Prosecuting the Holocaust: British Investigations into Nazi Crimes, 1944-1949

During the Second World War, the Nazi state was responsible for the systematic enslavement and extermination of millions of Jews. Other groups, such as Russian prisoners of war, Slavs, Sinti and Romani, homosexuals, the disabled, and political opponents of the regime were also targeted. After Germany’s surrender, Allied forces established a series of military tribunals, known as the Nuremberg Trials, to bring the architects and perpetrators of these crimes to justice.

Drawn from The National Archives (UK) and United States Holocaust Memorial Museum, this collection contains a wealth of information regarding the British government's efforts to investigate and prosecute Nazi crimes during the period 1944-1949. The evidence gathered sheds light on almost every aspect of the Holocaust, from the concentration camp system to the mass murder of the “incurably sick” in psychiatric hospitals. More importantly, it gives a voice to the victims of these atrocities, many of whom testified about their experiences immediately after the war.

The files include materials from the WO 309 (War Office: Judge Advocate General's Office; British Army of the Rhine War Crimes Group), WO 311 (War Office: Judge Advocate General's Office; Military Deputy's Department), and WO 235 (War Office: Judge Advocate General's Office; War Crimes Case Files) series.

This collection is an important and crucial resource, painstakingly compiled, for those working in the field of Holocaust Studies. It is absolutely essential for future research and scholarship.

Dr. Stefan Hördler, Director of the Mittelbau-Dora Concentration Camp Memorial

Insights

Britain, France, the Soviet Union, and the United States worked together to prosecute high profile war criminals under the Nuremberg Charter. Each country provided two judges and one prosecutor for the Nuremberg Trials. The four Allied powers tried lower-level officials and functionaries in their own zones of occupation.

The bulk of the documents in the collection come from the Office of the Judge Advocate General (JAG) at the British War Office, which dealt with military law and war crimes.

Suspects were detained, photographed, and interviewed by JAG officers. The resulting detention reports form a significant part of the collection.

The files also show the importance of survivor testimony in building a case and securing a prosecution.

Highlights

Document

Records relating to Auschwitz-Birkenau, 1945-1947

Document

International Scientific Commission for Investigation of Medical War Crimes, 1946-1948

Document

Ill-treatment of civilians and forced labourers, 1944-1949

Document

Hanover Gestapo case No 1. Proceedings, 1947

From the Archive: Prosecuting the Holocaust

Editorial Board

Dr. Stefan Hördler Research Assistant https://www.uni-goettingen.de/de/dr.+stefan+h%C3%B6rdler/614254.html Dr Stefan Hördler graduated with a Ph.D. phil. from the Department of History at Humboldt University, Berlin, in 2012. He is currently a research assistant at Georg-August-Universität Göttingen, as well as the Director of the Mittelbau-Dora Concentration Camp Memorial. In addition, Dr Hördler serves on the Advisory Board of the Holocaust Exhibition & Learning Center at the University of Huddersfield.

Emma King Director https://www.hud.ac.uk/news/2018/september/holocaust-centre/ Emma King is a museum professional with 17 years of practitioner and consultancy experience across national, independent, and local authority organisations. Ms King currently serves as the Director of the Holocaust Heritage and Learning Centre at University of Huddersfield.