Military Goverment NW Germany

Discussion in 'Germany' started by Mike N., Jul 7, 2020.

  1. Mike N.

    Mike N. New Member

    An archive of letters of WW2 letters home is being edited with the view to publication. The writer, a Lt. in the R.A.C., was involved in the investigation of Polish P.O.W.s that went on the rampage after the German capitulation. In a letter of August 1945 the writer, who had previously arrested a Pole in the possession of a revolver, reported that 'the case was heard in the High Court, and after giving my evidence . . . he was given 20 years in clink.' At the time the writer was station at RAISDORF, Sleisweg-Holstein, near Kiel.

    The question is, is there way of locating the trial record, if it still exists?
     
  2. papiermache

    papiermache Well-Known Member

    Might be this case. Newspaper report from "Trove", the invaluable Australian newspaper archive, and a search for "Paderborn" at Kew shows two files in "FO". The former file reference for FO 1060/931 of "Legal/MGC/52201/6" is similar to Judge Advocate General references, especially "52201".


    The Daily News (Perth, WA : 1882 - 1950) Wed 12 Sep 1945
    Page 8
    British Court Sentences Poles

    British Court
    Sentences Poles
    LONDON, Wed— British mili-
    tary court at Paderborn, Ger-
    many, has passed four death sen-
    tences and prison sentences aver-
    aging nine years on 39 Poles.
    The Poles were convicted of par-
    ticipating in disorders in which seven
    Germans were killed and several
    German farms burned on the night
    of July 29.
    Case was the largest mass trial of
    displaced people in British occupied
    Germany.
    The Poles were charged as a re-
    sult of the disorders in a small
    farming community three nights af-
    ter a Polish officer was killed in an
    encounter with a German police-
    man.

    Reference: FO 1060/931
    Description:
    Review of Mil Gov courts proceedings and death sentences: Paderborn trials of 48 Poles involved in the disturbance at Furstenau
    Date: 1945
    Held by: The National Archives, Kew
    Former reference in its original department: LEGAL/MGC/52201/6/PADERBORN
    Legal status: Public Record(s)
    Closure status: Open Document, Open Description


    Trial at Paderborn: Poles accused of murdering Germans

    Order in advance Request a copy
    Reference: FO 688/32/3
    Description:
    Trial at Paderborn: Poles accused of murdering Germans
    Date: 1945
    Held by: The National Archives, Kew
    Former reference in its original department: 148
    Legal status: Public Record(s)
    Closure status: Open Document, Open Description
     
  3. Mike N.

    Mike N. New Member

    Thank you papiermache! This sounds a good place to start. The writer did refer to groups of Poles raiding remote farmhouses and raping and killing.
    Perhaps his evidence was given as that trial.
     
  4. papiermache

    papiermache Well-Known Member

    Thanks, Mike, and welcome to the forum. Good luck with your research.

    Here's rather a different case from Trove I came across searching on their digital newspaper archive for "Polish prisoner" in 1945.

    John

    Barrier Miner (Broken Hill, NSW : 1888 - 1954) Wed 22 Aug 1945
    Page 4
    COUNT AND COUNTESS ON LOOTING CHARGE

    COUNT AND COUNTESS
    ON LOOTING CHARGE
    LONDON, August 20. - Polish
    Count and Countess Platerzyberk are
    being held in Salzburg prison on a
    charge of looting property worth
    £1.000,000 which Goering hoarded in
    an Austrian castle, says the American
    Associated Press correspondent at
    Salzburg. The 23-year-old Countess,
    patting the skirt of a grey woollen
    costume, admitted having taken it
    from Emmy Goering's wardrobe. She
    said: "I am a naughty girl, but I did
    not mean to steal. They stole from us
    in Poland. Why should I not take the
    things back from her."
    That will be her defence when she
    and her husband appear before a
    court comprising Allied Military Gov-
    ernment officers.
    The Countess was caught while at-
    tempting to dispose of art treasures
    and clothing to secondhand dealers.
    The loot included a Gobelin tapestry,
    dress materials and silver, much of
    which was packed in Goering's
    luggage.
     
  5. Mike N.

    Mike N. New Member

    Thanks once again. The young Lieutenant writing the letters thought that German civilians should be treated humanely and had little time for Polish P.O.W.s who carried out revenge attacks, however the German military had treated them. A woollen skirt is one thing, a million poundsworth of property is another!
     
  6. redtop

    redtop Well-Known Member

    307 Mil Det\WO 171-7963 307 Military Government Detachment HQ Branch Westfalen 1945
    My father was downgraded and served with this unit.
    I have their diaries reams of very boring (unless it is your thing) minutes of meetings I did see quite a lot dealing with crimes by Germans and allies.
    Will have a troll through.
     
  7. redtop

    redtop Well-Known Member

    This is all I can find on Military Gov Trials might give you a lead.
    Hope they download in correct order
     

    Attached Files:

    papiermache likes this.
  8. papiermache

    papiermache Well-Known Member

    See here for a note about British courts in Germany from the ICC website which has some of the United Nations War Crimes Commission archive. Use the link or search for "legal tools" and on the left panel tick the box for UNWCC archive to limit the search. Then search for "control commission" or " Gazette."

    https://www.legal-tools.org/doc/4268c0/pdf
     
  9. Mike N.

    Mike N. New Member

    Thanks Redtop & papiermache . . . . lots to chew on!
     

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