Issue of the American newspaper Daily Mirror, Servicemen’s Edition – a special edition intended for American soldiers during World War II – on the front page of the issue, a photograph from the courtroom in which the Nazi war criminals are seen – the opening of the Nuremberg Trials. Late November 1945 (a few days after the opening of the trial, following the submission of the prosecution and defense documents).
In the main photograph titled: Nazi leader’s war trial opens – “The war trial of the Nazi leaders opens” – the senior figures of the Nazi regime are seen on the defendants’ bench, and in the caption below their names are listed: Hermann Göring, Rudolf Hess, Joachim von Ribbentrop, Wilhelm Keitel, Karl Dönitz, Erich Raeder, Baldur von Schirach and Fritz Sauckel. In the article on the first inside page under the headline: “20 Nazis stand trial for war crimes, ” the journalist Clinton B. Conger writes: “20 Nazis Palace of Justice, Nuremberg, November 20 (UP). Twenty German leaders were brought to trial today before an international military tribunal of four powers and were accused of waging the most terrible war in history and of committing 5 horrifying brutal atrocities. Twenty of the original 24 defendants were in the courtroom during a seven-hour session in which the British president of the court, Lawrence, presiding, opened the trial, and American, British, French, and Russian prosecutors read the 25,000-word indictment, containing four counts.
For the first time in history, senior leaders in the war of an aggressor nation stood in the dock of a criminal court. War had become a crime against humanity. Some in uniform, some in civilian dress, some grim and silent, some occasionally breaking into mocking laughter, the defendants shifted, whispered to one another, shook their heads in denial of the charges, and at times nodded wearily. Within a few months, some of them may swing from the gallows. Tomorrow the 20 defendants will determine whether they are guilty or not guilty following the submission of various motions by the prosecution and the defense. The defendants, a band of thieves, were brought to the courtroom in groups of three, under guard by American MPs, and were led to the benches facing the court. The American, British, French, and Russian judges, dressed in black robes except for the Russians who wore military uniforms… it was a strange scene, with judges, prosecutors, defendants, and spectators wearing headphones to follow the translations. The defendants were not impressive. Field Marshal Keitel, Commander of the High Command, alone was dignified, stern, and upright; Rudolf Hess, who wants to be called insane, leaned forward tensely for a while, and then removed the headphones. Marshal Göring whispered. The Jew-hater Julius Streicher flirted with a pretty girl who worked as a translator for an American naval officer. Some defendants took notes. Göring, whose weight had dropped to 220 pounds, occasionally cast sharp glances at the six Russian prosecutors…”.
Additional articles in the issue deal with the discovery of Eva Braun’s diary by American intelligence, the 27 defendants in the Belsen trials intending to appeal their conviction, articles covering local news, and more. On the back of the issue is a letter from the Spear furniture company to members of the armed forces, in which it expresses appreciation for the special servicemen’s edition and looks forward to the soldiers’ return home.
“Servicemen’s Edition” of the Daily Mirror was a special edition produced for United States soldiers during World War II and in the period that followed. Its purpose was to provide brief, clear, and quick-to-read news – with large headlines, prominent photographs, and a summary of the central events from around the world and from the American front. The editions were printed in a convenient, portable format of smaller size, 23×17 cm, and were distributed in cooperation with civilian bodies such as Spear & Company, at bases, on ships, and in combat zones. They also served as a tool for boosting morale and for maintaining the soldiers’ connection with what was taking place in the United States.
12 pages. Size 23×17 cm. Filing holes. Good condition.
