Hamburg trials 1967/68
In 1966 an anonymous letter arrived at the Hamburg Public Prosecutor's Office, which led to the first Holocaust trial being heard before the Hamburg Regional Court.1 Three members of the "Sonderkommando 1005" in Maly Trascjanec had to answer here: Max Krahner, Otto Drews and Otto Goldapp.
The subject of the Hamburg trials were the crimes committed during the deployment in "Sonderkommando-1005"; including recruiting forced laborers under false promises, directing the exhumation of mass graves, and murdering the forced laborers by shooting or gassing. The invited witnesses were also members of the "Sonderkommando", including Adolf Rübe, Erich Ehrlinger, Friedrich Seekel and Arthur Harder.
During the trials, confessed and less confessed defendants as well as witnesses were confronted. The following excerpts provide a punctuated insight into the proceedings.
In one of the first interrogations, Max Krahner stated that he knew that the proceedings dealt with the shooting of the workers of the "Sonderkommando 1005".2 He was also aware of the period of time covered by the proceedings: from the end of 1943 to the summer of 1944.3 Krahner stated that he had allegedly been appointed leader of the "Sonderkommando 1005-Mitte" on the orders of Erich Ehrlinger, the commander of the Security Police and the SD in Weißruthenien.4 He allegedly had not decided this voluntarily, but it had been an order.5 He also admitted at the beginning that he knew about the killing of the workers:
“Today I no longer remember who told me when I took over the command that the Russian prisoners were to be killed after their work was done. Either I was already told this in Minsk by Ehrlinger or Harder, or I only learned about it in Trostinez.”6
Otto Drews testified that Krahner was allegedly responsible for the exhumations.7 He thereby confirmed Krahner's own testimony. Regarding his co-defendant Otto Goldapp, Max Krahner said:
"In answer to the question of who had to represent me as commando leader if I was absent for any reason, I explain that according to the rank relations it must have been the Schupo Oberleutnant Goldapp. "8
All in all, Krahner confessed to a large extent, but denied having anything to do with the murders.. Otto Drews was less confessing. He said the following about his membership in the "Sonderkommando 1005":
"I never heard anything about Sonderkommando 1005 until 1945. I only learned about it through later publications. I never belonged to any of these commandos."9
Adolf Rübe, however, incriminated him heavily in this regard and testified that Otto Drews allegedly was Otto Goldapp's right-hand man, which would prove that Otto Drews was a member of the "Sonderkommando 1005".
"Of the police officers, I remember Lieutenant Goldapp, who came from the Hamburg Schutzpolizei vehicle squadron, and his right hand man, the police sergeant Otto Drews from East Prussia [...]."10
In addition, Rübe testified that Drews, together with Goldapp, had been involved in the blowing up of a bunker where forced labourers were located.11 Goldapp, on the other hand, testified that he had only been on duty as a police officer.12 He had allegedly taken care of the maintenance and readiness of the relevant vehicles.13 Already during his first interrogation, he stated the following:
"I firmly deny having been guilty of any criminal offences in Poland or elsewhere."14
Adolf Rübe testified against Otto Goldapp that he had been directly involved in the shooting of the exhumation workers. Goldapp then replied:
"This man is lying. It can only be Rübe, this philistine who wants to get even with others. Me and my policemen didn't kill anyone. "15
Subsequently, Adolf Rübe and Otto Goldapp were confronted: the focus was on the burning to death that took place in November 1943 in the forest of Blahaǔščyna:
Rübe: "I was present at this incident as a witness. Goldapp and his men were also witnesses to the incident [...]."16
Goldapp: "I have never seen or heard of such an incident."17
Goldapp was then told that Rübe had claimed that Goldapp, together with Drews, had blown up a bunker with workers.18
Otto Goldapp replied: “These outrageous accusations being made here are absolutely unbelievable. I still believed that Rübe had at least a shred of honor left in him, but he doesn't.”19
When asked if Rübe would like to correct this statement, he replies: "No, I don't have to correct my statements, I have [...] told the pure truth."20
But Goldapp also affirms the correctness of his statement: "In conclusion, I would like to emphasize once again with all seriousness that the information I have given about the course of the exhumation operation is correct. I neither killed anyone myself nor gave the order for such a killing"21
Until the end of the interrogations, Goldapp maintained his claim of innocence that he indeed had belonged to the "Sonderkommando 1005" but had never actively participated in the shootings or ordered them.22
Responsible for content: Johanna Schweppe
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1 Cf. Altenmüller, 1968. Hamburger Gericht verurteilt SS-Täter, in: NDR.de, URL: https://www.ndr.de/geschichte/chronologie/1968-Hamburger-Gericht-verurteilt-SS-Taeter,nsprozess106.html [last accessed on 02/01/2022].
2 Cf. StAnw Hamburg 213-12 0597-001, p. 377.
3 Cf. ibid.
4 Cf. ibid.
5 Cf. ibid., p. 384.
6 ibid. p. 379.
7 Cf. StAnw Hamburg 213-12 0597-003, p. 399.
8 StAnw Hamburg 213-12 0597-001, p. 379.
9 StAnw Hamburg 213-12 0597-020, p. 11.
10 StAnw Hamburg 213-12 0597-001, p. 82.
11 Cf. ibid., p. 109.
12 Cf. ibid., p. 26.
13 Cf. ibid.
14 ibid., p. 27.
15 ibid. p. 41
16 StAnw Hamburg 213-12 0597-020. p. 106.
17 ibid.
18 Cf. ibid., p. 109.
19 ibid.
20 ibid. p. 110.
21 ibid. p. 113.
22 Cf. ibid., p. 199.