Trial of the Major War Criminals Before the International Military Tribunal, Nuremburg, 14 November 1945-1 October 1946, Volume 03

In Short

This volume records the verbatim courtroom proceedings of the International Military Tribunal at Nuremberg between December 1 and December 14, 1945. Representing the prosecution’s case against primary Nazi leaders, the transcript captures prosecutors, judges, defense attorneys, and witnesses laying bare the machinery of aggressive warfare and international criminality. Through captured military directives, diplomatic notes, and official memorandums, the court details the premeditated annexations of Czechoslovakia, Poland, Belgium, Norway, Greece, and the Soviet Union, alongside the diplomatic maneuvering surrounding the Tripartite Pact. Simultaneously, the record exposes the transition from military conquest to total administrative terror, documenting forced civilian labor, the exploitation of prisoners of war, and the systematic mass murder of European Jews through mobile gassing vans and mass executions. Rather than relying on mere testimony, the proceedings construct an unassailable documentary foundation of state-directed crime. The volume endures as a foundational document in modern international law, establishing individual legal accountability for heads of state and military commanders who orchestrate aggressive war and crimes against humanity.

The Story

The proceedings open with crucial preliminary rulings that establish the court's authority over the physical and mental competency of the accused. The Tribunal denies a defense motion seeking further psychiatric examination for Rudolf Hess, declaring him fit to stand trial based on exhaustive medical evaluations and his own courtroom statements. With this procedural obstacle cleared, the court resumes the examination of witness Erwin Lahousen. Defense counsel cross-examines Lahousen regarding secret intelligence directives, military diaries, and high-level directives issued by Joachim von Ribbentrop and Wilhelm Canaris. The testimony brings to light early operational plans to incite terroristic uprisings, burn farmhouses, and eliminate targeted Polish and Jewish populations during the initial invasion of Poland.

Following witness testimony, the American prosecution team transitions into a comprehensive presentation of documentary evidence illustrating the premeditated preparation for aggressive war. Through meticulous reading of captured military files, prosecutors demonstrate that the conquest of Czechoslovakia under "Fall Grün" was not an emergency response to regional instability, but a carefully timed military operation relying on political provocation, surprise attacks, and coordinated air strikes. The record highlights how public assurances of peaceful intentions—such as Adolf Hitler's declarations regarding European territorial claims—were contradicted by secret directives issued to military commanders and Nazi party officials. The prosecution traces the methodical dismemberment of Czechoslovakia, showing how the Reich established puppet regimes, such as the treaty of protection over Slovakia, to secure strategic mountain borders, control subsoil mineral resources, and absorb local labor into the German economic system.

The focus then expands to the legal framework governing international aggression. British prosecutors articulate the core principle of individual criminal responsibility, arguing that international law imposes fundamental duties upon individuals not to disrupt world peace. Addressing potential objections regarding retroactive law, the prosecution maintains that aggressive war was already established as an illegal act by existing treaties, and that the Tribunal merely provides the procedural mechanism to punish those who executed the crime. To demonstrate this pattern of bad faith, the court examines the systematic violation of international treaties, including the Locarno Pact and explicit neutrality guarantees granted to Belgium and the Netherlands.

The narrative of aggression deepens as the prosecution lays out the operational plans against Poland, designated as "Fall Weiss." Internal notes reveal that Danzig was merely a pretext for expanding living space in the East, with military leaders calculating weather conditions, autumn mud, and diplomatic maneuvers to isolate Polish forces before Western allies could effectively intervene. The court inspects evidence showing how political leadership collaborated with military commanders to camouflage mobilization orders and stage diplomatic maneuvers. Similar patterns of subterfuge appear in the invasion of Norway, where naval authorities coordinated with Vidkun Quisling and Alfred Rosenberg to secure strategic ports, and in the Balkan campaign, where Operation Marita was launched to relieve struggling Italian forces in Greece and secure Romanian oil fields.

The transcript further unveils the planning for the invasion of the Soviet Union under Operation Barbarossa. Captured directives signed by Wilhelm Keitel and Alfred Jodl reveal that operational preparations began long before any diplomatic breakdown occurred. The prosecution presents evidence showing that political administration was pre-planned, appointing Rosenberg as commissioner for eastern territories to systematically manage occupied lands in coordination with military leadership. Furthermore, diplomatic records detail the Reich's effort to encourage Japanese military action against British and American interests in Asia, accepting the risk of global war to secure strategic dominance.

In its final phase, the transcript turns from territorial conquest to the administrative brutalization of civilian populations and war captives. Prosecutors present extensive records documenting the forced labor system overseen by Fritz Sauckel and Albert Speer. Official memorandums describe the violent roundup of Ukrainian civilians, the denial of basic human amenities during transport, and the compulsory employment of prisoners of war in armament industries and antiaircraft artillery units. The volume culminates in stark, detailed evidence of the systematic plan to obliterate European Jewry. Through official SS communications, reports on mobile gassing vans, and Himmler's speeches to military officers, the transcript records the deliberate execution of millions. The volume closes with procedural discussions regarding defense access to key documents, including Hans Frank’s extensive diaries, as the Tribunal manages the vast evidentiary record while preserving defense rights.

How It Unfolds

Competency and initial cross-examination The Tribunal rules that Defendant Hess is mentally competent to stand trial after evaluating extensive medical reports and his own courtroom statements. Cross-examination of witness Erwin Lahousen resumes immediately, focusing on high-level directives from Admiral Canaris regarding terroristic acts in Poland and the destruction of farms. Defense counsel attempts to challenge whether specific execution orders appeared in official military diaries.

The blueprints for regional invasion Prosecutors present captured military orders detailing "Fall Grün," the secret plan for a surprise attack against Czechoslovakia. The documents demonstrate how military timing was calculated down to the hour while public diplomatic declarations falsely claimed peace. The court notes how military commanders planned propaganda campaigns to wear down Czech resistance.

Establishing puppet governance The prosecution demonstrates how Slovakia was placed under a secret treaty of protection to secure military transit and exploit natural resources. Official documents reveal that local concessions were canceled and mineral rights transferred directly to Reich agencies. Private conversations among leadership reveal that Slovakia was viewed merely as a controlled puppet state.

Articulating individual legal guilt British prosecutors outline the legal justification for the trial, asserting that international law enforces individual responsibility for aggressive warfare. They argue that punishing individuals who violate international peace fulfills established legal principles rather than creating retroactive crime. The prosecution insists that civilized nations must set a precedent to prevent future aggression.

Breaching non-aggression treaties The transcript examines solemn guarantees given to neutral nations, including Belgium, the Netherlands, and Locarno Pact signatories. Evidence shows that these diplomatic promises were routinely discarded whenever strategic advantages required military invasion. Treaties guaranteed in perpetuity were dissolved as soon as military mobilization served state interests.

The assault on Poland Prosecution documents expose the operational planning behind "Fall Weiss," proving that Danzig served merely as a pretext for territorial expansion. High-level conference notes show leaders weighing weather conditions and diplomatic maneuvers to isolate Poland before striking. Commanders urged rapid surprise blows to destroy Polish armed forces before Allied intervention could materialize.

Subterfuge in Northern Europe Evidence details how military and political leaders collaborated with local traitors, including Vidkun Quisling, to plan the invasion of Norway. Captured naval reports reveal coordinated efforts between military officers and political departments to secure northern ports. Naval leaders personally introduced local conspirators to top state leadership to facilitate the invasion.

The Balkan intervention Directives for "Operation Marita" show the German command preparing troops to invade Greece through Bulgaria. The orders aim to foil British air base construction and rescue Italian forces bogged down in Albanian territory. Army and air forces were instructed to build task forces gradually before launching spring offensives.

Premeditated eastern expansion Captured war diaries expose early operational planning for "Operation Barbarossa" against the Soviet Union months before combat began. Decrees show Alfred Rosenberg being appointed commissioner to organize administrative control and economic exploitation of eastern territories. High command directives ensured that military planning proceeded regardless of ongoing diplomatic discussions.

Forging global alliances Diplomatic transcripts illustrate pressure placed on Japanese representatives to attack British and American positions in Asia. German leaders promised immediate military backing against the United States to ensure a multi-front conflict for Allied powers. Official notes confirm that leaders accepted the risk of global war to secure strategic trade spheres.

Forced labor and captive exploitation Documents detail the forced recruitment and brutal deportation of Eastern European civilians for wartime labor. Transcripts reveal that prisoners of war were unlawfully forced into armament production and antiaircraft artillery roles. Officials reported snatching civilians from their beds and transporting them in unheated railroad cars without basic necessities.

Documenting total extermination The court receives evidence regarding the deliberate destruction of European Jewry, including detailed engineering reports on mobile gassing vans. Official communications describe the psychological impact on guards and the systematic execution of civilian populations. Reports emphasize that execution vehicles were disguised as domestic trailers to conceal their purpose.

Managing defense rights Defense attorneys petition the court for access to essential evidentiary materials, including Hans Frank’s multi-volume official diaries. The Tribunal closes the session by establishing procedures to ensure defense counsel receive necessary documents without delaying proceedings. Judges emphasize that procedural fairness must be maintained despite the massive volume of trial evidence.

The People

Lord Justice Sir Geoffrey Lawrence, serving as the President of the Tribunal, wants to maintain strict legal decorum, procedural fairness, and efficiency across a massive international trial. Standing in his way are complex jurisdictional motions, vast evidentiary submissions, and language barriers between international legal teams. Throughout the volume, Lawrence remains an unyielding arbiter, repeatedly instructing counsel to ask precise questions, denying ungrounded defense delays, and ensuring defense attorneys receive necessary access to captured documents.

Rudolf Hess seeks to avoid standing trial by raising claims regarding his mental competency and memory loss. Standing in his way are extensive medical evaluations conducted by international physicians and his own contradictory statements made in open court. By the start of this volume, his attempt to halt proceedings fails entirely as the Tribunal declares him fully fit, forcing him to remain in the dock as a co-defendant facing full prosecution.

Erwin Lahousen, a major general testifying as a witness, wants to detail the inner workings of military intelligence while distancing himself from illegal terror orders. Standing in his way is aggressive cross-examination by defense attorneys who scrutinize inconsistencies between his verbal memory and written military diaries. Lahousen emerges as a crucial insider witness whose testimony exposes high-level plans for state-sponsored arson, political murder, and regional terror.

Hermann Göring wants to preserve his reputation as a formidable leader while minimizing his personal liability for war crimes. Standing in his way is a massive trail of official directives bearing his signature, ordering the forced deployment of prisoners of war into armament industries and aircraft production. Over the course of the proceedings, Göring is exposed not as a detached military figure, but as a central architect of forced labor and economic exploitation.

Fritz Sauckel wants to fulfill impossible manpower quotas demanded by state leadership to sustain the German war machine. Standing in his way are declining labor pools, military resistance in occupied territories, and the utter misery of deported populations. He ends up exposed through official memorandums as a ruthless organizer who used fanatical determination, brutal force, and police roundups to tear millions of foreign workers from their homes.

Hans Frank seeks to defend his administrative record as Governor General of occupied Poland while asserting his right to present exculpatory evidence. Standing in his way are captured records detailing extreme forced labor recruitment and mass deportations executed under his authority. Through his defense attorney Dr. Seidl, Frank demands access to his own forty-two volume official diary, transformed from a record of executive power into a primary instrument of his legal exposure.

In Its Own Voice

Addressing the courtroom at the start of the morning session on December 1, 1945, Lord Justice Sir Geoffrey Lawrence delivers the Tribunal's official judgment regarding the defendant's mental fitness and capacity to stand trial.

"After hearing the statement of the Defendant Hess in Court yesterday, and in view of all the evidence, the Tribunal is of the opinion that the Defendant Hess is capable of standing his trial at the present time, and the motion of the Counsel for the Defense is, therefore, denied, and the Trial will proceed."

Articulating the core legal philosophy of the prosecution, British prosecutor Sir Hartley Shawcross explains why individual state officials must be held personally accountable for initiating aggressive warfare.

"There must be acknowledged not only, as in the Charter of the United Nations, fundamental human rights, but also, as in the Charter of this Tribunal, fundamental human duties, and of these none is more vital, none is more fundamental, than the duty not to vex the peace of nations in violation of the clearest legal prohibitions and undertakings."

In a top-secret technical report detailing the practical operation of mobile execution vehicles, SS officer Dr. Becker explains the safety precautions required to protect German execution crews from poisonous fumes.

"Besides that I ordered that during application of gas all the men were to be kept as far away from the vans as possible, so that they should not suffer damage to their health by the gas which eventually would escape."

What It's Really About

Beneath the dense legal arguments and chronological presentation of military directives, this volume addresses the fundamental nature of state-organized criminality and the legal mechanisms required to hold political leadership accountable. It explores how modern bureaucratic structures can be weaponized to convert aggressive territorial expansion, treaty violations, and mass murder into standardized administrative routines. The transcript demonstrates that aggressive war is not merely a political conflict between nations, but an accumulation of individual choices made by ministers, generals, and administrators who plan operations down to minute details like road conditions, seasonal weather, and deceptive camouflage.

Furthermore, the text confronts the challenge of retroactive justice and the evolution of international law. It poses profound questions about individual moral responsibility when operating under state authority. By reading internal memorandums alongside diplomatic promises, the proceedings expose the systemic hypocrisy of totalitarian diplomacy, where solemn guarantees of peace are weaponized as strategic distractions. Ultimately, the volume argues that international stability depends on establishing universal standards of individual conduct, proving that those who wield state power cannot hide behind sovereign immunity or administrative anonymity when committing crimes against humanity.

Why Read It Today

This volume is an essential text for historians, legal scholars, students of international relations, and anyone seeking an unmediated view of how total war and state terror are planned and executed. Reading the transcript offers a profound sense of historical immediacy; rather than encountering a synthesized narrative, the reader sits directly in the courtroom as prosecutors read captured top-secret documents into the record while defense attorneys maneuver over procedural rules. The atmosphere is stark, methodical, and chilling, as banal administrative details regarding railway timetables and vehicle camouflage sit alongside horrifying descriptions of forced labor transports and mobile gassing vans.

However, the text presents undeniable reading challenges. Because it is a literal court transcript, the prose lacks narrative polish and is frequently interrupted by procedural arguments, document identification numbers, translating delays, and legal objections over exhibit submissions. Readers must navigate dense military code names, repetitive treaty clauses, and official bureaucratic terminology across hundreds of pages of daily proceedings. Translation artifacts and period military jargon further demand patient, deliberate reading.

What stays with the reader is the unassailable weight of documentary proof. The volume demonstrates how official records created by a regime become the primary instruments of its conviction. Long after finishing the text, one is haunted by the contrast between the cold, calculated efficiency of state memorandums and the immense human suffering they caused. It serves as an enduring warning about the fragility of international treaties, the danger of unbridled state power, and the imperative of holding individual leaders accountable under international law.