)n 16 October, 1946, ten top Nazis were hanged at Nuremburg after being found guilty of various war crimes & atrocities. Here's a thumbnail look at them:
HANS FRANK(B.1900) He was an early Nazi, appointed Governor-general of the parts of Poland occupied by Germany, in 1939. He retained that post til driven out by the Russians in 1945. During that time, he instituted a reign of terror, overseeing 4 extermination camps. He was directly involved in the mass murders of Jews as well as the forced labor & enslavement of many Polish civilians.
After conviction, he was remorseful over his crimes & didn't deny responsibility, having apparently "found religion" before his death.
WILHELM FRICK(B. 1877) An early Nazi, he was Reich Minister of the Interior, responsible for the drafting of the racial laws of the Nazis, and many of the anit-Jew laws. He drafted the "Enabling Act" which gave Hitler almost-absolute authority, and was heavily involved in the creation of the concentration camps. He was a sinister, "behind-the scene" character. He showed no remorse & his last words were "Long Live Eternal Germany."
ALFRED JODL (B. 1890) was chief of the Wehrmacht's Operations Staff, & was responsible for signing twi criminal orders from Hitler: the Commissar Order of 1941 requiring the immediate execution of any Russian Political Commissar captured, & the Commando Order of 1942 authorizing the immediate execution without trial of any commandos, in or out of uniform, & any partisans or resistance fighters, spies, or supporters discovered in occupied territories. He also planned much of germany's aggressive warfare. He signed the surrender document in 1945 as Donitz' representative.
At his trial, he declared himself innocent "before God, before history, and my people", but he was convicted on overwhelming evidence against him. His last words were, "I greet you, my eternal Germany."
WILHELM KEITEL(B. 1882) was Chief of the German High Command, holding the rank of Field Marshal. He was called "Lakeitel" behind his back bu Goering & most other top military brass for being Hitler's toadie to the point of causing disgust.
At his trial, he played upon this reputation to use a "merely following orders" defense, but it was found that he'd issued some illegal orders on his own, including many "Night And Fog" orders against both German civilians & some in occupied territories. He admitted there were many atrocities committed & admitted culpability in many of them. His death took 24 minutes, as the drop from the hanging scaffold was too short to have snapped his neck.
ERNST KALTENBRUNNER(B. 1903)was an Austrian, as was Hitler, & an early Nazi who became a senior Austrian official after the 1938 anschluss of Germany & Austria, & also a high-ranking SS officer. He was both a fanatical Nazi & anti-Semite, becoming a major player in the "final solution" & the Holocaust, overseeing the Austrian concentration camps. At his trial, he denied any responsibility for the acts he was involved in, despite direct evidence of his guilt. He maintained his innocence to the end.
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HANS FRANK(B.1900) He was an early Nazi, appointed Governor-general of the parts of Poland occupied by Germany, in 1939. He retained that post til driven out by the Russians in 1945. During that time, he instituted a reign of terror, overseeing 4 extermination camps. He was directly involved in the mass murders of Jews as well as the forced labor & enslavement of many Polish civilians.
After conviction, he was remorseful over his crimes & didn't deny responsibility, having apparently "found religion" before his death.
WILHELM FRICK(B. 1877) An early Nazi, he was Reich Minister of the Interior, responsible for the drafting of the racial laws of the Nazis, and many of the anit-Jew laws. He drafted the "Enabling Act" which gave Hitler almost-absolute authority, and was heavily involved in the creation of the concentration camps. He was a sinister, "behind-the scene" character. He showed no remorse & his last words were "Long Live Eternal Germany."
ALFRED JODL (B. 1890) was chief of the Wehrmacht's Operations Staff, & was responsible for signing twi criminal orders from Hitler: the Commissar Order of 1941 requiring the immediate execution of any Russian Political Commissar captured, & the Commando Order of 1942 authorizing the immediate execution without trial of any commandos, in or out of uniform, & any partisans or resistance fighters, spies, or supporters discovered in occupied territories. He also planned much of germany's aggressive warfare. He signed the surrender document in 1945 as Donitz' representative.
At his trial, he declared himself innocent "before God, before history, and my people", but he was convicted on overwhelming evidence against him. His last words were, "I greet you, my eternal Germany."
WILHELM KEITEL(B. 1882) was Chief of the German High Command, holding the rank of Field Marshal. He was called "Lakeitel" behind his back bu Goering & most other top military brass for being Hitler's toadie to the point of causing disgust.
At his trial, he played upon this reputation to use a "merely following orders" defense, but it was found that he'd issued some illegal orders on his own, including many "Night And Fog" orders against both German civilians & some in occupied territories. He admitted there were many atrocities committed & admitted culpability in many of them. His death took 24 minutes, as the drop from the hanging scaffold was too short to have snapped his neck.
ERNST KALTENBRUNNER(B. 1903)was an Austrian, as was Hitler, & an early Nazi who became a senior Austrian official after the 1938 anschluss of Germany & Austria, & also a high-ranking SS officer. He was both a fanatical Nazi & anti-Semite, becoming a major player in the "final solution" & the Holocaust, overseeing the Austrian concentration camps. At his trial, he denied any responsibility for the acts he was involved in, despite direct evidence of his guilt. He maintained his innocence to the end.
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