Volume 4 — Introductory material (continued 3)

The public school teacher Michael Duliba was beaten publicly.

It is to be stressed that nobody knew that this action of collecting people was to procure workers to load carrots at the station. When the headmaster of the public school informed the manager of the local labor office by phone and asked for his help, the latter replied he had no time to spare for this matter at the moment. Thereafter, the headmasters of the Ukrainian schools informed the manager of the local labor office that they would put their boys at the disposal of the authorities in every case there was unforeseen and undelayable work to be done in town after having received fair warning provided no other labor was available.

Enclosure 3.

Copy

Zborow, 6 Oct. 1942

Ukrainian Aid Committee, Branch Zborow. To the Ukrainian Main Committee in Lwow. Department for food.

Subject: The behavior of the Polish employees of the labor office in Cracow towards our laborers.

We present the minutes prepared by our office together with Mr. Procyk Lukas on 28 September 1942 who returned from Germany.

He reports:

Ukrainian laborers coming to Cracow, though provided with certificates and identification papers, are being transferred by the Polish employees of the labor office together with the transports of Russian civilian and brought to punitive camps.

Many Ukrainians fell victim to such Polish provocations. The situation of these people is all the more tragic, as they do not know the German language and their certificates and identification papers were destroyed by the above mentioned Polish employees.

Below we give a list of the Ukrainian laborers who are in the punitive camp in Graz as Russians and refugees:

[Follows a list of 19 names].

The situation of the above named is tragic. I was lucky to escape. With complete confidence in me and tears in their eyes they asked me to report their condition to the Committee.

[signed] Procyk Lukas.

Enclosure 4.

Minutes.

Michaljlo Kost, Bohdan Janiw, Iwan Baran (son of Iwan), Iwan Baran (son of Mykola) and Olexa Chimjak, all from Koniuschky, Koroliwiski, district of Komarow, were sent by the labor office for work to Germany on 12 January 1942.

They came to Pwzemysk, where they stayed for a whole week awaiting medical inspection. After the medical inspection they were joined to the transport which was to go to Germany. However, they were driven via Warsaw, East Prussia to Russia and were brought to the town of Pskow. With them were 95 Ukrainian lads from Galicia, including 18 lads from the village of Koniuschky, Koroliwiski. They were accompanied by a military escort. On 28 January 1942 they arrived in Pskow. At first, they worked in the woods felling trees, later building a bath-house.

In the beginning they received half a loaf of bread as daily ration, and later one loaf for seven persons daily, black coffee at breakfast and supper and soup at dinner time.

They never had a day off, they had to work even on Sundays. Terrible frost persisted throughout—to 58 centigrades (below zero), but the lads got no warm clothes, they worked in the clothes they had brought with them. After arriving in Pskow the workers lived in unheated huts without beds. The huts were made from wood and it was very cold there; only after two weeks were they billeted in a hall with beds, but they were unable to get warm with the blankets they had brought with them. Many of them fell ill from hunger and cold, 18 had to be taken to hospital (there was no room for several persons) where they remained for 2 to 3 weeks. The sick were refused bread, because they were said to be simulants. In the hospital the sick received 50 grammes of bread and some warm water and some soup and potatoes at about 16 hours.

Anyone unfit for work was sent away forcibly. Many escaped from the huts during the winter, one died. 13 lads from the village of Koniuschky, Koroliwiski escaped, three were arrested, and we know nothing about the others; they certainly did not return home.

5 of the above mentioned lads were declared unfit for work by a military commission and sent to Lwow and then home where they arrived completely exhausted. Of the 95 persons in the hutments in Pskow up to April, only 14 remained, 8 from the district of Jarowiw and 1 from Grodek. Those 14 persons, hungry and weak, were released to go home.

These workers received no pay.

Komarow, 22 April 1942.

Confirmed by signature: Mychajlo Kost, Bohdan Janiw, Iwan Baran.

Enclosure 5.

Memorandum for the files.

In November of last year an inspection of all males of the age groups 1910 to 1920 was ordered in the area of Zaleschozyki (district of Czortkow). After the men had appeared for inspection, all those who were chosen were arrested at once, loaded into trains and sent to the Reich. Such recruiting of laborers for the Reich also took place in other areas of this district. Following some interventions the action was then stopped.

The labor office in Biala Podlaska carried out the recruiting for work of the students at the commercial college. When the officials recruited more students than ordered, the main doors and doors to the class-rooms were locked; consequently a panic amongst the students broke out, and even some students fled through the windows.

Similar events occurred in Wlodawa and Hrubieschow in consequence of which the schools were closed for some time.

Enclosure 6. Memo for the files. Re: Ill-treatment of Ukrainians.

a. On 11 November 1942 Irene Malaschtschuk, a public school girl working in a German food store in Czortkow, was, whilst working (attending to German customers) hit in the face several times by a Security Policeman without any reason whatsoever. When questioned why he did it, she received the answer: because you did not pay any special attention to me.

b. In September 1942 a meeting took place in Chodorow in the presence of the District Farmer of Stryj, the District Agricultural Expert, the Chairman of the Ukrainian Aid Committee, the Land Commissioner, the District Farmer, the Chairman of the Delegation in Chodorow, and mayors and bailiffs of the district of Chodorow concerning the delivery quotas. During the discussion of the quota action the District Farmer said that the communities of Hranky, Kuty, and Bortniky had not delivered their ordered quota of vegetables, then he ordered the Mayor of Hranky, Kuty to come up and hit him in the face in front of the assembly.

c. The chief of the price control office in Zloczow, H. Mok, who personally controls the delivery of foodstuffs into the town, stopped a woman on the way who was carrying a few kilos of carrots. Mr. Mok ordered his interpreter, a Jew, to search the woman; the Jew did it in such a manner as to offend the dignity of a human being and of the woman.

d. The District Farmer Benzin in Biala Polaska shot at innocent Ukrainian peasants from the villages of Polenow and Nosow, whilst on duty on 30 July 1942, two of whom died. Benzin was arrested, but the event caused great indignation in the whole area.

e. On 9 August 1942 the Ukrainian student Iwan Wowtschyschyn was beaten without any reason whatsoever by a Polish railroad policeman on the station in Przemysl; when the student tried to defend himself, he was fatally wounded with the bayonet.

Generally, there are strong complaints all over the country about the way Polish members of the railroad police treated Ukrainians.

Enclosure 7. Shooting of 46 peasants in Lubycza, district of Rawa Ruska.

In the early morning on Sunday, 4 October 1942, some groups of the Special Service detachments, stationed near Belsez, came to the village of Lubycza Koroliwska and Kubysca Kniazi and called out all male villagers. The men were convinced that it was a matter of some urgent work for the village and obligingly hurried to the place of assembly. There they were formed in rank and file and requested to name 2 saboteurs within two minutes otherwise every fifth man would be shot. As, however, no acts of sabotage had been committed in the village, no saboteurs could be named. Then, 45 men and 1 woman were chosen from the crowd and shot dead in two groups in the presence of their relatives, viz. in Lubycza, Koroliwska and Kubycza, Kniazi.

Amongst the 46 shot were 31 Ukrainians.

The pretence for these tragic mass-shootings was a fire which occurred in the stables of the said Special Service detachments near Belsez during the night of 3-4 October, when 3 horses were said to have perished. Probably this fire was set alight by the carelessness of the stable-boys and was extinguished at once.

The community of Lubycza, Koroliwska has been known as one of the most loyal of the whole district. The very same day (4 October 1942) the Governor of the province of Galicia, during a celebration in Lwow, especially mentioned the community as one conscious of their duties regarding the delivery of their quotas; this was officially published (Lwiwski Wisti) (Lemberger Nachrichten 6 October 1942).

The village Kubycza is 8 km. away from the place where the fire took place. The above mentioned stable is not within the village boundaries of Lubycza, Koroliwska.

It should be noted here that in spite of repeated assurances given by the District Captain [Kreishauptmann] the injured families in Lubycza, Koroliwska have so far not received any compensation.

Enclosure 8.

As a reprisal for the shooting of a member of the German police in Lwow who was killed by an unknown perpetrator in the second half of November 1942, 28 Ukrainians were shot in Lwow, and 56 in Czortkow who were at the time in prison in these towns. Nobody was told the reason for the shooting, and the shootings in Czortkow were carried out in broad day-light before the eyes of the frightened population. Among the persons shot were many suffering from typhoid who were taken from the hospital whilst unconscious, loaded on to trucks, and taken to the place of execution.

These shootings were to be considered as reprisals against the so-called “Bandera” group. Among the persons shot were elderly citizens who had no connection whatever with the activities of this group, as for instance Dr. Olexa Kossak, lawyer from Kolomea, engineer Andrij Pjaseckyj, head-gamekeeper in Janiw near Lwow all of whom had been vouched for not only by myself and Dr. Kost Pankiskyj, but by Reich Germans as well.

Enclosure 9.

Arrests in Galicia in December 1942.

In December 1942 the police made arrests among the so-called restless elements.

In the whole province of Galicia arrests were made, especially among the young people among whom followers of the partisans were looked for. On this occasion a number of elderly citizens were arrested, who were but vaguely connected with the suspects. Thus, for instance, the owners of houses where the suspect lived as a lodger were arrested as well as guests present in the house at the time of arrest. On interventions by the representatives of the Ukrainian Main Committee in Lwow the police answered in order to release the persons arrested by mistake. Since then 2½ months have passed and the persons arrested by mistake are still in prison. They are treated there as criminals and are not certain of their lives.

A typical example of this is the fact that 50 Ukrainians died of misery and hunger in the prison in Czortkow. The Ukrainian Aid Committee in Czortkow tried to obtain a permit to send food to the prisoners, but without success; although the commander of the police agreed, the prison-commander insisted that the command of the Lwow police had to grant permission.

Enclosure 10.

Uncertain fate of arrested Ukrainian women students.

On 5 February 1942, 6 Ukrainian women students and school girls from Kolomea were arrested and in the spring sent on to Czortkow. Since then their relatives are unable to obtain any news about their fate.

The personal data of the arrested:

[follow 6 names together with names of respective parents and date and place of birth].

Enclosure 11.

List of some well-known Ukrainian citizens, members of the Ukrainian Aid Committee and employees of the State Administration, the Self-Government and the Economic Authorities, also of the old men and students who were arrested in January 1943 in the districts of Kolomea, Stryj, and Komionka, Strumilowa:

[follows names by localities.]

Enclosure 12.

Arrests and shootings of persons unfit for work in the District of Sanok.

During the period from 18 to 24 January 1943 about 300 persons were arrested in the neighborhood of Sanok in accordance with lists compiled some time before by the local mayors on orders of the authorities. Some of them were soon set free, but the fate of the rest is unknown to us and their families. The shootings which are daily taking place on the Jewish cemetery promise no good.

On 17 and 18 January 1943 many persons from the districts Sanok and Jaslo were arrested in the station in Tarnow whilst riding in the direction of Cracow; so far their families have no news about their fate. Thus, for instance 4 persons were arrested from the village of Losie, district Jaslo, viz.:

[follow 4 names and addresses.]

One of them went to see a doctor in Cracow, the others were on business trips to Warsaw.

On 18 January 1943, 14 persons who were unfit for work were shot together with 80 Jews in Ustrzyki Dolne; they were buried together in a ditch. Among these 14 were old men and invalids, for instance from Lutswyska; Iwan Lesky, 68-70 years old, invalid of the Austrian Army who worked as a tiler, Jurko Schkrabak and his wife, both about 70 years of age, and 3 other unknown persons, a female beggar from Ustrzky called “Haramsymka”. We do not know the names of the other people shot. It should be pointed out that the Ukrainians celebrated a second Christmas evening on that day called “Schtschedryj Wetschir”.

As this holiday is celebrated by the Ukrainians with great piety, the shootings of these innocent people on this holy day caused great indignance and embitterment. These events depress the Ukrainian population. The view is current that now the shootings of the Jews come to an end those of the Ukrainians begin. The case of Ustrzyki is commented upon as follows: The Germans do not care about any non-German sanctity and holidays, they even shoot Ukrainians on the Ukrainian “Schtschedryj Wetschir” (the case in Ustrzyki).

The Ukrainian population is suspicious of all orders given by the German authority and even keep away from the soup kitchens, for fear that those in need may be considered as beggars and shot.

Enclosure 13.

Anti-Ukrainian activities of partisans in the District of Bilgoraj.

* * * * * * *

Enclosure 14.

Activities of partisans in the district of Biala Podlaska during the second half of 1942.

* * * * * * *

Enclosure 15.

Shooting of 16 Ukrainians in Przewala.

On 17 December 1942 the population of Zubowice, district of Tyschowce was moved away and racial Germans were settled in their place. The Polish population of Zubowice, warned the day before by a certain Kolesche of the coming evacuation fled, but the Ukrainians stayed and were evacuated to the little town of Tyszowce and its suburbs, with the help of the representatives of the Ukrainian Aid Committee. This evacuation affected 128 Ukrainian families, 486 persons in all.

Some days later a few farms in Zubowice and the surrounding country as far as the village of Przewale were burnt down. It is obvious that these fires were started by escaped Poles who hid in the forests or the neighboring Polish villages, for all farms burnt down belonged to Poles prior to the evacuation; the Ukrainians who were evacuated in an organized manner and went willingly to destinations far off, viz. Zamlynie and Dubyna, were certainly not interested in burning down farms in Zubowice, particularly not their own farms.

As reprisal the arrests in Zamlynie and the shooting of persons in the village Przewale, near Zubowice, were carried out on 24 December 1942. This village is inhabited by 337 Poles and only 122 Ukrainians. On intervention by the Local Farm Administrator Poles have been separated and released from amongst the people arrested at random, the remaining Ukrainians, however, among them the 58 years old Ukrainian teacher and trustee of the Aid Committee in Zamosc, Banda Onofer, and his 75 years old mother-in-law Marie Rewus were shot. The names of the other Ukrainians who were shot are: (follows a list of 10 names including one of a person aged 80 years).

Enclosure 16.

List of the Ukrainians shot on 29 January 1943 in the village of Sumin community of Taranwatka.

[Follows a list of 45 names, giving family state, age, and remarks. Remarks to No. 16: Wounded, in hospital, to No. 19: Village Mayor, to No. 31: Wounded, in hospital, No’s: 39 & 45: wounded, in hospital.]

Total 8 men, 19 women, 18 children.

The delegate: Pastor Matwijtschuk.

List of Ukrainians shot 2 February 1943 in the villages of Pankow and Scharowola.

[Follows a list of 19 names, giving family state, age and remarks. Remarks to No’s: 4, 14, 15, 16, 17: Wounded].

Total 4 men, 7 women, 8 children. In the village Pankow 5 Poles have been shot. In the village Scharowola 6 Poles have been shot.

Delegation Ukrainian Aid Committee Tomascho Lubelsko. Delegate: Matwijtschuk.

TRANSLATION OF DOCUMENT 1531-PS

I.

Reich Security Head Office Amt IV Bk. No. 409/39 Top Secret

Berlin, 26 October 1939

Top Secret

a. To all State Police District Offices.

b. To the Gestapo office (according to restricted distribution C.)

For information

a. To all inspectors of the Security police and the SD.

b. To the Inspector-General of the reinforced SS-Death’s Head Units (with 8 copies for the camps).

Subject: Execution of protective custody.

By order of the Reichsfuehrer SS and Chief of the German Police, all prisoners under protective custody due for transference to a concentration camp will, during the war, be assigned to a special penal section. The only exceptions will be prisoners under protective custody, who are assigned to a camp as a preventative police measure, (particularly those under index A), or those who are expressly exempt on the nominal role.

* * * * * * *

In order to achieve a further deterrent effect, the following must, in future, be observed in each individual case.

* * * * * * *

3. The length of the period of custody must in no case be made known, even if the Reichsfuehrer SS and Chief of the German Police or the Chief of the Security Police and the SD has already fixed it.

The term of a commitment to a concentration camp is to be openly announced as “until further notice.”

In serious cases, there is no objection to the increasing of the deterrent effect by the spreading of a cleverly carried out rumor propaganda, more or less to the effect that, according to hearsay, in view of the seriousness of his case, the arrested man will not be released for 2 or 3 years.

4. In certain cases, the Reichsfuehrer SS and Chief of the German Police will order flogging in addition to detention in a concentration camp. Orders of this kind will, in future, also be transmitted to the State Police District Office concerned. In this case too, there is no objection to spreading the rumour of this increased punishment as laid down in Section 3, paragraph 3, in so far as this appears suitable, to add to the deterrent effect.

5. Naturally, particularly suitable and reliable people are to be chosen for the spreading of such news.

* * * * * * *

By Order

(signed) Mueller Authenticated: (signed) Bleeck Chancellery employee

II Chief of the Security Police and the SD Bk. No. IV—226/42 Top Secret

Berlin, 12th June 1942 120 Copies 110th Copy

TOP SECRET

As Top Secret

to all Chiefs of the Security Police and the SD

to all Directors of Groups IV A, IV B, IV C, and IV E of the Reich Security Head Office

to all Commanding Officers of the Security Police and the SD

to all Heads of the State Police District Offices

For Information

to the Inspectors of the Security Police and the SD

Subject: Third degree

Enclosure: 1 receipt

In order to simplify things the Decree of the Chief of the Security police and the SD of 1.7.37 Bk. No. 28 (II) 301/37 Secret (to be destroyed according to sealed orders) will be superseded by the following new ruling, with immediate effect:

1. Third degree may only be applied if it is clear from preliminary investigation that the prisoner can give information on important facts, as social or subversive to the State and to the Reich, but will not disclose what he knows, and the information cannot be obtained by investigation.

2. Third degree may, under this supposition, only be employed against Communists, Marxists, Jehovah’s Witnesses, saboteurs, terrorists, members of resistance movements, parachute agents, anti-social elements, Polish or Soviet-Russian loafers or tramps. In all other cases, my permission must first be obtained.

3. Third degree may not be used to extort confessions of a prisoner’s own crimes. Also this method may not be employed against persons who are temporarily detained by law for further investigations.

My previous permission is also necessary in exceptional cases.

4. Third degree can, according to the circumstances, consist, among other methods, of very simple diet (water and bread), hard bunk, dark cell, deprivation of sleep, exhaustion drill, but also in the administration of flogging (for more than 20 strokes a doctor must be consulted).

I. V. (signed) Mueller Authenticated: (signed) Nellmuth Registered Secretary (Female)

TRANSLATION OF DOCUMENT 1534-PS

Berlin, W.8., Wilhelm Street 79, 30 January 37

My Fuehrer:

I thank you for the confidence which you have placed into me during the four years of your leadership and for the honour you do me in offering to admit me to the party. My conscience forbids me however to accept this offer. I believe in the principles of positive christianity and must remain faithful to my Lord and to myself. Party membership however would mean that I should have to face without contradiction the steadily aggravating attacks by party offices on the Christian confessions and those who want to remain faithful to their religious convictions.

This decision has been infinitely difficult for me. For never in my life I have performed my duty with greater joy and satisfaction than under your wise state leadership.

I ask to be permitted to resign.

With German Greetings! Your very obedient, (signed) Baron v. Eltz.

TRANSLATION OF DOCUMENT 1536-PS

TOP SECRET

Reich Minister for Air and C-in-C Air Force [initials written in ink]

12 August 1938

Draft

General Officers only 2 copies 2nd Copy Access only through officer

General Staff 5.Division No. 21/38. Top Secret General Officers only (Ic)

Re: Freudenthal Affair

Ref: Abwehr II No. 42/38. Top Secret General Officers only.

A. As Appendix 1 please find enclosed a translation by Major d.G. Moericke on which the following comment is made:

1. The report from the Abwehrstelle Breslau still does not prove that the real circumstances are known to the two Sudeten Germans or even widely in Sudeten German circles. Nevertheless, there is still no need for Czech authorities to have any knowledge of them.

If the worst comes to the worst it is a question, in eventual remarks made by Macholdt to Pilz, of suppositions which are nevertheless very near to the truth of the matter.

2. For the time being there is no reason for stopping preparations for the Fr. operation.

3. Punishable behaviour on the part of Major Moericke cannot be deduced purely from the Abwehrstelle report. Rather, as far as can be seen from here, has Major Moericke carried out the task allotted to him skilfully and provided good evidence.

B. In the course of further preparations, the following measures are recommended:

1. Not a single word on the matter will be mentioned to informers [V-Leute].

2. The fields will not be purchased through middlemen. Neither will any influence be brought to bear on the owners in order to effect any change in the cultivation of the land according to local custom and the time of the year.

3. In the event of the suspected endangering of our plans, as a result of treachery, then it will be a question of sham reconnoitring of landing grounds in other areas and spreading of rumors as a camouflage.

4. It is worth considering whether Macholdt and Pilz cannot be called back to Germany on some pretext and retained here temporarily.

C. Further to the preparations which have already been carried out, the following proposals have been made by the Luftwaffe:

1. Continual supervision of the state of the agricultural cultivation of the landing grounds in question, in accordance with Appendices 2, 3, 4.

2. Continual supervision of the area around Freudenthal with regard to whether Czech defence measures against their intended employment are being undertaken.

Reconnoitring of further landing grounds, if possible by 10 September, in the following areas:

a. Freudenthal—Spachendorf—Hof—Braunseifen—Freudenthal.

b. Around Sternberg (up to a radius of 5 km).

c. Around Olmuetz (up to a radius of 10 km).

As landing grounds are considered flat open stretches, above all dry meadows and clay strips with a surface area of approximately 500 × 500 m. and larger.

If possible it is requested that photographs similar to Appendices 3 and 4 are brought along.

By order of

Schmidt

Distribution:

Abwehr II, 1st Copy received with 4 appendices

General Staff 5th Division (Ic), 2nd Copy 13/8

[signature illegible]

Appendix 1 to Reich Minister for Air and C-in-C Air Force. General Staff 5th Division. No. 21/38. Top Secret General Officers only dated 12.8.38.

TOP SECRET

Berlin 4.8.1938 General Officers only Access through Officer only

Transaction

Major of the General Staff Moericke, Air Attaché at the German Legation, Prague, states:

I was ordered by the General Staff of the Air Force to reconnoitre the land in the region Freudenthal/Freihermersdorf for landing possibilities.

For this purpose I obtained private lodgings in Freudenthal with the manufacturer Macholdt, through one of my trusted men in Prague.

I had specifically ordered this man to give no details about me to M, particularly about my official position.

I used my official car [Dienst Pkw] for the journey to Fr. taking precautions against being observed.

The manufacturer M. is head of the Sudeten German Glider Pilots in Fr. and said to be absolutely reliable by my trusted man. My personal impression fully confirmed this judgment. No hint of my identity was made to him, although I had the impression that M. knew who I was.

At my request, with which he complied without any question, M. travelled with me over the country in question. We used M’s private car for the trip.

As M. did not know the country around Beneschau sufficiently well, he took with him the local leader of the F.S., a Czech reservist of the Sudeten German Racial Group, at the time on leave. He was in uniform. For reasons of camouflage I was entirely in agreement with this—without actually saying so.

As M., during the course of the drive, observed that I photographed large open spaces out of the car, he said “Aha, so you’re looking for airfields!” I answered that we supposed that, in the case of any serious trouble, the Czechs would put their airfields immediately behind the line of fortifications. I had the intention of looking over the country from that point of view.

To my question as to when the farmers in this part were generally in the habit of ploughing up the fields he answered: “Always immediately after the harvest.”

I thought that in this way he wanted to express the fact that the Czechs would no longer be able to use the fields as airfields even shortly after harvest.

Before leaving Fr. I bound M. to absolute secrecy as regards what he had seen.

From the conversation between M. and the Leader of the F.S. in Beneschau, whose name I do not know, I noticed that they knew several of the Abwehr informers [V-Leute] in Freudenthal and Beneschau. Both M. and the 2nd companion are minor informers [V-Leute].

As I have at the moment no incentive to believe that M. has not kept his promise, I can only presume that Pilz is the same person as the leader of the F. S. in Beneschau, who, accompanied us at the time, and a subordinate informer [V-Mann] to the informer [V-Mann] in the Security Office [Abwehrstelle] at Breslau.

I believe it to be out of the question that the real purpose of my reconnaissance be known.

Should measures be invoked against Macholdt or Pilz on the grounds of the report from the Security Office at Breslau, I urgently request a hearing beforehand.

Moericke, Major d. G.H. g. w. o. Schmidt, Maj. d. G.

Appendix 2 to Reich Minister for Air and C-in-C of the Air Force, General Staff 5th Division.

No. 21/38. Top Secret General Officers only dated 12.8.38.

[Section of map]

General Officers only Access through Officer only

Appendix 3 to Reich Minister for Air, etc.

[photograph]

Landing-ground south of Freudenthal; taken from southern edge of Freudenthal looking west.

Appendix 4, Sectional picture of airfields a and b [4 photographs].

TRANSLATION OF DOCUMENT 1538-PS

SECRET

Office Foreign Intelligence Dept Foreign Affairs Nr 173/41 (g.K.Chefs III org)

May 24, 1941

[Stamp] Air-Corps-Operational, 7 copies Staff I a, 2 copies May 24, 41 No. 279.

[Stamp] TOP SECRET

(to be forwarded) By Officer only

To be presented to the Chief of the Armed Forces High Command.

[Marginal note:]

The Military Attaché Tokio reports with No. T 47 signed May 23.

In interview with Akita on handling of relations between Japan and USA in the press, desire was expressed to hear Okamoto on the form in which Japan would start hostilities in case of a war between USA and Germany. Instead of a reception by Okamoto visit with Akita who explained:

[Marginal note:]

To be presented to the Chief of the Office Foreign Intelligence (simultaneously for ZL).

1. In case USA enters war, Japan acknowledges treaty obligations at once. However, would not open hostilities immediately. Preparations for attack on Singapore and Manila stand.

2. Possible war Russia-Germany causes USA entry into war. Japanese action as mentioned under 1 plus preparation of possible attacks (on) Vladivostok and Blagowesqensk.

[Marginal note:]

(To be presented to the) Operational Staff of the Air-Forces I. C.

3. Conclusion of conflict with China important before new tasks for Japanese Armed Forces. I am stressing first that Japanese recognition of obligations under treaty needs confirmation by immediate opening of hostilities.

Signature: Bueckner

U R Ia

Schmid [in crayon] May 24

Copy to:

L. 3 Skl Sonderstb H.H.K.

TRANSLATION OF DOCUMENT 1541-PS

TOP MILITARY SECRET

The Supreme Commander of the Armed Forces High Command/armed forces.

Command Staff/armed forces, Section L Nr. 33 406/40

TOP SECRET

Matter of Chief Only through Officer [illegible notations]

Fuehrer #9 13 December 1940 12 Copies, 9th Copy

Direction Number 20

Operation Marita

1. The result of the battles in Albania is not yet decisive. Because of a dangerous situation in Albania it is doubly necessary that the British endeavor be foiled to create airbases under the protection of a Balkan front, which would be dangerous above all to Italy as well as to the Rumanian oil fields.

2. My plan therefore is (a) to form a slowly increasing task force in Southern Rumania within the next months.

(b) After the setting in of favorable weather, probably in March, to send this task force for the occupation of the Aegean North coast by way of Bulgaria, and if necessary to occupy the entire Greek mainland (Operation Marita). The support of Bulgaria is to be expected.

3. For the concentration of the task force in Rumania are necessary:

(a) The 16th Panzer Division which arrives in December on an army mission, and whose task remains unchanged.

(b) Following will be a task force of about seven divisions (final wave) to be dispatched to Southern Rumania. Engineers in the required strength for the preparation of the Danube crossing can conveniently be attached for transport to the 16th Panzer Division (as instructional troops). The field commander of the army will await my decision for the proper moment for them to be employed on the Danube.

(c) Preparations are to be made for further transport to take in the calculated maximum for the operation Marita (total of 24 divisions).

(d) It is the mission of the Air Force to give air protection to the concentration, as well as preparing the necessary primary and reserve installations on Rumanian soil.

4. The Operation Marita itself is to be prepared on the following basis:

(a) The primary mission of the operation is the occupation of the Aegean coast, and the Bay of Saloniki. It may be necessary to continue the attack across Larissa and the Isthmus of Corinth.

(b) Flank protection against Turkey will be the task of the Bulgarian forces, although it is to be secured and strengthened through the alerting of German Forces.

(c) It is not certain whether the Bulgarian forces will take part in the attack. Likewise the Yugoslavs position cannot yet be clearly determined.

(d) It will be the mission of the Air Force to support the drive of the army in all phases, to liquidate the opposing air force, and, as far as possible, to occupy British strongpoints on the Greek Islands through airborne landings.

(e) The question in which fashion the Operation Marita is to be supported by the Italian forces, and how coordination of the operations is to take place, awaits a later decision.

5. The military preparations which will produce exceptional political results in the Balkans demands the exact control of all the necessary measures by the General Staff.

The transport through Hungary and the arrival in Rumania will be reported step by step by the General Staff of the armed forces and are to be explained at first as a strengthening of the Germany Army mission in Rumania.

Consultations with the Rumanians or the Bulgarians which may point to our intentions as well as notification of the Italians are each subject to my consent; also the sending of scouting missions and advanced parties.

6. After the completion of the Operation Marita it is contemplated to use the access of the forces used therein for a new undertaking.

7. I anticipate reports from the Chiefs concerning their plans, which has already taken place as regards the Army. I want to be presented with exact timetables for the planned preparations, as well as for the necessary recallings from the armament industry (reconstruction of Furlough Divisions).

Signed: Adolf Hitler

Witnessed: [signature illegible] Captain in the General Staff

Distribution:

Commander of the Armies (Operational Section), 1st Copy

Commander of the Navy (Sea War Direction), 2nd Copy

Commander of the Air Force (Air Force General Staff), 3rd Copy

Chief of the German Army Mission to Rumania, 4th Copy

Supreme Command of the Armed Forces:

Command Staff, 5th Copy

Section L, 6-9 Copies

UNV, 10th Copy

Chief of Army Transport Forces, 11th Copy

Foreign Counter Intelligence Office, 12th Copy

TRANSLATION OF DOCUMENT 1544-PS

File Memorandum

on my parting visit with the Chancellor

After an exchange of irrelevant courtesies, the conversation turned to the speech of the Chancellor [Bundeskanzler]. I said to him that though he had used very cordial expressions on the German mission of Austria his dramatic advocacy of her independence which he apparently considered threatened had drowned out this testimony to a large extent, to say nothing about some unnecessary pinpricks against Germany. To his assertion that he had reestablished his authority in the country by this speech I added that this speech also had provoked a debate yesterday in the French Chamber. In my opinion it was greatly to be regretted that the Austrian question had again become the center of European discussions. For Germany an Austrian independence supported by French and Czech crutches was intolerable, for it would lead to arguments which might easily endanger the peace concluded recently.

The Chancellor admitted this without qualifications and requested me to inform the Reich Foreign Minister as soon as possible that neither he nor any other political agency in Austria had instigated this debate in the French Chamber, and that he shared my opinion on its extraordinarily disrupting effects. On my request he stated his willingness to publish Sunday morning an article in the official paper “Wiener Zeitung” (Viennese Newspaper) in which he would clearly detach the problem of Austrian independence from French interests. And he had instructed the Austrian press to carry only meagre excerpts of the debate in the Chamber.

I then introduced into the conversation the widespread opinion that he had acted under “brutal pressure” in Berchtesgaden. I myself had been present and been able to state that he had always and at every point had complete freedom of decision. The Chancellor replied he had actually been under considerable moral pressure, he could not deny that. He had made notes on the talk which bore that out. I reminded him that despite this talk he had not seen his way clear to make any concessions, and I asked him whether without the pressure he would have been ready to make the concessions he made late in the evening. He answered: “To be honest, no!” It appears to me of importance to record this statement.

In parting I asked the Chancellor never to deceive himself that Austria could ever maintain her status with the help of Non-German, European combinations. This question would be decided only according to the interests of the German people. He asserted that he held the same conviction and would act accordingly.

Vienna, 26 Feb 1938

/s/ Papen

PARTIAL TRANSLATION OF DOCUMENT 1546-PS

N. THE OCCUPATION OF NORWAY ON 9 APRIL 1940.

[RAEDER MEMORANDUM]

In the beginning of October 1939, I had a discussion on the Norwegian question with the Commander of Naval Group East, Admiral Carls, with whose opinions I completely agreed. After that I gave the Fuehrer an oral report on the dangers of an occupation of Norwegian bases by the British and on the possibilities to forestall such a move. The Fuehrer to whom I submitted a short memorandum promised to think it over. About at the beginning of December, the Fuehrer received reports on the activity of the National Samling movement in Norway under the leadership of Quisling and its successes. The incorporation of Norway into a Germanic empire under German leadership and with elimination of English influence was the aim of this movement. These matters were obviously carried to the Fuehrer by Rosenberg. Around the 12 Dec. 1939 the Fuehrer commanded the OKW to effect the preparations for the occupation of Norwegian bases in the coming spring. As it was a question of an operation of all three branches of the Armed Forces it had to be worked out by the Armed Forces High Command in which the special Naval adviser took the chief part and took the lead in working it out in accordance with a memorandum prepared by the Sea Warfare Command and in close cooperation with the Sea Warfare Command.

I had left the Danish Question open in my report to the Fuehrer supposing that after the occupation of the Norwegian coast the English influence in Denmark could be completely eliminated in such wise that the intelligence service there could not cause any more harm and the Danish Government would comply with the demands of the German High Command without function. However, the Fuehrer decided to occupy Denmark at the same time.

The Navy made the decision to transport the first group of the occupation troops with their equipment on warships and to land them under their immediate protection. Even though the combat-readiness of the warships was impaired by loading them with troops, by this method the possibility of a punctual landing at the ordered time was best provided for. Further groups with munition and supplies were to be loaded on steamships which were to arrive simultaneously or soon after the warships. The difficulty was that at that time the divisions of the army still demanded to be transported with all equipment and “rear echelon service” while a considerable limitation of their equipment would have been necessary and possible. Considerable demands of transport space were made by the Air Forces for their ground organization for which no experience existed at all up till then. The Navy had already in peacetime an organization of “Naval Service Offices” in all large German ports which worked in close touch with the Merchant Marine and were at all times exactly informed of the location and the readiness for sailing of the German merchant ships of their area. Material for the rebuilding of these ships for transport purposes was at their disposal, plans for such rebuilding were ready in their hands. In January these offices received directives to have the necessary transport space ready in spring. A transport in a westerly direction was given as the reason for camouflage purposes. The Air Force did not join this organization that also was very favourable for secrecy, but gave the order for their extensive transports to a certain firm with which it had already cooperated at the time of the transports to Spain. This included certain dangers for secrecy and eliminated the experience of the Navy. Moreover, the command of the Air Force did not approach with particular enthusiasm this task in the work of which not the Air Force, but the not so well liked Navy, had the leading part. In the Navy the impression existed that some things could have been better done with regard to the reconnaissance of airfields in Norway and to the preparations for the improvement and the building of airfields.

The preparations for the enterprise were rendered more difficult by the long and very cold winter of 1939/40 which delayed quite a bit the bringing up of the steamers involved in the transport from the eastern part of the Baltic Sea and their loading. With all the effort to forestall the English in the occupation—their unneutral action against the German supply ship in Flekkefjord in 1940 made the apprehension of the German Command appear only too well founded—the date for the landing was fixed by the Fuehrer not earlier than on April 9, 1940 in which regard it could not be helped that according to the latest information received the English planned an enterprise in Norwegian waters for April 8—it remained open whether mine-laying on occupation of air bases. My request to fix the landing on April 7 was unfortunately not granted by the Fuehrer.

The general order for the execution of the landing was signed by the Fuehrer; detailed directives valid for all armed forces were given by the High Command in which, as already mentioned, the special Navy adviser took the lead. The ports of embarkation were distributed from Wesermmende to Stettin-Swinenmende along the coast. The transportation of the troops to the ports was undertaken only in the last hours before departure without their knowing where they were being transported. It was particularly difficult for the keeping of the secret that for the enterprise in Northern Norway some units of Southern German mountain troops were destined whose appearance in Northern Germany was already conscious enough by itself. But we succeeded in keeping them uncertain about the destination until to their complete surprise, they were embarked on the destroyers in Wesermmende in the night of April 7. The number of the Army and air units I cannot state anymore from memory at present. Also, the composition of the landing troops I can give only in general terms.

TRANSLATION OF DOCUMENT 1551-PS

1936 REICHS MINISTERIALBLATT i.V., PAGES 946-948

Assignment and Channels of the Chief of German Police within the Ministry of the Interior of 26 June 1936

(1) For your information, I publish in the enclosures my edicts, concerning the appointment of a chief of regular police and that of a chief of security police (enclosure (1)), and concerning the administrative divisions within the realm of the German police (enclosure (2)), effective today.

(2) Official communications in regards to police matters with Reich and Prussian Ministry of the Interior are to be handled as follows:

(a) Letters and communications for me personally, as well as letters and communications of fundamental importance, are to be addressed:

To the

Reichsleiter SS and Chief of German Police in the Reich Ministry of the Interior

Berlin SW 11 Prinz-Albrecht Str. 8

(b) Letters and communications, which refer to matters to be handled by the headquarters of the regular police according to my edict about the administrative divisions within the realm of the Chief of German Police, are to be addressed:

To the

Reichsleiter SS and the Chief of German Police in the Reich Ministry of the Interior (Chief of Regular Police)

Berlin NW 7 Unter den Linden 74

(c) Letters and communications, which refer to matters to be handled by the headquarters of the Security Police according to my edict about the administrative divisions within the realm of the Chief of German Police, are to be addressed:

To the

Reichsleiter SS and the Chief of German Police in the Reich Ministry of the Interior (Chief of Security Police)

Berlin SW 11 Prinz-Albrecht Str. 8

Phone # Chief of German Police: A2 (Flora) 0040

Phone # Chief of Regular Police: A2 (Flora) 0034

Phone # Chief of Security Police: A2 (Flora) 0040

To the lower agencies, the communities and community organizations as well as bodies of public law.

To the highest Reich officials, the Prussian Prime Minister, the Prussian Minister of Finance, the General Manager of the German Railroad, the Directorate of the Reichsbank by copy.

Berlin, 26 June 1936

Inclosure #1

The Reichleiter SS and Chief of the German Police in the Reich Ministry of the Interior

Appointment of a Chief of Regular Police and a Chief of Security Police

(1) On the basis of the execution edict of the Reich Minister of the Interior to the edict of the Fuehrer and Reich Chancellor, in reference to the appointment of a Chief of German Police, I herewith appoint General of Police Kurt Daluege as chief of the regular police and SS Gruppenfuehrer Reinhard Heydrich as Chief of the Security Police.

(2) From the entire police force [Vollzugspolizei] the following come under:

The Chief of Regular Police:

Safety Police [Schutzpolizei] Rural Police [Gendarmerie] Local Police [Gemeindepolizei]

The Chief of Security Police:

The Political Police The Criminal Police

(3) The authority over fields of action of the Chief of German Police, not mentioned here, is explained in the plan of administrative division (Inclosure #2)

To the (a) General of Police Daluege, (b) SS Gruppenfuehrer Heydrich.

Inclosure #2

Berlin 26 June 1936

The Reichleiter SS and Chief of the German Police in the Reich Ministry of the Interior O/S No 2/36

Administrative division within the realm of the Chief of German Police

On the basis of #1 of the edict of the Reich and Prussian Minister of the Interior of 25 June 1936 (not published), for the execution of the edict of the Fuehrer and Reich Chancellor regarding the appointment of a Chief of German Police, I therefore order (with permission of the Reich- and Prussian Minister of the Interior):

1. The functioning of the branches, under the jurisdiction of the Chief of German Police, will be handled by two (2) headquarters:

a. The regular police, which will include the following branches:

Household, pay, welfare, economy and police law.

General administrative affairs of the state police, as far as they concern the regular police.

Safety police.

Traffic police.

Rural police [Gendarmerie], local police [Gemeindepolizei], civil service legal affairs.

Medical and veterinary affairs.

National defense and army matters, as far as they have been put under the jurisdiction of the regular police.

Personnel affairs of officials of the regular police.

(The security police is to participate in all actions, which affect the security police).

The headquarters “Regular Police” is entrusted with the functioning of the following branches in conjunction with the headquarters “security police” if the latter are concerned:

Administrative police; and

Personnel affairs of police presidents and police directors.

b. The security police, which will include the following branches:

Political police,

Lodge affairs, freemasonry, fraternity affairs, criminal police,

Disciplinary affairs within the criminal police,

General administrative affairs of the state police, as far as the security police is concerned,

Press law,

Weapons law and traffic with arms,

Passports affairs:

General cases.

Special cases.

Agreements with foreign states about the free passage of the border [kleinen Grenzverkehr].

Foreign legionnaires (passport matters).

Immigration of Jews from the East.

National defense and army matters, as far as they have been put under the jurisdiction of the security police.

Alien affairs:

General cases.

Police regulations for foreigners.

Special cases.

Fugitives [refractaere], deserters.

Deportations.

Reimbursement.

Foreign workers.

Border disputes.

Extradition of foreigners.

Registration of foreigners.

Statistics of foreigners.

Border disputes; Foreign Legion.

Personnel affairs of all officials of the security police.

Personnel affairs of all officials of the political and criminal police.

(The regular police is to participate in all actions, which affect the regular police).

2. I confer the leadership of the headquarters Regular Police upon General of Police Daluege. I confer the leadership of the headquarters Security Police upon SS Gruppenfuehrer Heydrich.

3. The chiefs of the headquarters Regular Police and Security Police will sign:

For the Chief of the German Police “acting for” For the Reich and Prussian Minister of the Interior “by order”

The chiefs of the headquarters Regular Police and Security Police in their offices, in which cases their department heads and assistants are to sign:

“by order”

* * * * * * *

To

a. General of Police Daluege

b. SS Gruppenfuehrer Heydrich

Communication to ______________________

Report on Sterilization in Germany and occupied countries to be sent to the members of Committee I Submitted by Dr. B. Ecer ANNEX B

Detailed Statement on the murdering of ill and aged people in Germany

1. The murdering can be traced back to a secret law which was released sometime in Summer 1940.

2. Besides the Chief Physician of the Reich Dr. L. Conti, the Reichsfuehrer SS Himmler, the Reichs Minister of the Interior Dr. Frick as well as other men, the following participate on the introduction of this secret law:

a. The Councillor of the Ministry Dr. Herbert Linden of the Reich’s Ministry of the Interior.

b. Dr. Staehle-Nagold, the Chief Physician of Wuerttemberg.

c. Councillor of Medicine /Obermedizinalrat/ Dr. Hermann Pfannmueller, Director of the Sanatorium and Nursing Institution Eglfing-Haar near Munich.

d. Professor Dr. Werner Heyde, Director of the Psychiatric and Neurological Clinic in Wuerzburg.

* * * * * * *

3. As I have already stated, there were / after careful calculation / at least 200,000 mainly mentally deficient, imbeciles, besides neurological cases and medically unfit people /these were not only incurable cases/, and at least 75,000 aged people.

4. The murders were mainly accomplished in Muensingen/Wuerttemberg and Linz o/Danube; several gas-chambers with cremation chambers directly attached were constructed there. As the gas-chambers are next to the training grounds of the troops in Muensingen, it is believed that the mentally deficient who were murdered there, were used for experimenting with new poison-gases.

5. The transport from the institutions to the gas-chambers is carried out by SS Kommandos. These call themselves “Gemeinnuetzige Transport A. G., Berlin, Luetzowufer.” This Limited Company also stores the individual medical case histories of the murdered inmates of the institutions.

6. The inmates of the many smaller and middle-sized institutions were murdered almost without exception. The larger institutions are partly—to keep up the pretence to the outside world—still at hand, but they now only have a fraction of the original number of their inmates; for example there are now only some 500 inmates instead of 2500 in Berlin-Buch; in Stadtroda/Thueringen only about 150 instead of 600; in Kaufbeuren/Bayern only 200 instead of 1000, etc. Of the larger Sanatoriums and Nursing Institutions the following were already closed down completely some time ago; Illenau/Baden 800 inmates; Berlin/Herzberge 2500 inmates, Kreutzburg/Oberschlesien 1500 inmates; Sonnenstein/Sachsen 800 inmates; Werneck/Unterfranken-Bayern 111 inmates; Steinhof/Wien 3000 inmates, and others, most probably now also Schleswig with 1000 beds. Guenzburg with 400 etc. etc.

* * * * * * *

Written in December 1941, /sgd/ Dr. T. Lang

This is to certify, that the above report by Dr. T. Lang dated Dec. 1941 is part of the original report of the Czechoslovak War Crimes Commission.

Nurnberg 8. Dec. 1945

for Col. Dr. Ecer

Capt. Dr. Hochwald

TRANSLATION OF DOCUMENT 1573-PS

SECRET

Copy

The chief of the Security Police and the Security Service. IV D 3-3 B/41 g.Rs.-

Berlin, 18 Jun. 1941

TOP SECRET

Express letter

To all state police Administrative office

(To the State Police, attention SS Stubaf. RR. Nosske or representative at Aachen)

Subject: Measures to be taken against Emigrants and civilian workers who came from the great Russian areas and against Foreign workers.

Reference: None

To prevent the unauthorized and arbitrary return of Russian, Ukrainian, White Ruthenians, Cossack and Caucasian emigrants and civilian workers from the territory of the Reich to the East and to prevent attempts at disorder by foreign workers in the German production, I decide as follows:

1. The managers of the branch offices [Stuetzpunkt] of the Russian, Ukrainian, White Ruthenian and Caucasians trustee office [Vertrauensstellen] as well as the relief committee and the leading members of the Russian, Ukrainian, White Ruthenian, Cossack and Caucasian emigration organisations are to be notified immediately that they are not allowed to leave their domicile without permission of the security police until further notice. Also they are to be told to apply the same measures to the members who are under their care. Their attention is to be called to the fact that they will be arrested because of unauthorized leaving of the place of work and domicile. I request you to have a check up of the attendance of branch office leaders if possible by daily requests in these concerns.

2. Emigrants and foreign workers are to be arrested if it seems necessary in the situation if there is no doubt of their guilt and if they are under the suspicion of having been active for the U.S.S.R. in transmitting news. The measure is to be in readiness, however, it should not be executed before the pass word “Fremdvoelker” has been transmitted by means of Urgent telegram.

3. In case of refusals to work or in making propaganda for the enemy or suspicion of sabotage among all foreign laborers arrests and protective custody should be applied most strictly.

4. Persons who violate issued decrees or who try to provoke disturbances in factories or meetings by inflammatory speeches to the emigrants or foreign workers are also to be arrested.

5. It is an absolute necessity for the maintenance of German production to its capacity that emigrants and foreign workers remain at their places of work. In case, conditions in certain communities require that special measures be taken to reach this objective. I ask for appropriate action and report.

The RSHA to be kept posted how these measures are carried out. The decree also is to be applied to emigrants who came from the Baltic states—Lithuanians, Latvians and Estonians.

By order

/s/ MUELLER Certified correct: /s/ Signature

(L.S.)

Chancellery clerk.

Aachen, 3 July 1941

Note: The original decree can be found under IIIc under File No. 20/41 top secret

Koernert Krim-Assistent

SECRET

Secret State Police, State Police Bldg.-Aachen II E br.-No. 6/41 top Secret

Aachen, 22 Jan. 1942

1. The written record of these proceedings was worked out and sent through as a secret matter under II E under No. 303/41.

2. R II deliver

taken care of 22. Jan.

3. To the Top Secret File

By order

[illegible] Koer

TRANSLATION OF DOCUMENT 1574-PS

SECRET STATE POLICE [Gestapo]

Secret Police Office, Reich Security Head Office. IV C 2—5719/ 4540/43 g

Berlin SW 11 Prinz Albrecht Strasse 8. 19 January 1944 Warrant for “Protective Custody”

Christian Name & Surname: James, Cook Steele. Date and Place of birth: 29.20.1918 at Malseta, S. Rhodesia Occupation: Warrant Officer M or S: Married Nationality: British Subject Race (to be stated in case of non-Aryans) Address: Gresham Farm Marandellas, S. Rhodesia

is being taken in protective custody.

Reasons

It has been established by the State Police that he/she endangers the existence and the security of the people and the state by his/her conduct, in that he/she has been proved to be guilty of activities to the detriment of the German Reich and there is reason to suspect that he would, if released, commit acts prejudicial to the interests of the Reich.

received 23.1.44. 1400 hrs

[initials]

(Sgd) Dr. Kaltenbrunner Certified correct: (sgd) Kriminalrat

Steele should not know of the existence of this warrant [written in pencil; illegible initials follow].

TRANSLATION OF DOCUMENT 1582-PS

Bra/V SS-Untersturmfuehrer Dr. med. Sigmund RASCHER MUNICH, Trogerstr. 56

Dear Dr. Rascher:

Shortly before flying to Oslo, the Reichsfuehrer SS gave me your letter of 15 May, 1941, for partial reply.

I can inform you that prisoners will of course be gladly made available for the high-flight researches. I have informed the Chief of the Security Police of this agreement of the Reichsfuehrer SS, and requested that the competent official be instructed to get in touch with you.

I want to use the opportunity to extend my cordial wishes to you on the birth of your son.

I shall refer as soon as possible to the second part of your letter.

Heil Hitler By order [initials] R Br SS-Sturmbannfuehrer

TRANSLATION OF DOCUMENT 1583-PS

SECRET

Reichsfuehrer SS. RG/V

Field Command Post 16 November 1942 Personal Headquarters, Reichsfuehrer SS

1. To SS Lt. Gen OHL, BERLIN

Dear OHL,

The following struck me during my visit to Dachau on the 13 Nov 1942 regarding the experiments conducted there for the saving of people whose lives are endangered through exposure [Unterkuhlung] in ice, snow or water and who are to be saved by the employment of every method or means:

I had ordered that suitable women are to be set aside from the Concentration Camp for these experiments for the warming of those who were exposed. Four girls were set aside who were in the Concentration Camp due to loose living, and being prostitutes, they formulate a danger of contagion. Among those four was a 21 year old girl named Ursula Kraus, who naturally was not to be set aside for this. Kraus was a person under the care of the State [Fuersorgezoegling] and has already been sick twice with venereal disease. Nevertheless she belongs to that type of girl upon whom the attempt must be made in order to save her for the German people and for her own later life.

In addition, I found during this opportunity that some madmen in the women’s Concentration Camp had told the feminine prisoners at the time of selection of prostitutes for the Camp brothel, that those who volunteered would be released after a half year.

I order:

1. Only such prostitutes are to be selected for the Camp brothel who from the beginning can be taken for granted as not being able to be saved for a later regulated life, judging from their previous living and bearing. Also, that we are not guilty of spoiling a person who could still be saved for the German people. Such women can only be released from the Concentration Camp if they according to their age, do not constitute a destruction to the youth, to health (by contagion), or to the public welfare and security. The money which they earn in the camp brothel shall be an old-age security for them.

2. Fundamentally, all youths who can still be saved are to be segregated from the older prostitutes in living quarters and work. A difference must be made between those who cannot be reformed,—who must remain isolated in the camps, and those who came into the camp to be reformed and can eventually be saved. The best and most ideologically inclined custodians are to be employed for the latter.

In addition, I refer to the fact that the whipping penalty as a whole but especially for women, is to be the last measure, it is only to be used

a. if all other punishment such as arrest, solitary confinement, diet of bread and water, hard labor, were of no avail.

b. in individual cases of desertion or in actual attacks, which must be inflicted for intimidating and especially exemplary reasons. The whipping penalty is no instrument for responsible commanders or supervising custodians who are too lazy or incompetent to reeducate. In all cases in which food was stolen, the guilty one is to be placed on bread and water from 3 to 5 days as punishment for first offense. The whipping penalty is only then to be inflicted upon repeated offenses.

I ask you to personally check the conditions in the women’s concentration camps. Otherwise we must feel guilty since girls who could still be saved will be ruined for always through false treatment and repeated bad company in which we placed them (exactly as is the case in the prisons and reform schools of the law).

Heil Hitler! Your (signed) H. Himmler

2. Inspector of the Concentration Camps, Oranienburg

Carbon copy with request for acknowledgment.

SS Lt. Col.

PARTIAL TRANSLATION OF DOCUMENT 1584-I-PS

Teletype Goering to Himmler, dated 14 February 1944

TOP SECRET

CHIEF REICH SECURITY OFFICE

Teletype Section

URGENT

Transmitted by [Initials]

Received

Hour Day Month Year from by

240 15 2 44 E2 [Initials]

FS—No. 24411

t-KR-RM Asien Nr. 0170 14/2 2030—QEM—GKDOL—to Reichsfuehrer-SS Reichs Minister Himmler, Berlin SW 11-Reference: Letter Journal No. 72/44.-

Subject: Formation of the 7th Airforce group squadron for special purposes 7 (Z.B.V.7)

I received your request to form another squadron of airforce group for special purposes 7 (Z.B.V.7) and ordered examination by the air force operational staff [Luftwaffenfuehrungsstab]. At the same time I ask you to put at my disposal as great a number of Concentration Camp [K Z] convicts as possible for air armament, as this kind of manpower proved to be very useful according to previous experience. The situation of the air war makes subterranean transfer of industry necessary. For work of this kind Concentration Camp [KZ] convicts can be especially well concentrated at work and in the camp. Such installations are necessary in order to secure production of the now fully developed most modern airplanes. The Fuehrer upon his visit in Insterbrug has attached great value to these airplanes. Intermediate negotiations have already been held between my and your departments. I would be especially grateful for your support in carrying out this task.

Heil Hitler—Yours Goering, Reich Marshal of Greater Germany. ADF 391/44 GKDOS.

TRANSLATION OF DOCUMENT 1584-III-PS

TOP SECRET

The Reichsfuehrer-SS Personal Staff

Field Command Post. 10 March 1944

Diary No. Subject: Use of Prisoners in the air craft industry-M. To the SS-Brigadefuehrer FEGELEIN Fuehrer Headquarters Dear Hermann!

Enclosed I am sending you copy of a letter for your information. It was given to the Reich marshal on 9 March 1944 by the Reichsfuehrer-SS.

Heil Hitler! (initialled) DR

1 enclosure

9 March 1944

1879/44 secret

Field-command office

Subject: Employment of prisoners in the aviation industry. Reference: Teletype of 14 February 1944.

Top Reich Secret Most honored Reichsmarshal

Following my teletype letter of the 18 Feb. 44 I herewith transmit a survey on the employment of prisoners in the aviation industry.

This survey indicates that at the present time about 36000 prisoners are employed for the purposes of the air force. An increase to a total of 90,000 prisoners is contemplated.

The production is being discussed, established and executed between the Reich ministry of aviation and the chief of my economic-administrative main office, SS-Obergruppenfuehrer and General of the Waffen-SS, Pohl respectively.

We assist with all forces at our disposal.

The task of my economic-administrative main office, however, is not solely fulfilled with the delivery of the prisoners to the aviation industry as SS-Obergruppenfuehrer Pohl and his assistants take care of the required working speed thru constant control and supervision of the workgroups [Kommandos] and therefore have some influence on the results of production. In this respect I may suggest consideration of the fact that in enlarging our responsibility thru a speeding up of the total work, better results can definitely be expected.

We also have for some time adjusted our own stone-quarries to production for the airforce. For instance in Flossenbuerg near Weiden the prisoners employed previously in the quarry are working now in the fighter plane program for the Messerschmitt corporation, Regensburg, which saw in the availability of our stone-mason shops and labor forces after the attack on Regensburg at that time a favorable opportunity for the immediate partial transfer of their production. Altogether 4000 prisoners will work there after the expansion. We produce now with 2000 men 900 sets of engine cowlings and radiator covers as well as 120,000 single parts of various kinds for the fighter ME 109.

In Oranienburg we are employing 6000 prisoners at the Heinkel works now for construction of the HE 177. With that we have supplied 60% of the total crew of the plant.

The prisoners are working without fault. Up till now 200 suggestions regarding the improvement of work have been handed in at Heinkel from the ranks of the prisoners, which were used and were rewarded with premiums. We are increasing this employment to 8000 prisoners.

We also have employed female prisoners in the aviation industry. For instance at the mechanical workshops in Neubrandenburg 2500 women are working now in the manufacture of devices for dropping bombs and rudder control. The plant has adjusted the total serial production to employ prisoners. In the month of January 30,000 devices as well as 500 rudder controls and altitude regulators have been manufactured. We are increasing employment to 4000 women. The performance of the women is excellent.

In our own plant in Butschowitz near Bruenn [Brno] we produce also for the air force, there however with civilian workers. This plant supplies 14,000 wooden-built rear control apparatus for ME 109 to the Messerschmitt corporation, Augsburg.

The movement of manufacturing plants of the aviation industry to subterranean locations requires further employment of about 100,000 prisoners. The plans for this employment on the basis of your letter of 14 Feb 1944 are already under way.

I shall keep you, most honored Reichsmarshal, currently informed on this subject.

Heil Hitler (initialed) HH

Use of Prisoners for the Aircraft Industry.

Number of Prisoners Man-Hrs

Camp & Plant planned used January Production

Auschwitz:

AA fortification staff, Auschwitz 250 191 48,788 Construction of AA positions.

Ost-Maschinenbau GmbH, (Factory), Schwientochlowitz 1,500 730 196,067 AA gun production: prod. result Jan: 105 guns.

Siemens & Schuckert, Auschwitz 1,500 90 19,240 at first completion of plant, later switch and control instruments for night fighters.

Buchenwald:

Erla-Maschinenwerk GmbH., Leipzig 2,800 1,550 176,105 air plane parts production prod. result Jan:

360 wings for BF 109

290 fuselages BF 109

304 tail assemblies

Junkers-Flug-& Motorenwerke AG., Schoenebeck 2,000 1,310 362,619 air plane parts production

Polte, Arnstadt 100 87 24,112 finishing of AA cartridge cases; prod. result Jan: 181,000 AA cartridge cases.

Leichtmetallwerke Rautenbach Wernigerode 1,200 772 189,832 production of cylinder blocks for airplane motors

Dachau:

High frequency research 15 15 3,290 high frequency development

BMW, Munich-Allach 12,000 3,434 908,606 air plane motor production—construction & subterranean building

Dornier Works GmbH., Neuaubing 3,000 60 9,527 at first construction of workers’ camp, later plane part production.

Engineer Kimmel, Munich 25 23 7,925 building of radio measuring instruments

prod. result Jan: 35 RC-generators.

Air force research institute, Munich 400 40 — building of air force research institute Ottobrunn

Messerschmitt AG., Augsburg—

” Haunstetten 3,400 2,695 740,640 air plane production Me

” Gablingen 600 352 — air plane production Me

” Dachau 600 192 35,766 manufacture of plane parts

” Kottern 1,000 341 57,050 first building of factory, then plant parts production

Air force planning office, Sudelfeld 25 25 4,660 building of experimental station for high frequency

Praezifix, Dachau 400 356 94,067 production of standard plane parts and screws

H. Sachse KG. Kempten. 1,000 374 91,630 first building of factory/start production of propeller control instruments.

Flossenbuerg:

Dt. Erd- & Steinwerke GmbH, Floss. 4,000 1,911 422,158 plane parts production for Me prod. result Jan: 900 noses & radiator covering; 120,000 parts.

Erla-Maschinenwerk GmbH,

Johanngeorgenstadt 600 564 117,524 air plane parts production.

Milsen 500 30 — air plane parts production.

Geramic Works Bohemia, Neurohlau 100 100 10,764 plane parts production.

Luftfahrtgeraetewerk, Zwodau 1,500 199 28,314 instrument prod. for air force.

Herzogenbusch:

Dt. Erd- & Steinwerke GmbH. Herzogenbusch 600 411 35,248 air plane disassembling plant prod. result Jan:

12 planes disassembled

35 motors ”

120 wings ”

Air force field construction office 3 1,000 265 64,800 runway construction for airport

Mauthausen:

Dt. Erd- & Steinwerke GmbH., Mauthausen 500 423 82,632 plane parts construction for Me prod. results January: 25 plane fuselages

Flugmotoren GmbH., Wiener-Neudorf 3,000 1,983 417,328 first building, later plane parts prod.

Heinkel-Werke AG, Schwechat 3,200 2,065 486,206 air plane parts production

Natzweiler:

Dt Erd- & Steinwerke GmbH, Natzweiler 400 261 63,221 disassembling of Ju motors & welding of air torpedoes.

Neuengamme:

Jastram, Hamburg-Bergedorf 80 80 21,554 air plane parts production

Messap GmbH., Hamburg-Langenhorn 120 110 31,422 production of fuse mechanisms

prod. result Jan:

16 800 balance wheels S30

53 900 balance wheels S60

15 600 time fuses S30

46 700 time fuses S60

Ravensbrueck:

Air ministry testing ground, Peenamuende-W 600 598 125,000 building

Geraetewerk Pommern GmbH, Stargard 550 283 81,129 production of aerial torpedoes

Heinkel-Werke AG, Barth. 2,000 1,721 435,155 air plane production

Mechan. Werkstaetten GmbH. Neubrandenburg 4,000 1,981 529,126 production of bomb release mechanism and Fz.G.76; prod. Jan.

23,000 lock 50/X

1,500 lock 2000

150 PVC 1006

500 rudder machines

400 ER 4 L-“2”

Siemens & Halske, Berlin, work Ravensbrueck 2,400 872 242,867 communication equipment product. (e.g. throat microphones)

Silva-Metallwerke GmbH, Genthin 600 596 154,224 production of AA ammunition

prod. result Jan.:

518 200 2-cm shells

927 500 2-cm shells

(various styles)

965 000 13-mm shells

Veltener-Maschinenbau GmbH., Volten 600 596 146,873 production of plane parts.

Sachsenhausen:

Heinkel-Werke AG, Oranienburg 6,500 5,939 1,699,978 plane mass production. Prod. result

15 plane bodies He 177

Luftschiffbau Zepplin GmbH, Oranienburg 300 221 54,006 production and repair of balloons prod. result Jan: 120 balloons repaired and part work for 40 new balloons.

Ostland Concentration Camp:

Air force field building direction. Spilve 1,000 1,000 280,776 building of airport.

Field building direction 3/I, Kauen 1,000 829 222,186 building of airport.

AA booty repair shop, Kauen 200 162 4,920 rebuilding of booty AA

Kopperschmidt & Soehne, Riga 20 20 6,160 production of plane turrets.

It was recently agreed to use further:

Buchenwald:

Anhydrit 10,000 — — plane production of Ju underground

Ago, Oschersleben 1,500 — — plane production Focke-Wulf fighters.

Gross-Rosen:

Famo, Bunzlau 1,500 — — servicing of FW night fighters, Ta 154.

Mauthausen:

Esche II 10,000 — — kind of production to be decided by air Ministry.

Natzweiler:

Geraetewerk Pommern GmbH., branch Diedenhofen 600 — — production of aerial torpedoes.

90,785 35,839 8,733,495

The Chief of the SS Economics Administration Main Office Berlin, 21 February 1944 (signed) Pohl I. [?] SS Obergruppenfuehrer and General of Armed Forces SS.

The Reich Minister for Armament and War Production

TAE-No. 475/44 top secret

(Signed) Pohl

[Initialled] HH

Berlin, Pariser Platz 3, 17 April 1944. Phone: 11 00 52 Pohl

TOP SECRET

Fighter staff, attention: Field Marshal MILCH

Fighter staff, attention: Chief of office SWR

For Information

Reichsfuehrer-SS and chief of the German Police, Reichleader HIMMLER

Head of armament office Lt Gen Dr Ing. h. c. Waeger

Plenipotentiary-General for Construction, Director Stobbe-Dethleffsen

1. Using tables and drawings as an illustration I have in conjunction with Field Marshal Milch informed the Fuehrer on the work of the fighter staff in pointing to the extraordinarily pleasing and successful cooperation of the newly created organization with all offices and works. He is cognizant of the fact that the greatest part of the transfer has been fixed according to plan and that as the first step the decentralization above the ground can be concluded by approximately August and that the second step aiming at the total subterranean security of the most sensitive works will be concluded by the end of the year.

2. Field Marshal Milch has reported as a result of the meeting on construction of the “central planning” to the Fuehrer, that of the amount of construction demanded, because of the extraordinary aggravation of the all-over situation, only the most important part of the construction work could be accomplished. The Fuehrer demands that in spite of that both the large plants, each of at least 600,000 qm, which he demanded should be constructed with all energy. He consents that one of these works will not be built in concrete but in accordance with the proposal as an enlargement and in the immediate vicinity of the present central works as the so-called central construction and will come under the management of the Junkers works.

The Fuehrer agrees to the suggestion that the second large building project will, because of lack in labor and material, not be carried out on German territory, but on suitable ground (first of all gravel foundation and possibilities for transportation) in the immediate proximity of the border, on French, Belgian or Dutch territory, as long as the plant is constructed behind a fortified zone. The suggestion to build on French territory is favored by the fact that it will then be much easier to make the necessary labor available. In spite of that the Fuehrer asks to try, to construct this second works in an essentially secure territory, namely in the Protectorate. If the labor can not be supplied there either, the Fuehrer wants to get in touch in person with the Reichsfuehrer SS and will cause him to provide the approximately 100,000 men required, thru the securing of corresponding Jewish contingents from Hungary. The Fuehrer demands that a meeting take place with him shortly in order to discuss the details in the presence of the men concerned.

3. An immediate task for the central construction besides assuring the supply of the bottleneck products of the Junkers works which is to be executed step by step, is the planning and securing of ME 262 at the rate of 1000 a month and of an additional fighter plane at the rate of 2000 a month.

Heil Hitler signed: SPEER Certified: Capt. Stein

TRANSLATION OF DOCUMENT 1590-PS

[several illegible notations]

Re: Taking of hostages

OKH received: 1 Oct. 1941

5 copies—copy OKH/Gen. Qn. (W. Bfh. Suedost) Military Commander, South-East

Attacks on members of the Armed Forces lately committed in the occupied territories gave reason to point out that it is advisable that military commanders always have at their disposal a number of hostages of different political tendencies, namely:

1. nationalist

2. democratic-bourgeois, and

3. communist

It is important that among them shall be well-known leading personalities or members of their families, whose names are to be made public.

Depending on the membership of the culprit, hostages of the corresponding group are to be shot in case of attacks.

It is asked that commanders be accordingly instructed.

[partly illegible notation]

Chief of the Armed Forces High Command (signed) Keitel.

Complied with in France and Belgium.

TRANSLATION OF DOCUMENT 1600-PS

The State-Picture Gallery in Dresden

The Director.

Dresden-Al, 1 June 1940.

To: Ministerialrat Dr. Hanssen Berlin W 8, Wilhelmstr. 64 Dear Ministerialrat!

Permit me to express my thanks for having sent me the copy of the letter of the State Secretary Dr. Landfried.

I herewith enclose a copy of my letter of 16 March 1940 to Reichsleiter Bormann, referring mainly to the confiscated property of the convents in the Ostmark. In accordance with the Fuehrer’s decree on Jewish property, a generally applicable procedure may be recommended in this case, too; the Fuehrer should have the final word in the distribution to the individual consumers, rather the first option on any purchase. This regulation should be made to be retroactive as of the time of the assumption of power if possible.

Heil Hitler! Yours faithfully H. Posse.

1 enclosure.

At the Fuehrer’s present HQ, 16 Jan 41 Bo/Fu

R.L.M.B.

1. Director Dr. Posse, Dresden-Hellerau

Personal! Registered!

Tunnigtweg 14 Dear Dr. Posse!

Enclosed herewith I am sending you the pictures of the altar from the convent in Hohenfurth near Kruman. The convent and its entire property shall be confiscated in the immediate future because of the attitude, hostile towards the State, of its inhabitants.

It shall be up to you to decide whether the pictures shall remain in the convent at Hohenfurth or be transferred to the museum in Linz after the latter shall be completed.

I await your decision in the matter.

Heil Hitler! Faithfully yours, [initialed by Bormann]

Enclosures

2. Presented again: 3 May 1941.

Dresden-Al, 16 May 1941

The State-Picture Gallery in Dresden.

The Director.

The Reichsleiter Martin Bormann,

Berlin W 8, Wilhelmstr. 64

Personal!

Dear Reichsleiter!

I report that I have returned today from a weeks trip to Oberdonau and Vienna. Besides checking on the confiscated convents and monasteries, the main reason for my trip to Linz and Oberdonau was to find out whether any of the confiscated convents offered facilities suitable for temporarily storing the collections acquired by the Fuehrer.

After having seen the convents at Hohenfurth, St. Florian, Krenesmunster, Schloegel, Wilhering etc., and after having discussed the matter with Gauleiter Eigruber and his deputies, I found that the convent in Krenesmunster is extremely suited for this purpose. There are in this convent 50-60 rooms that can be locked; the various new acquisitions can be stored there temporarily. There is also the “Emperor’s Stall” there, 25 m long, and a flight of 7 rooms in good shape, at present the picture-gallery of the convent, not very valuable, is on exposition. From time to time, the newly acquired collections may be presented to the Fuehrer there.

Krenesmunster is situated in the woods, far away from industrial area; therefore, a threat from the air hardly exists.

In case the Fuehrer should agree with the proposal to have Krenesmunster as a depot for Linz, it is suggested that the Germans from Bessarabia who are at present living in the convent, be moved into another convent, in order to safeguard the stocks, particularly against fire.

Therefore, I beg to have the Fuehrer state his intentions regarding their proposal which is also supported by Gauleiter Eigruber not only is the collection Lanz in Amsterdam, packed in the meantime, awaiting, also several other collections of paintings for which there’d hardly be space enough in Munich, are ready, and so is Dr. Topfer’s library which was bought in Switzerland. Also very rich stocks, already packed and stored in Vienna, confiscated from Jewish owners, and many new acquisitions from Vienna could be brought to Krenesmunster. This way, room could be made in Vienna and what remains of confiscated art-treasures could be distributed.

Heil Hitler! Yours faithfully H. Posse.

Report on the trip, undertaken on orders to Cracow and Warsaw, so as to ascertain the kind and the amount of confiscated art-treasures.

It was impossible to carry out the order as such, as well as that part of it which drafting of a plan as to how to dispose of the confiscated art treasures, since most of them were still packed away in cases and were either stored in Cracow, or in other places, particularly in Warsaw ready for shipment to Cracow.

Since 6 October, under the direction of Understate secretary Dr. Muhlmann, as the special deputy of General Field Marshall Goering and as the Director of the Department of Science and Training, the storing of all the valuable Art treasures has been in full swing with assistance of suitable experts from Berlin, Vienna, and Breslau, and, so far as I could determine it has been almost completely carried out.

Works of art and culture, mainly from Warsaw were saved, particularly from the badly damaged chateau of the Kings whose furniture and interior decorations were salvaged to a large extent. In Cracow, box-cars containing the works of art secured from public, clerical and private ownership arrived almost daily. The Art treasures are being collected in the particularly suitable building of the Jagellonic Library in Cracow and are being set up there properly, a task which may be finished by February 1940. As soon as the task of collecting shall be finished and an inventory is made so that a complete survey of the entire valuable Polish Art-treasure can be made, I shall again travel to Cracow so as to carry out the order given me.

The official pictorial service is photographing all important works of art little by little. The governor general shall present these pictures in the form of a photo-Album to the Fuehrer.

I was able to gain some knowledge on the public and private collections as well as clerical property in Cracow and Warsaw. It is true that we cannot hope too much to enrich ourselves from the acquisition of great Art works of paintings and sculptures there with the exception of the Veit Stoss-altar and the plates of Hans von Kulmbach in the Church of Maria in Cracow, the Raffael, Leonardo and Rembrandt from the collection Czarborpki and several other works from the National Museum in Warsaw—works of a rather high value of whose existence we in Germany had already known. Richer and more extensive is the Polish stock of “objects d’art”, such as handicraft in gold and silver of German origin to a large part, (particularly from the Church of Maria and the cathedral of Wawel) tapestries, arms, porcelains, furniture, bronzes, coins, valuable parchment-scrips, books, etc. Those were the principal fields of interest for Polish collectors, besides their interest in Polish National Art, particularly of the 19th century. It is characteristic that apart from original paintings so many copies can be found in Polish castles and private collections (for example Czartoryski, Wilano etc). However, many thousand works of art of all kinds ought to be found in the Jagellonic Library.

As I said before, I shall not be able to make proposals regarding the distribution as long as an inventory of the entire material does not exist. However, I should like to reserve for the museum in Linz the three most important paintings of the Czartoryski collection, namely the Raffael, Leonardo and Rembrandt which are at present in the Kaiser-Frederick Museum in Berlin. We in Dresden are particularly interested in the interior decorations of the castle of the Kings in Warsaw since Saxonian architects and artists have created them; therefore, the suggestion is made that the salvaged parts of it (panellings, doors, inlaid floors, sculptures, mirrors, glass-chandeliers, porcelains etc) be used for the interior decoration of the Pavillion of the “Zivinges” in Dresden.

A number of fine drawings of Albrecht Durer’s and other old German masters kept in the Ossolinemm in Lemberg, has fallen into Russian hands. Maybe at least Durer’s 27 pieces could still be salvaged for Germany.

While in Warsaw, a Polish colleague of mine whom I have known, for quite some time told me that the storing of the art treasures was begun already in June 1939; by the end of July the entire official museum property was packed in cases and ready for shipment. In spite of that the Poles did not manage to carry any important stocks away and save them for themselves, with the exception of the famous tapestry, collection of Wawel, the riding costumes kept there also, arms and historically valuable pieces like the blood-banner of the Prophet which, as far as I could ascertain, fell into Russian hands.

/s/ Hans Posse.

PARTIAL TRANSLATION OF DOCUMENT 1602-PS

Dr. med. Sigmund RASCHER

MUNICH, 15 May 1941

Trogerstrasse 56

Dear Reichsfuehrer,

My sincere thanks for your cordial wishes and flowers on the birth of my second son. This time, too, it is a strong boy, though he has come 3 weeks too early. I may send you a picture of both children incidentally. * * *

For the time being I have been assigned to the Luftgaukommando VII, Munich, for a medical course. During this course, where researches on high-altitude flights play a prominent part (determined by the somewhat higher ceiling of the English fighter planes) considerable regret was expressed at the fact that no tests with human material had yet been possible for us, as such experiments are very dangerous and nobody volunteers for them. I put, therefore, the serious question: can you make available two or three professional criminals for these experiments? The experiments are made at “Bodenstaendige Pruefstelle fuer Hoehenforschung der Luftwaffe”, Munich. The experiments, by which the subjects can, of course, die, would take place with my cooperation. They are essential for researches on high-altitude flight and cannot be carried out, as has been tried, with monkeys, who offer entirely different test-conditions. I have had a very confidential talk with a representative of the air forces Surgeon who makes these experiments. He is also of the opinion that the problems in question could only be solved by experiments on human persons. (Feeble-minded could also be used as test material). * * *

I hope sincerely, highly esteemed Reichsfuehrer that, in spite of the immense burden of work you carry, you are in the pink of health.

With my heartiest wishes, I am with Heil Hitler your gratefully devoted

(signature) S. RASCHER

(Z—2)

TRANSLATION OF DOCUMENT 1616-PS

Dr. S. RASCHER SS-Hauptsturmfuehrer

Munich, 17 February 1943

To the Reichsfuehrer SS and Chief of the German Police Mr. Heinrich Himmler

Berlin SW 11 Prinz Albrecht Str. 8

Dear Reichsfuehrer!

Enclosed I present to you in condensed form a summary of the results of the experiments made in warming up people who have been cooled off by using animal heat.

Right now I am attempting to prove through experiments on human beings that it is possible to warm up people cooled off by dry cold just as fast as people who were cooled off by remaining in cold water. The Reich physician SS, SS-Gruppenfuehrer Dr. Gravitz doubted very much that that would be possible and said that I would have to prove it first by 100 experiments. Up to now I have cooled off about 30 people stripped in the open air during 9-14 hours to 27°-29°. After a time corresponding to a transport of one hour, I put these subjects in a hot bath. Up to now every single patient was completely warmed up within one hour at most, though some of them had their hands and feet frozen white. In some cases a slight fatigue with slightly rising temperature was observed on the day following the experiments. I have not observed any fatal results from this extremely fast warming up. I have not so far been able to do any warming up by “Sauna” as ordered by you, my dear Reichsfuehrer, as the weather in December and January was too warm for any experiments in the open air, and right now the camp is closed on account of typhoid and I am not allowed therefore to bring the subjects to these experiments into the SS-Sauna. (I have been vaccinated several times and continue myself to make the tests within the camp in spite of the typhoid in the camp.) It would be best if I were transferred to the Waffen-SS soon and could go together with Neff to Auschwitz and * * * the question of the warming up of persons who have frozen on land * * *.

[rest of document missing]

TRANSLATION OF DOCUMENT 1617-PS

SECRET

The Reichfuehrer SS

Berlin, SW 11, B. Prinz Albrecht Strasse 8 Field Command Post

November 1942

Dear Comrade Milch!

You will recall that through General Wolff I particularly recommended to you for your consideration the work of a certain SS Fuehrer, Dr. Rascher, who is a physician of the air force on leave [Arzt des Beurlaubtenstandes der Luftwaffe].

These researches which deal with the behavior of the human organism at great heights, as well as with manifestations caused by prolonged cooling of the human body in cold water, and similar problems which are of vital importance to the air force in particular, can be performed by us with particular efficiency because I personally assumed the responsibility for supplying asocial individuals and criminals who deserve only to die [todeswuerdig] from concentration camps for these experiments.

Unfortunately you had no time recently when Dr. Rascher wanted to report on the experiments at the Ministry for Aviation. I had put great hopes in that report, because I believed that in this way the difficulties, based mainly on religious objections, which oppose Dr. Rascher’s experiments—for which I assumed responsibility—could be eliminated.

The difficulties are still the same now as before. In these “Christian medical circles” the standpoint is being taken that it goes without saying that a young German aviator should be allowed to risk his life but that the life of a criminal—who is not drafted into military service—is too sacred for this purpose and one should not stain oneself with this guilt; at the same time it is interesting to note that credit is taken for the results of the experiments while excluding the scientist who performed them.

I personally have inspected the experiments, and have—I can say this without exaggeration—participated in every phase of this scientific work in a helpful and inspiring manner.

We two should not get angry about these difficulties. It will take at least another ten years until we can get such narrow-mindedness out of our people. But this should not affect the research work which is necessary for our young and splendid soldiers and aviators.

I beg you to release Dr. Rascher, Stabsarzt in reserve, from the air force and to transfer him to me to the Waffen-SS. I would then assume the sole responsibility for having these experiments made in this field, and would put the results, of which we in the SS need only a part for the frost injuries in the East, entirely at the disposal of the air force. However, in this connection I suggest that with the liaison between you and Wolff a “non-Christian” physician should be charged, who should be at the same time honorable as a scientist and not prone to intellectual theft and who could be informed of the results. This physician should also have good contacts with the administrative authorities, so that the results would really obtain a hearing.

I believe that this solution—to transfer Dr. Rascher to the SS, so that he could carry out the experiments under my responsibility and under my orders—is the best way. The experiments should not be stopped; we owe that to our men. If Dr. Rascher remained with the air force, there would certainly be much annoyance; because then I would have to bring a series of unpleasant details to you, because of the arrogance and assumption which Professor Dr. Holzloehner has displayed in the post of Dachau—who is under my command—about me in utterances delivered to SS Colonel Sievers. In order to save both of us this trouble, I suggest again that Dr. Rascher should be transferred to the Waffen SS as quickly as possible.

I would be grateful to you if you would give the order to put the low pressure chamber at our disposal again, together with step-up pumps, because the experiments should be extended to include even greater altitudes.

Cordial greetings and Heil Hitler!

TRANSLATION OF DOCUMENT 1618-PS

S. RASCHER

Intermediate report on intense chilling experiments in the Dachau Camp, started on 15 August 1942

Experimental procedure

The experimental subjects (V P) were placed in the water, dressed in complete flying uniform, winter or summer combination, and with an aviator’s helmet. A life jacket made of rubber or kapok was to prevent submerging. The experiments were carried out at water temperatures varying from 2.5° to 12°. In one experimental series, Occiput and brain stem protruded above the water, while in another series of experiments the Occiput (brain stem) and back of the head were submerged in water.

Electrical measurements gave low temperature readings of 26.4° in the stomach and 26.5° in the rectum. Fatalities occurred only when the brain stem and the back of the head were also chilled. Autopsies of such fatal cases always revealed large amounts of free blood, up to ½ liter, in the cranial cavity. The heart invariably showed extreme dilation of the night chamber. As soon as the temperature in these experiments reached 28°, the experimental subjects (VP) died invariably, despite all attempts at resuscitation. The above discussed autopsy finding conclusively proved the importance of a warming protective device for head and Occiput when designing the planned protective clothing of the foam type.

Other important findings, common in all experiments, to be mentioned. Marked increase of the viscosity of the blood, marked increase of hemoglobin, an approximate five fold increase of the leukocytes, invariable rise of blood sugar to twice its normal value. Auricular fibrillation made its appearance regularly at 30°.

During attempts to save severely chilled persons, it was shown that rapid re-warming was in all cases preferable to slow re-warming, because after removal from the cold water, the body temperature continued to sink rapidly. I think that for this reason we can dispense with the attempt to save intensely chilled subjects by means of animal heat.

Rewarming by animal warmth—animal bodies or women’s bodies—would be too slow. As auxiliary measures for the prevention of intense chilling, improvements in the clothing of aviators come alone into consideration. The foam suit with suitable neck protector which is being prepared by the German Institution for textile research [Deutsches Textilforschungsinstitut] Muenchen-Gladbach deserves first priority in this connection. The experiments have shown that pharmaceutical measures are probably unnecessary if the flier is still alive at the time of rescue.

(signed) Dr. S. Rascher

Muenchen—Dachau, 10 September 1942.

TRANSLATION OF DOCUMENT 1621-PS

SECRET!

The Reichsfuehrer SS Personal Staff File Nr. 19/9/43a/Pers/V

Command Post, 12 November 1942 [Rubber Stamp] Personal Staff, Reichsfuehrer SS [illegible notation] Administration Secret/

SECRET!

1. To SS Major General Rauter

The Hague

Dear Major General,

The SS Captain Dr. Rascher is in need of medico-physiological appliances. He points out that there are sufficient appliances at the University of Leyden and at the University of Utrecht, which could be put to use.

The Reichsfuehrer SS asks you to attempt to obtain these appliances, which would still have to be listed in detail by SS Captain Dr. Rascher resp. by SS Colonel Sievers, through the Reich Commissar. SS-Hauptsturmfuehrer Dr. Rascher resp. SS-Standartenfuehrer Sievers will submit the list directly to you.

Heil Hitler! (signed) Brandt

Transmitted to

2. SS Colonel (SS-Standartenfuehrer) Sievers 3. SS Captain (SS-Hauptsturmfuehrer) Dr. Rascher, with the request that the above be noted and the necessary steps taken.

[Signed illegible] SS-Lieutenant Colonel

SECRET!

[Rubber Stamp] Personal Staff Reichsfuehrer SS (illegible notation) SECRET

Dr. S. Rascher, SS Captain

SECRET!

File Memorandum.

Procurement of medico-physiological appliances is so difficult in Germany that the continued conduct of experiments is seriously endangered. If the necessary appliances cannot be procured, it will be very much more difficult to build up the Institute for Functional Research in Military Science within the framework of the Ancestral Heritage Organization [Ahnenerbe].

The Institutes of the Universities of Leyden and Utrecht, however, are very plentifully equipped with the very best scientific appliances at both these universities is not feasible, however, since the University of Leyden is, and will remain, closed, notwithstanding all rumors, and since the University of Utrecht works with only half its usual enrollment.