10 large photographs from the Nuremberg Trials, taken by photographers of the United States Army Signal Corps for internal use. Nuremberg, 1946–1947. The photographs capture scenes inside the courtroom, including high-ranking Nazi officials during their interrogations, senior figures questioned in the framework of the “Doctors’ Trial, ” the interrogation of Alfred Jodl’s deputy, and more (see details below). Some of the photographs are stamped on the reverse: “For official use only – not for publication.” Others include typed captions on the reverse.
Photographs:
Bernd von Brauchitsch, a former German Luftwaffe colonel and the military aide to Hermann Göring, commander of the Luftwaffe, on the witness stand following a defense summons during the second military trial held in the Palace of Justice, Nuremberg, Germany, on February 20, 1947. The trial concerned former Luftwaffe Field Marshal Erhard Milch. Von Brauchitsch testified that Milch, in his role as Luftmeister general, oversaw the recruitment and allocation of labor. He claimed that only near the end of the war did he hear of just two concentration camps – Dachau and Oranienburg, and that he was unaware of what occurred there, believing that all prisoners had been sentenced and imprisoned through due legal process. He was released from Allied captivity in 1948 and returned to civilian life in Germany without any conviction or sentence issued against him, as he served as an official witness for both sides. (Died in 1974.)
Dr. Hjalmar Schacht, former President of the Reichsbank and Minister of Economics under Nazi Germany, on the witness stand during the Nuremberg Trials (May 1946). He was arrested by the Allies and tried for his role in preparing for World War II. Throughout the trial, he claimed innocence, asserting that not only did he not prepare for war, but he actively worked to prevent it. He was ultimately acquitted of all charges, with the British and French judges voting for acquittal against the position of the American and Soviet judges. However, immediately after his release, he was re-arrested and brought before a German denazification court. This time he was found guilty and sentenced to nine years of hard labor, though he was released in early September 1948. After his release, Schacht founded a bank in Düsseldorf and provided economic consultancy to various companies and developing countries, including advising the regime of Gamal Abdel Nasser in Egypt.
Hans Hartleban, witness in the Doctors’ Trial held between December 9, 1946 – August 20, 1947 (the first of the Subsequent Nuremberg Trials). In his testimony, he primarily addressed the authority of Dr. Siegfried Handloser, who served as Chief of the Medical Services of the German Army. Hartleban claimed that Handloser did not have command authority but acted solely in an advisory capacity, and that he was unaware of the criminal medical experiments conducted in the concentration camps. His testimony was instrumental in clarifying the medical hierarchy within the Wehrmacht and in distinguishing between administrative responsibilities and direct command authority. It became a key factor in the deliberations regarding Handloser’s responsibility for the medical crimes committed. Hartleban was released in 1948 without any charges filed against him, as he was not considered a participant in the crimes investigated during the Doctors’ Trial.
General Walter Warlimont at the Nuremberg war crimes trials in 1946. Warlimont served as deputy to Alfred Jodl in the Wehrmacht High Command. Following Germany’s surrender in May 1945, Warlimont was held in custody as a prisoner of war. In October 1948, he was brought to trial before an American military tribunal along with several senior Wehrmacht officers, in what became known as the “High Command Trial.” He was charged with drafting and transmitting Hitler’s order that Allied commandos captured behind enemy lines were to be executed immediately without being granted prisoner-of-war status. He was sentenced to life imprisonment. In 1951, his sentence was commuted to 18 years, and he was released in 1957 following a pardon.
Roland Ferrier, prosecution witness (with an interpreter at his side), testifying about his imprisonment and forced labor during the Subsequent Nuremberg Trials, May 3, 1947.
Also included are photographs of: The Allied prosecution team during a joint meeting, American generals during a mealtime, A group photo of soldiers and officers in civilian clothing near Spandau Prison, A street event for children outside the courthouse, U.S. Army military interpreters whose role was to deliver real-time oral translations of the spoken text from German (or other languages) into English (and vice versa). The two are seated behind a microphone and at a special translation desk – one on the left reciting and translating, while the one on the right waits for his turn or assists in formulating the translation.
The Nuremberg Trials were a series of trials held in the city of Nuremberg, in which Nazi war criminals were prosecuted. The main trial was conducted before the International Military Tribunal against the leaders of the regime (the Allied powers vs. Hermann Göring and others), followed by a series of 12 trials conducted before U.S. military tribunals, in which 185 individuals were prosecuted – 142 of whom were found guilty. Of these, 24 were sentenced to death, 20 received life imprisonment, and the rest were given various prison terms. The military trials addressed members of the Einsatzgruppen, the German High Command, physicians, industrialists, and other categories.
Photographs in uniform size: 21×25 cm. Very good condition.
