossed out and 'resettled' substituted. See DEJ 7, Dok. 126, pp.389-391. Molotov's note here and HC articles by Roberto and myself here and here.
12/12/41 (Exhibit 254) Operational Situation Report 145 reports 2,910 Jews shot (also quoted in High Command Case, p.366, as above) and gives a killing total so far of 54,696 (see Headland, p.101).
21/12/41 (Exhibit 278) NOKW 1727 Town Major Yewpatoria; "executed" crossed out, "resettled" substituted. See note in NMT High Command case p.311 here:
2/1/42 (Exhibit 253) Operational Situation Report 150 reports the shooting of 17,645 Jews and gives a killing total thus far of 75,881
19/1/42 (Exhibit 256) Operational Situation Report 153 reports the shooting of 3,176 Jews and gives a killing total thus far of 79,276
19/1/42 (Exhibit 255) Operational Situation Report 157 gives a killing total thus far of 80,160
6/2/42 (Exhibit 257) Operational Situation Report 165 (Exhibit 257) reports the killing of 3,286 Jews and gives a killing total thus far of 85,201.
18/2/42 (Exhibit 258) Operational Situation Report 170: Translation by Hans:
8/4/42 (Exhibit 263) Operational Situation Report 190: killing total is now 91,678 (Headland, p.101).
16/4/42 (Exhibit 276) NOKW 628 Activity Report (by Seibert): "The Crimea is freed of Jews." (see also NMT Case 9 against Seibert here).
16/5/42 (Exhibit 237) Becker to Rauff on gas vans, PS-501 (TR.4/58, p.64); see Hans' analysis here. Doc is also scanned in O.18/33 here. Presented at the Manstein trial on December 13, 1949.
22/5/42 (Exhibit 274) NOKW 3398; "Ausmerzung" of "Krimtschaken...together with the Jews proper and the gipsies in the Crimea, mainly took place until the beginning of December 1941..." (TR.4/11, p.17; see also Browning, here, note 69:
16/7/42 (Exhibits 264 and 228) Town Major of Bakhchisarai to Korück District HQ 553, states that 1029 Jews from POW camp Tole were "drowned [versenkt]" at Bakhchisarai. Scan of this report is here. See also ChGK report.
In conclusion, the totality of documents above shows clearly that there was a policy to totally exterminate Jews in the Crimea. The defence tactics adopted by Paget and the defendants failed to obscure this overwhelming record of genocide.
2/10/41 (Exhibit 248) Operational Situation Report 101 on Cherson and Nikolayev. "From September 16 to 30, 22,467 Jews and Communists were executed. Total number 35,782."
13/10/41 (Exhibit 250) Report by Town Major, Melitopol to Rear Army Area [Korück] District HQ 553: "All Jews (2000) were executed by the SD."
18/10/41 (Exhibit 249) Operational Situation Report 117. Nikolayev. "The districts occupied by the kommandos were cleaned of Jews. 4,091 Jews and 46 Communists were executed during the time span covered by the report, bringing the total to 40,699."
29/10/41 (Exhibit 251) Town Major Mariupol to Rear Army Area District HQ 553: "8,000 Jews were executed by the SD."
5/11/41 (Exhibit 252) Operational Situation Report 129 states: "During the time under report, 11,037 Jews and 31 Communist officials and saboteurs were executed. In all: 31,767."
14/11/41 (Exhibit 288) NOKW-1573 Ortskommandantur 1/853 (translated in the trial as Town Major of Simferopol) to Korück District HQ 553 "The 11,000 Jews remaining are being executed by the SD." See scan by Hans here. Originally cited, with a misquoted death total of 10,000, in the NMT High Command Case, (see page 366 here).
20/11/41 (Exhibit 33) PS-4064 Manstein's version of the Reichenau Order.
27/11/41 (Exhibit 247) NOKW 1651 Ortskommandantur I/287 Kertsch: 11th army requests that "the liquidation of the Jews will have to be expedited due to the jeopardized food position" (TR.4/13, p.50). See also DEJ 7, p.390, n.6.
7/12/41 (Exhibit 318) NOKW 1628 Activity Report Ortskommandantur I/287 Kertsch, TR.4/59, pp.17-18. States that 2,500 Kertsch Jews executed, 1-3 Dec 1941. 'Executed' crossed out and 'resettled' substituted. See DEJ 7, Dok. 126, pp.389-391. Molotov's note here and HC articles by Roberto and myself here and here.
12/12/41 (Exhibit 254) Operational Situation Report 145 reports 2,910 Jews shot (also quoted in High Command Case, p.366, as above) and gives a killing total so far of 54,696 (see Headland, p.101).
21/12/41 (Exhibit 278) NOKW 1727 Town Major Yewpatoria; "executed" crossed out, "resettled" substituted. See note in NMT High Command case p.311 here:
* The original typewritten word "exekutierten" (executed) was crossed out and substituted with "umgesiedelten" (resettled) in handwriting.1/1/42 (Exhibit 266) Activity Report Ortskommandantur II/939, 21.12-31.12; 443 Jews killed Dshankoj (see DEJ 7, Dok. 139, p.414) (scan here).
2/1/42 (Exhibit 253) Operational Situation Report 150 reports the shooting of 17,645 Jews and gives a killing total thus far of 75,881
19/1/42 (Exhibit 256) Operational Situation Report 153 reports the shooting of 3,176 Jews and gives a killing total thus far of 79,276
19/1/42 (Exhibit 255) Operational Situation Report 157 gives a killing total thus far of 80,160
6/2/42 (Exhibit 257) Operational Situation Report 165 (Exhibit 257) reports the killing of 3,286 Jews and gives a killing total thus far of 85,201.
18/2/42 (Exhibit 258) Operational Situation Report 170: Translation by Hans:
The occupied Crimea will have been combed through by end of February, while single, important areas and especially towns are regularly screened. The search for isolated Jews, who have so far avoided being shot by hiding or giving false personal data, was continued. From 9 January to 15 February, more than 300 Jews were caught and executed in Simferopol. The number of people executed in Simferopol is thereby increased to almost 10,000 Jews, which is about 300 more than the number of Jews registered.Killing total is now 86,632 (Headland, p.101). Document was also quoted in the Einsatzgruppen Case, see NMT IV, p.46 here.
8/4/42 (Exhibit 263) Operational Situation Report 190: killing total is now 91,678 (Headland, p.101).
16/4/42 (Exhibit 276) NOKW 628 Activity Report (by Seibert): "The Crimea is freed of Jews." (see also NMT Case 9 against Seibert here).
16/5/42 (Exhibit 237) Becker to Rauff on gas vans, PS-501 (TR.4/58, p.64); see Hans' analysis here. Doc is also scanned in O.18/33 here. Presented at the Manstein trial on December 13, 1949.
22/5/42 (Exhibit 274) NOKW 3398; "Ausmerzung" of "Krimtschaken...together with the Jews proper and the gipsies in the Crimea, mainly took place until the beginning of December 1941..." (TR.4/11, p.17; see also Browning, here, note 69:
Nürnberg Document PS-3943 and NO-5219: Report from the Occupied Eastern Territories, No. 4, 22.5.42. (von den allgemein zu den Juden gezählten Krimtschaken ...Ihre Ausmerzung zusammen mit den eigentlichen Juden und den Zigeuner auf den Krim erfolgte im wesentlichen bis Anfang Dezember 1941.)30/6/42 (Exhibit 284) NOKW 1819. Activity Report Ortskommandantur I/287 Kertsch, TR.4/59, p.21, states that all Jews in Kertsch have now been removed.
16/7/42 (Exhibits 264 and 228) Town Major of Bakhchisarai to Korück District HQ 553, states that 1029 Jews from POW camp Tole were "drowned [versenkt]" at Bakhchisarai. Scan of this report is here. See also ChGK report.
In conclusion, the totality of documents above shows clearly that there was a policy to totally exterminate Jews in the Crimea. The defence tactics adopted by Paget and the defendants failed to obscure this overwhelming record of genocide.
I don't see this one as much but one thing deniers consistently get wrong is they think he was acquitted. The court convicted Manstein of nine counts, he actually did time. Ironically Winston Churchill, of all people, plus Liddell Hart, helped get him released early (pressure was also applied by others.
ReplyDeleteTrue. It was the start of a period of huge pressure in the UK to move attention from WW2 trials to the Cold War. They wanted the trials to end completely, and to focus on rehabilitation of Germans, even those who collaborated with the Nazis.
ReplyDeleteThis is something deniers just don't get. They assume that the west was focused on anti-Nazi prosecutions throughout postwar history and they just can't account for this anti-trial movement.
They don't want to get it because this would mean acknowledging that the Allied Powers were not ruled by Jews and that faking the Holocaust was not on the Allied Agenda, i.e. The main pillars and assumptions on which Holocaust Denial rests.
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