Yugoslav War Crimes Trials of German Officials

[JakeV]

On a related note, Gerhard was a Leutnant of the Schutzpolizei from Vienna. He shared his cell with Alexander Löhr from the start of the trial until he [Gerhard] was removed to face other charges. Löhr gave him his Oak Leaves, which Gerhard hid in his hat and was able to return them to Löhr's family after he returned from Yugoslav captivity. (Erwin Pitsch: Alexander Löhr. Band 3: Heerführer auf dem Balkan, p. 270 and 280/81).

Best regards

Jake

[G. Trifkovic]

Here the post-war statement of Josef Selmayr, last Ia of Army Group F, about the trial of Löhr at al . Interesting details about treatment of the captives, atmosphere in Belgrade at the time of the process, etc. Whole document can be downloaded from the site of Institut für Zeitgeschichte in Munich. Guide to hundreds of other testimonies and interrogation reports can be found at:

http://www.ifz-muenchen.de/bestaende_online.html

Truly a great resource site!

Cheers,

Gaius

[ansata1976]

Karl Freiherr von Bothmer
23.12.1880 in Greifswald
executed 31.03.1947 in Belgrad
Major
Vertreter der OHL für Fragen des Post-, Telegrafen- und Eisenbahnverkehrs sowie Kriegsgefangenaustausch

[ansata1976]

I am interested in more information about:

Bodner Viktor executed 08.06.1948
Kalinger Otmar executed 20.07.1948
Kupnik dr. Edmund executed 01.08.1946
Lampreht Koloman executed 05.07.1945
Mautinger Josef executed 09.12.1949
Ranziger Greta executed 10.09.1946
Schoberl Richard executed 29.03.1949
Steinbeck Friderik executed 07.12.1945
Mikulis Valentin executed 28.12.1945
Himmer Robert executed 24.06.1945
Hardinger Ignaz executed 28.09.1949
Scheichenbauer Otmar executed 18.07.1945

??? Lelidow aus Königsdorf-Opovo executed in Belgrad

[dylan]

Hallo Ansata,

Othmar Kallinger born 27/09/1909 in Vienna.
Official of the Bureau of yhe Reichskommissars fuer den Deutschen Volksstum.
SS Obersturmf. 1941 Slovenia.
Wanted for deportation of civilians.

Dylan.

[ansata1976]

I am interested in more information about:

Bodner Viktor executed 08.06.1948
Kalinger Otmar executed 20.07.1948
Kupnik dr. Edmund executed 01.08.1946
Lampreht Koloman executed 05.07.1945
Mautinger Josef executed 09.12.1949
Ranziger Greta executed 10.09.1946
Schoberl Richard executed 29.03.1949
Steinbeck Friderik executed 07.12.1945
Mikulis Valentin executed 28.12.1945
Himmer Robert executed 24.06.1945
Hardinger Ignaz executed 28.09.1949
Scheichenbauer Otmar executed 18.07.1945

??? Lelidow aus Königsdorf-Opovo executed in Belgrad

Ignatz Hardinger
23.07.1901 in Obereichut
Inspektor
executed 07.12.1949 in Belgrad

[Mikedc]

Ansata wrote:

Johann Josef Anninger
SS-Untersturmführer
06.09.1894 in Amberg
Executed in Belgrad (death sentence 14.11.1946)

Party-number 1.098.516
SS-number 31.566
Promoted to SS-Untersturmführer on 1-5-1938

Greetings, Mike

[Mikedc]

Dylan wrote:

Othmar Kallinger born 27/09/1909 in Vienna.

No party-number known
SS-number 307.816
Promoted to SS-Obersturmführer on 20-4-1939

Greetings, Mike

[EVAS]

Dr Benno Becker born in Dresden 8/05/1894
GenLuit.-Intendant bei der IVa Abt. des obersten Kommandanten fur den Sudost,
bei der militarischen gruppe F und E .
Trial date 18/11/1949 death sentence
Prison Mitrovica.

All captured high ranking officers guilty or not are sentence to death or with some luck to life.

dylan.

Do you know the date of execution of Benno Becker?

Dr Benno Becker avoided execution and was one of the last POW's repatriated from Yugoslavia. I believe he was repatriated in 1953.

Dr. Benno Becker was my aunts uncle. He was not executed and set free to Germany. Have a bit more privat information of Dr. Benno Becker. If you want to know more please contact.

[Johaaanan]

Thank you for that, David. I am 95% sure that is the war crime I was referring to as it is the main one that occurred in that part of the former Yugoslavia that was occupied by the Hungarians. Grassy must have been the senior Hungarian officer on the scene and may have ordered the massacre on his own authority. If he was indeed executed in some gruesome fashion, then the impalation story may be true since that form of execution has an unfortunate history in that area dating back to the Ottoman conquest in the early 1500's. There is testimony in Nürnberg Case 7 (Southeast Case) of Chetniks and Partisans occasionally using that method on particularly hated enemies, so I would not rule it out in the matter of Grassy or whoever the general was.

L.

My opinion is that is virtually impossible to establish the truth about that particular execution. If it indeed happened in the gruesome style the Hungarians say, I sincerely doubt there are materials proofs for the allegation, like a photo or something similar. As for the eyewitness reports, we again have none. Hungarian officers were certainly not present and I doubt an ex-Yugoslav official will come out and say "Yes, we did impale him." Nor will the "new historians" from Serbia, keen on proving the depraved nature of communist regime, make such a statement-after all, Grassy was notorious for letting his troops loose on the Serbs.

Such allegations are notoriously hard to prove, whether it be invaders bayoneting babies or guerrillas crucifying their captives. Unfortunately for us researchers, few such episodes are documented by the perpetrating side; I immediately think of the beheading of two partisans by "Karstjägers", for which we have both authentic photos and a report openly stating the way in which the executions were carried out. As rare are also eyewitness accounts, like Djilas remembering he tacitly approved the execution of an Ustasha by decapitation, or Jovan Kapicic admitting he and his comrades doused dead Italians in Montenegro with gasoline and set them on fire for no other reason than "we haven't had enough".

Cheers,

Gaius

Hi, a very interesting thread here.

At the very start someone asked David about the difference in verdicts- death by hanging or by a firing squad. It mainly comes from a Montenegrin/Serbian traditional ethical code ( mostly Montenegrin, G. won't get angry with me for the comment - a bit longer tradition of warfare, anyway, it was broadly accepted later in the Kingdom as a common rulle, both in legal penalisation system and warfare codes ): when a man dies from a bullet ( or by a sword, earlier ), he dies with his honesty. A hanged man dies dishonored. Therefore, hanging was commonly passed as a verdict in particularly severe and gruesome cases.

Impalement, on the other hand, was a common Ottoman way. It's absolutely possible it had happened, but the probability is quite minor in my opinion- trough history, non- muslim population got to be particularly disguested by this sort of death punishment, and definitely not very fond of implementing it. I personally never heard of any cases, especially not in the 20th century. The fact that the guy was sentenced to death by a firing squad, and not hanging, speaks that way too. Also, it is my personal opinion that the army we are talking about wasn't generally that terrible, as a civilised person might think after reading this.
But, unfortunatelly, it is most hardly that the truth of such allegations may ever be found, missing 50(0) years of clear history here, not to speak about material evidence for such cases.

A digression about Djilas- have you noted how all revisionist schooles around here use the guy- his discidence and later work, as a sort of 'highest authority' when it comes to finding never- ending communist crimes- it must be true when sich a high instance talks about it?
Funny to use his opinion, since the man was removed from governing Montengrin partisan units in 1942- due to quite a number of attrocities he allowed ( a bit of eufemism ) to happen there, found dangerous for the movement, and recorded in a number of documents.
The one you were talking about was done 'for sannitary reasons', as later described by the ones who commited it, and it is one of the largest Montenegrin infamy to this day.

Some known names on the lists here, shall post a bit later ( a Montenegrin bit later, G. would know to expect it in a couple fo years ). Also, it's not exactly true that archives are 'closed' on this, materials have been actually quite available for some time now, Belgrade mostly.

Respect,

Ivan

[Johaaanan]

I am interested in more information about:

Bodner Viktor executed 08.06.1948
Kalinger Otmar executed 20.07.1948
Kupnik dr. Edmund executed 01.08.1946
Lampreht Koloman executed 05.07.1945
Mautinger Josef executed 09.12.1949
Ranziger Greta executed 10.09.1946
Schoberl Richard executed 29.03.1949
Steinbeck Friderik executed 07.12.1945
Mikulis Valentin executed 28.12.1945
Himmer Robert executed 24.06.1945
Hardinger Ignaz executed 28.09.1949
Scheichenbauer Otmar executed 18.07.1945

??? Lelidow aus Königsdorf-Opovo executed in Belgrad

Ignatz Hardinger
23.07.1901 in Obereichut
Inspektor
executed 07.12.1949 in Belgrad

Hi,

Most of the info you search for is in Slovenian archives- it appears that the list may be found at a certain blog of a Slovenian author. If I recall well, it contains death sentences of Ljubljana, Maribor, Novo Mesto, Gorica and Postojbina district courts. All you need to do is find someone in Slovenia ( ), and search for case numbers which you may see at the same blog, district courts archives accessable.
About the ones I have some info on:

Kupnik dr. Edmund
A Volksdeutscher from Šmarje pri Jelšah, Slovenia. Member of Kulturbund from 1940. Pre- war and wartime director of financial department of Maribor municipality, Mayor's aid. Also commander of 218th Volkssturm battalion. A member of NSDAP from 1945 ( ? ).
Charge: High treason, colaboration, war crimes- complicity in hostage killings, deportations.
Death verdict- firing squad, permanent loss of all civillian and political rights, complete property confiscation.

Scheichenbauer Otmar
A Volksdeutscher from Ptuj, Slovenia. Member of Kulturbund from 1935. From 1939 also a member of Illegaler Sturm. On the day the war begun, 06 Apr 1941, he made a '' coup d'etat'' in Ptuj municipality, with members of the same organisation, all armed. Also a member of Landwache. In NSDAP from 1943. Took part in a committee which organised deportations of Ptuj area Slovenian population.
Charge: High treason, colaboration, war crimes- complicity in deportations.
Death verdict- firing squad, permanent loss of civillian and political rights, complete property confiscation.

( See: Rudi Barovič, Odločbe o obsodbah Edmunda Kupnika, Andreja Vohla, Jožeta Kukovca, Miroslava Zupanca, Otmarja Schleichenbauerja, Franca Vičarja, Ernesta Plešivčnika, Matije Ferleža, Ljubljana, dne 1. 8. 1945, dokument št. 17/46-3 )

Himmer Robert
An Austrian bourned German national ( b. 25.03.1890. in Beljak ), Mayor of Cilli 1941-1945.
Charge: High treason, colaboration, complicity in hostage killings and deportations.
Death verdict- firing squad.

( I believe I saw this one in a Slovenian history text book, primary school )

Respect,
Ivan

[David Thompson]

Thanks, Johaaanan -- these details are very helpful.

[Johaaanan]

Karl Freiherr von Bothmer
23.12.1880 in Greifswald
executed 31.03.1947 in Belgrad
Major
Vertreter der OHL für Fragen des Post-, Telegrafen- und Eisenbahnverkehrs sowie Kriegsgefangenaustausch

Hi,

Could you please use English when posting.
If I understod it correctly, the part I bolded and underlined reffers to Karl Freiherr von Bothmer? Could you name the source for that?

Respect,
Ivan

[ansata1976]

http://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Karl_Freiherr_von_Bothmer

I am sorry but it is a german source.

[Johaaanan]

http://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Karl_Freiherr_von_Bothmer

I am sorry but it is a german source.

Thanks, ansata, I supposed it would be the case.

Please note, one should be carefull with wiki, a peculiar lady she can be... Therefore I provide you with another link about the man http://www.berlinerliteraturkritik.de/d ... ebuch.html. My German is awfull, but still serves me a bit.

Some corrections on both:

* I take it you have misstaken his rank from wiki, he wasn't a Major. But he also wasn't an Oberst when he first entered Serbia in April 1941, as stated in wiki, but an Oberstleutnant. He was promoted shortly after the end of April War.

* Related to this thread- he wasn't '' Vertreter der OHL für Fragen des Post-, Telegrafen- und Eisenbahnverkehrs sowie Kriegsgefangenaustausch '', but a CO of Feldkommandatur 809 ( http://www.lexikon-der-wehrmacht.de/Gli ... K809-R.htm ), the largest single field command in Serbia at the time. He held this post from Apr 1941 to 28 Jun 1943. And it wasn't settled in ''Banat Nisch'', as stated in wiki, but in Niš ( S/E Serbia ), which is quite far away from Banat, which was a part of ISC at the time, by the way.

And some more serious corrections about it:

* The famous 1941 protest letter to General Dankelmann regarding reprisal hostage killings, which earned him a title of a ''Retter in Uniform'' ( a saviour in a uniform ), as broadly named in German sources, wasn't exactly that much of a chivalry:
If you check the letter, you'll see that he actually objected to precisely killing hostages ( and prisoners ) which were taken earlier, non- related and without the announcement that they will be shot if any German soldiers get killed or wounded. He also clearly stated that killing hostages with such an announcement is absolutely ok ( which he was to prove soon ).
Also, as stated in the letter, it was 10 hostages for any dead or wounded German soldier at the time, not 100 as stated in both sources named above ( it was to come later ), and most of the others I saw.
( To see the letter: NOKW T1011 ; Maybe the easiest way would be Walter Manoschek: Serbien ist judenfrei, Oldenbourg, München 1993, p.55, 56 , full content of the letter there )

* The phrase used by Gernot Bohme ( second source- link ) to describe Bothmer's protest attempt, '' Es hat nichts geholfen '' ( meaning that the letter didn't work- reprisal killings did happen in Serbia ), is quite an IRONY: In the months that followed, Bothmer was to sign orders for mass reprisal killings in Niš on at least 3 ocasions. The most memorable is infamous February 1942 shooting of over 1500 persons from conc.camp ''Crveni Krst''.
At his trial, on 25 Jan 1947, at 3rd Yugoslav Army Millitary Court, he stated the following on the subject ( my translation ):
'' Since November 1941 we have been receiving orders from the supreme commander of Serbia, from Belgrade, to start with reprisals as soon as possible. I personally recollect only a single such incident, a mass reprisal shooting of around 700 prisoners ( hostages ) from Niš conc.camp in February 1942. I have personaly signed the announcement of the shooting, but I can't remeber the exact number of the people shot. Some 10 German soldiers were killed, and the shooting was a reprisal for it ( note: 3 soldiers killed and 7 wounded in the bombing incident at hotel ''Park'' in Niš, in the later course of the trial he did remember it correctly, just as he stated the exact figures in his letter to Dankelmann ; To this date, a research on this reprisal, by the Serbian Contemporary History Institute, came to the number of 1590 persons shot, which is in accordance with a Sud/Ost - Niš area activity report for the period of 16 Feb to 31 Mar 1942 ).''
He was also known for his orders that Serbian civillians had to guard important objects in Niš from ''terrorist attacks'' with their own lifes.

Charge: war crimes- hostage killings, various violations of the customs of war.
Death verdict- firing squad, by 3rd Yugoslav Army Millitary Court on 09 Mar 1947, appeal rejected and verdict confirmed by the Supreme Millitary Court, II, on 24 Mar 1947.

A remark: Persons directly involved in hostage reprisal killings, especially the ones who made the orders, were commonly given a death by hanging verdict. Graf von Bothmer got the firing squad because of the letter he has once written.

( All data available in: Supreme Millitary Court archive, Belgrade, c.n. 27/47 and c.n. 118/47 )

Respect,
Ivan