Courtroom 600 - Project "Memorial Nuremberg Trials"
The Defendants
- The defendants in the Trial of the Main War Criminals, 1945/46.
The Counts of the Indictment
The following crimes were stated as main counts of the indictment:
- Conspiracy
- Crimes against Peace
- War Crimes
- Crimes against Humanity
The Individual Defendants
21 representatives of the NS regime were sitting in the dock as defendants during the "Nuremberg Trial" (20 November ,1945, to 1 October, 1946). Martin Bormann was tried in absentia, and the case against Gustav Krupp von Bohlen und Halbach was deferred due to illness, while Robert Ley had committed suicide before the beginning of the trial.
| Counts of the Indictment: | |
| Martin Bormann: | 1, 3, 4 (in absentia) |
| Karl Dönitz: | 1, 2, 3 |
| Hans Frank: | 1, 3, 4 |
| Wilhelm Frick: | 1, 2, 3, 4 |
| Hans Fritzsche: | 1, 3, 4 |
| Walther Funk: | 1, 2, 3, 4 |
| Hermann Göring: | 1, 2, 3, 4 |
| Rudolf Hess: | 1, 2, 3, 4 |
| Alfred Jodl: | 1, 2, 3, 4 |
| Ernst Kaltenbrunner: | 1, 3, 4 |
| Wilhelm Keitel: | 1, 2, 3, 4 |
| Gustav Krupp von Bohlen und Halbach: | 1, 2, 3, 4 (case deferred due to illness) |
| Robert Ley: | 1, 3, 4 (suicide before start of trial) |
| Konstantin Freiherr von Neurath: | 1, 2, 3, 4 |
| Franz von Papen: | 1, 2 |
| Erich Räder: | 1, 2, 3 |
| 1, 2, 3, 4 | |
| Alfred Rosenberg: | 1, 2, 3, 4 |
| Fritz Sauckel: | 1, 2, 3, 4 |
| Hjalmar Schacht: | 1, 2 |
| Baldur von Schirach: | 1, 4 |
| Arthur Seys-Inquart: | 1, 2, 3, 4 |
| Albert Speer: | 1, 2, 3, 4 |
| Julius Streicher: | 1, 4 |
Organisations Indicted
In addition, the following organisations were indicted as criminal organisations: the Reich Cabinet, the Leadership Corps of the NSDAP, the SS and SD, the SA, the Gestapo and the General Staff and High Command of the Wehrmacht.
Defence Counsel
The defence counsels were either chosen by the imprisoned defendants or appointed by the court on their behalf. The Tribunal's General Secretariat had procured documents and found witnesses which were to be named and used by the defence counsels.
- Franz v. Papen, Hjalmar Schacht and Hans Fritzsche after their acquittals, surrounded by journalists.© National Archives, College Park, MR, USA
The Verdicts
After nine months, on 30 September and 1 October, 1946, the verdicts in the Trial of the Main War Criminals were proclaimed: twelve defendants were sentenced to death, three to life sentences and four to long-term prison sentences. Three defendants were acquitted by the Tribunal.
| Martin Bormann: | Death by hanging (sentenced in absentia) |
| Karl Dönitz: | 10 years prison sentence |
| Hans Frank: | Death by hanging |
| Wilhelm Frick: | Death by hanging |
| Hans Fritzsche: | Not guilty |
| Walther Funk: | Life imprisonment |
| Hermann Göring: | Death by hanging |
| Rudolf Hess: | Life imprisonment |
| Alfred Jodl: | Death by hanging |
| Ernst Kaltenbrunner: | Death by hanging |
| Wilhelm Keitel: | Death by hanging |
| Konstantin Freiherr von Neurath: | 15 years prison sentence |
| Franz von Papen: | Not guilty |
| Erich Räder: | Life imprisonment |
| Joachim von Ribbentrop: | Death by hanging |
| Alfred Rosenberg: | Death by hanging |
| Fritz Sauckel: | Death by hanging |
| Hjalmar Schacht: | Not guilty |
| Baldur von Schirach: | 20 years prison sentence |
| Arthur Seys-Inquart: | Death by hanging |
| Albert Speer: | 20 years prison sentence |
| Julius Streicher: | Death by hanging |
The IMT declared the Leadership Corps of the NSDAP, the Gestapo, the SD and SS (excluding the SS Cavalry Corps) to be criminal organisations.
On 16 October, 1946, the executions took place in Nuremberg.
