About half an hour later the Norwegian Julius Mattisen came aboard. The witness inquired of him concerning the witness' wife and for the first time he heard that she had been shot to death by the Germans up in the mountains the afternoon or evening before. The witness then tried to talk to the Captain. However, the latter had gone ashore. At 2:00 o'clock the same afternoon the Commander came aboard and the witness could talk to him. The Captain related that the wife of the witness had been killed unintentionally. Civilians some of them armed had fled at the arrival of the Germans. The Kommando had opened fire from the ship and thus the wife of the witness had been hit. The Captain further related that the wife of the witness had been buried in a lake in the country. The witness then wanted to go in order to get the body he was not permitted to do so and now the Captain said she had been buried in the ocean."
The name of the wife of the witness was Wilhelmine, nee Eriksen. Her body has not been found.
. . . . . . . . . .
After the Germans had burned down all the remaining houses in Veidnes the destroyer left for Hommingsvaag in the evening of 17 December.
. . . . . . . . . .
Adult males above 50 years of age were sent as prisoners to the prison camp of Kroekeberg. Later they were interrogated by uniformed Germans. Having been detained from 11 to 12 days all prisoners from Veidnes were released from the camp together with some other prisoners.
Read to and agreed to: signed Egil Soerensen.
. . . . . . . . . .
This particular document, Your Honor, I have just read will be marked Prosecution Exhibit 512. I forgot to mention that to the Tribunal.
Then next, Your Honor, turn to page 61, if you please, Norway XI. It was marked for identification 520-A, and is being offered as Prosecution Exhibit 520. It is on page 61 and page 56 of the German defense counsel document book. On pages 56 and 57 of the German defense counsel document book.
This, your Honor, is a medical report by Dr. Karl Evang of the Norwegian Ministry of Social welfare, and was requested by Lt. Colonel Ivar Follestad, Norwegian Attorney General's Office. It describes the destruction of Norwegian Medical Installations during retreat. There is also attached to this particular instrument a copy of a broadcast of BBC. This particular document I am referring to now we are not pressing for evidence at all. In other words, we are merely offering the medical report of Dr, Karl Evang. This is a letter dated June 1 , 1947 addressed to Col. Follestad, and it states: -
DR. FRITSCH: I am sorry, I just want to see whether I have this letter.
DR. RAPP: Your Honor, defense counsel was objecting to the fact that I was reading that part of the letter which dealt with a BBC broadcast, and I have just mentioned the fact we are not offering this, but the last part of this particular letter, Your Honor, ties up the following page of the document. So in order not to create any further confusion I will read now only the last paragraph of this letter, I have already identified the date of the letter and to whom it is addressed.
.....The details we have been able to gather are based therefore on accounts from individuals or from individual officials. The material is of very little use for statistical purposes. I can however, give the following information on the medical institutions that were destroyed by the Germans in North Troms and Finnmark:
. . . . . . . . . .
Then if Your Honor will turn to page 62, page 58 of the German Defense Counsel Book, the information is furnished as follows:
.....North Troms:
Skjervoey nursing, home, Destroyed during the evacuation 12 beds.
Halselv tuberculosis home. Used by the German air-force and afterwards destroyed - 14 beds.
Lyngen tuberculosis home. Badly damaged during the evacuation 18 beds.
Finnmark:
The following institutions were razed to the ground:
Hospital at Rirkenes 23 beds, nursing home 4 beds.
. . . . . . . . . .
I hope your Honor will permit me to dispense with some of the Norwegian names. I am just trying to identify the lines some way.
..... Vadsoe 45 beds, and another hospital at Vadsoe 30 beds. Vadoe hospital 54 beds, and another at Vadoe 13 beds.
.....Nursing home, Tana ...................... 22 beds Gamvik Red Cross nursing home ........... 7 " Mehamn nursing home ..................... 12 " Red Cross hospital, Kjoellefjord ........ 8 " " " " Berlevag.
........... 18 " Kjelvik Tuberculosis home.
Hon, vag ..... 38 " Red Cross Hospital.
..................... 18 " Hanmerfest hospital, Hanmerfest ......... 94 " St. Vincent Hospital, Hammerfest ........ 20 " Hammerfest Mental Home .................. 100 " Home, Alta .............................. 4 " Karasjok tuberculosis home .............. 20 " Another one ............................. 7 " Tuberculosis home with annex for children 83 " . . . . . . . . . .And at the end, With regard to the medical institutions in Finnmark, these were all totally destroyed when the Germans withdrew with one exception - Viz.
- a small tuberculosis home in Nesseby, Varangerfjorden. With the exception of the Vadsoe, so and so in hospital in Vadsoe, there was total destruction of all hospitals.
There are a number of examples that the evacuation was carried out with great brutality and several tragedies were enacted. These were partly due to sick and old being taken from their beds and with a minimum amount of clothing, being forced to board small vessels which were used during the evacuation. Several desperate situations also occurred amongst those who fled from the evacuation and hid in the mountains. Many of these had no opportunity to take sufficient clothing with them. Some were expectant mothers and there were even cases of births taking place in Finnmarksvidda under the most primitive conditions, in bitter cold, without clothing and with very little food.
This seems to be the only place in which a complete scorched earth policy was carried out under arctic conditions and in winter time.
(Signature) Karl Evang.
The next document, Your Honor, is page 71, page 68 of the German Document Book. It has been marked for identification as Exhibit 521-A, and it is being offered now and submitted as Prosecution Exhibit 521. This is a letter from the statistical Office of Finnmark, addressed to the Supreme Court Attorney Ivar Follstad, Victoria Terrasse 7, in Oslo, dated February 25, 1947, and his subject: "War damages in the Finnmark and North Troms. It states as follows:
.....In answer to your letter of 18 inst. the Town Council begs to state as follows:
In connection with the claims of reparation by Norway on Germany the Town Council has collected information on the war damages. Those informations are, however, not complete concerning the distribution of the damages on the different districts, but on the basis of the material produced, the Town Council has been able to put up the following survey on the damages especially as regard Finmark and North-Trome. The informations are partly based on approximate calculations and do not pretend to be complete.
. . . . . . . . . .
DR. FRITSCH: I object to the submission of this document as evidence. This is information which cannot be checked at all. It is impossible for the defense to bring the Town Council from Oslo here and cross-examine them. The Statements are not identified. It is merely an indictment, and therefore I would like that the objection be sustained.
JUDGE CARTER: It will be admitted for whatever the Tribunal may find it to be worth.
..... Regarding the most important items special information on the damages during the evacuation in the winter 1944/45 has not been obtained. Most of the damages are included in the war damage insurance for buildings and movables amounting to about 270 million Norway Krons, for all the years of war. By contacting the War Damage Insurance you will probably get special informations about the damages due to the evacuation. The informations on the damages on public harbour works as well as on the fishing fleet are complete, and the Town Council has no special information about the part falling within the time of evacuation.
Roads and bridges.
The road director has estimated the German destructions of roads and bridges in the Finmark during the evacuation in the autumn 1944 to approximately altogether 24.7 million Norw. Kr. of this about 11 million Norw.Kr. for roads and 13.7 " " " " bridges.
Other war damages on roads and bridges in the Finnmark have not been taken up especially.
Telegraph and telephone.
The telegraph director has estimated the damage on stations (inclusive radio stations) and on telegraph and telephone wires during the German evacuation of the Finnmark and North-Troms in the Autumm 1944 to about 15.6 million Norw.Kr.
. . . . . . .
JUDGE CARTER: It appears the time for adjournment has arrived. We will adjourn until 9:30 tomorrow morning.
(Thereupon at 4:30 p.m. an adjournment was taken) Official Transcript of the American Military Tribunal in the matter of the United States of America against Wilhelm List, et al, defendants, sitting at Nurnberg, Germany, on 27 August 1947 0930-1630, Justice Wennerstrum, presiding.
THE MARSHAL: Persons in the court room will please find their seats.
The Honorable, the judges of Military Tribunal V.
Military Tribunal V is now in session. God save the United States of America and this honorable Tribunal.
There will be order in the court.
THE PRESIDENT: The Marshal will ascertain if all defendants are in the court room.
THE MARSHAL: May it please your Honor all defendants are present in the court room except Weichs who is absent due to high blood pressure.
THE PRESIDENT: If a certificate has been issued by the prison doctor you may hand it to the Secretary-General. You may proceed Mr. Rapp.
MR. RAPP: Your Honors please turn to Document Book XXIII, page 73, page 69 of the German Document Book. We have reached the part of this page, "Telegraph and Telephones" in the middle of the page and we now come to:
"Harbors and Harbor works.
The port director has estimated the war damages on official bridges in the FINNMARK and NORTH-TROMS DISTRICTS during the German evacuation in the autumn 1944 to approximately ....2.2. million Norw. kr.
"In addition to this there are considerable damages on private bridges and quais. The amounts for these damages are included in the figures mentioned below by the War Damage Insurance for buildings (risks on industry and civil risk).
"The Agriculture.
"The War Damage Insurance for buildings has estimated the war damages on houses and buildings in agriculture in the FINNMARK and NORTH-TROMS districts to about ....12 mill. kr.
"The War Damage Insurance for movables has estimated the war damages on machines and farming outfits domestic animals, crop and furniture to about ........6 million kr." That is on page 74, your Honor.
"These figures are purely agriculture risks. All damages on the property belonging to the fishing population have been entered under civil risk below.
"The damages to the forests of the Finnmark and the NorthTroms districts during the war inclusive the devastation made by the Germans during the evacuation in the autumn 1944 and inclusive future losses due to exploitation of the forests, have been estimated by the Town Council to approximate ......
25 mill. kr.
The Industry.
The war damages on industrial buildings in the FINNMARK and NORTH-TROMS districts have been estimated by the War Damage Insurance to about ......38 mill. kr.
"The War damages on industrial movables in the FINNMARK AND NORTH-TROMS districts have been estimated by the War Damage Insurance for movables to about ........5 mill. k4.
Houses and buildings, Movables, Civil Risks.
"The War Damage Insurance for buildings has estimated the war damages on buildings in the FINNMARK AND NORTH-TROMS (exclusive buildings has estimated the agriculture and industry and those belonging to the state) to about 114 mill. kr.
The War Damage Insurance for movables has estimated the war damages on general movables in the FINNMARK and NORTHTROMS districts (farming and industrial movables excluded) to about.
....94 mill. kr.
Stocks.
"The War Damage Insurance for stocks estimated in September 1945 the evacuation damages in the FINNMARK in the autumn 1944 to about ....18.4 mill kr.
The actual amounts are now considered 2 - 3 million Norw. kr. too high, but if all war damages on stock in the FINNMARK for April 1940- May 1945 are taken into consideration, the amount can be accounted for. The war damages outside the evacuation damages only amounted to about 2 - 3 mill kr.
Goods on board ships.
"The State Goods War Insurance estimates the war damages on goods on board ships in the FINNMARK during the evacuation in the autumn 1944 to about .......1.2 mill. kr.
"Various war damages covered by private insurance companies are not to be obtained in detail on FINNMARK. The amount of these damages is, however, not estimated to be very high, considering the total amount of damages claimed by all insurance companies together for reparation war damages to be about 16 million Norw. kr. for the whole of the country and for all the years of war.
Ships, freighters, larger and smaller fishing boats as well as all sorts of small vessels.
"All smaller vessels at a value under 250 kr. were included in the War Damage Insurance as movables and amounts for wreckages and war damages on such boats in the FINNMARK ARE INCLUDED IN the amount of 94 million kr. under the item for movables above.
"By the State War Damage Insurance the amount of 1.9 million Norw. kr. was mentioned as the sum that this institution has paid especially for war wrecked boats, but also for partial war damages during the war on boats having their basis in the FINNMAKK and NORTH-TROMS districts.
"The re-insurance institute for the fishing fleet, BERGEN states that the amount of reparation costs paid by it for totally war-wrecked fishing boats , etc. and for partial war damages on such boats having their basis in the FINNMARK and NORTH-TROMS districts for all the years of war amounted to a total of approximately 2 million Norw. Kr. Perhaps the re-insurance institution is now able to give more exact information and especially also for the damages during the evacuation.
"In addition to the two amounts mentioned here of about 1.9 million Norw. kr. and about 2 million Norw. kr. are amounts paid by the private insurance companies for their insurance responsibility on war damages on fishing boats and other boats. As mentioned above no information has been obtained about this last amount.
"When these above mentioned amounts are added, the lump sum is about 360 million Norw. kr. for the war damages mentioned under the individual items. It is to be mentioned that these damages cover direct war or direct destruction through war actions. Damages brought about in connection with requisitions of houses and grounds as well as materials with special reference to the exceptional wear and tear following the German use for houses and buildings, roads and bridges etc. and material requisitioned is not included in this amount.
"The amounts mentioned in most of the above are based on the information presented to the Town Council during the war and immediately after this and they are calculated according to the prices before 9 April, 1940.
At present further additional amounts might have arisen by which the final figures would have been still higher.
"As a comparison it can be mentioned, that the informations received by the Town Council up till November 1945 represent the war damages for the whole country including the total losses of ships preliminarily calculated to more than 3 billion Norwegian kroner.
Rubber Stamp: OSLO TOWN COURT Signature: A. Skien."
For your Honors' information and merely as a gratuitous comment, the Kroner is now about five Kroner to the dollar, at present.
On Page 80, this particular document continues and there we have a letter dated 3 July 1947, signature: A. Roll-Mathiessen, Presented In Oslo Town Court. 3 July 1947:
"Central Bureau of Statistics the Director OSLO, 26 June 1947 NORWAY Dronningens Gate 16 Telegram Address:
STATISTIKK Telegrams:
STATISTIKK Your Ref.
AS/NH File No. 849/47 Supreme Court Attorney Mr. IVOR FOLIESTAD Strandgaten 19 BERGEN.
Criminal case against General RENDULIC -- concerning the ravages in the FINNMARK 1944/45.
We are in receipt of your query of 20 ult, regarding information on the value of the real estate in the FINNMARK and NORTH-TROMS before 9 April 1940. For this reason, the town council has had a conference with the authorities who supplied the information about the ravages before, and who have made a number of calculations of the total values before April 1940 for the different groups of property in the FINMARK and NORTH-TROMS.
The calculations are as exact as they possibly could be at the present time, and the evaluation of laud and ground has been kept apart as you mentioned in your letter.
Subsequently the evaluation of property together with the estimation of damages have been put up and a percentage of damage within the various groups. The amount of damages according to the letter from the town council of 25 February this year, has in some cases been corrected according to more recent and complete informations.
Buildings, furniture and movables etc.
As mentioned in letter of 25 February most of the damages in the FINMARK and the NORTH-TROMS districts are under the war damage insurance for buildings and movables amounting to about 270 million Norw.cr. This preliminary figure has now been corrected by the company to about 290 million Norw.cr. The total capital on buildings-furniture and movables in these provinces in April 1940 can be stated to approximately 350 million Norw.cr. This amount comprises all houses, buildings, fire insured and not fire insured (inclusive municipal buildings but excluding the buildings of the State, which have been entered under various items below. Furthermore, it comprises all furniture and movables, machines (immovable and movable), tools and implements, crops and professional movables for agriculture (inclusive domestic animals), private bridges and quais, all small boats with a value below 250 Norw. cr. etc. The percentage of damage for the group makes about 83% Roads and bridges.
The total value on April 1940 of all roads and bridges which are part of the constructions of the road service as well as workshops, tools and stocks has been calculated by the Road Board to about 80 million Norw.cr. The damages of roads and bridges during the evacuation in the autumn 1944 which was formerly calculated to about 24.7 million Norw.cr. has now been supplemented by 5-10 million Norw.cr. for workshops, outfits and stocks (which had been extended considerably during the war and which was almost completely damaged) to a total amount of about 33 million Norw.cr. or approximately 40% of the total value. For the bridges damage was complete.
Telegraph and telephone.
The damage on stations (inclusive radio stations and air bases) and telegraph and telephone wires during the evacuation was formerly estimated to about 15.6 million Norw.cr. This preliminary amount has been corrected to about 20 million Norw.cr. The damage is reckoned to be total.
Harbours and Harbour works.
The part director has formerly estimated the war damage on public buildings (bridges belonging to the State, the port service and the local port services) in the FINMARK and NORTH-TROMS during the evacuation to approximately 2.2 millionen Norw. cr. as a supplement was made for buildings and storehouses etc. belonging to the port service, which was not included before. The damage is considered to be total.
Ships, freighters smaller and larger fishing boats.
The town council has calculated the boat property in the FINMARK and NORTH-TROMS in April 1940 to approximately 16.5 million Norw.cr. (about 15 million Norw.cr. for some larger boats originating from HAMMERTEST, VARDO and VADSO.)
The total amount of damage for war wrecked and war damaged fishing boats in the FINMARK and NORTR-TROMS ****ing the whole of the war has been estimated by the war insurance company for the fishing fleet to 2.9 million Norw.cr. If the value of the larger boats which practically all have been wrecked, is added to this amount the total damage for this group is approximately 4.5 million Norw.cr. or 27% of the total amount of 16.5 million Norw/.cr. In the letter of the town council dated 25 February of this year, the damages on this item are provisionally calculated to about 4 million Norw.cr.
Stores of goods and goods on board ships.
The town council has formerly given the damages under those items to about 19.5 million Norw.cr. The damage was total.
Various war damages covered by private insurance companies.
These are not able-as mentioned before-to give any information for the FINMARK and NORTH-TROMS provinces alone. However, the amount for such damages will certainly not be very large, as mentioned before.
The forests.
The damages on the forests of the FINMARK and NORTH-TROMS during the war, including the devastation made by the Germans during the evacuation in the autumn 1944 and inclusive future losses due to the exploiting of the forests, was formerly given by the town council as approximately 25 million Norw.
cr. The assets of the forests in April 1940 are calculated to about 40 million Norw. cr. which results in a percentage of damage of about 60%. The reason for the percentage of damages being so high is evidently, as mentioned before, the fact that in the estimate of the damages the future losses on account of exploitation of the forests is included.
In addition to the amounts mentioned above concerning the buildings of the State as well as material etc. there are some amounts relating to the power stations of the State, the State's schools, personages, post offices etc. inclusive furniture, material and outfits of transportation. The evaluation of these buildings etc. on April 1940 is calculated to about 5 million Norw. kr. and the damages during the war and the evacuation to approximately 4.5 million Norw. kr.
If all the amounts referring to the individual items above, are added together, the total evaluation of the property of the FINMARK and NORTH-TROMS on april 1940 is about 530 million Norw.kr. (exclusively the value of lavd and ground) and a total damage of approximately 400 million Norw.kr.i.e. an average percentage of damages of about 75%.
signature: ARNE SKAUG signature:
A. SKOIEW Rubber stamp:
Oslo Town Court.
Dronningens Gate 16, telephone OSLO, 3 July, 1947 Telegramm Statistik Four reference Our reference HM/ SF DOCUMENT 4 Supreme Court attorney Mr. IVAR FOLLESTAD Strandgaten 19, B E R G E N.Criminal case against the General RENDULIC - concerning the ravages in the FINMARK and NORTH-TROMS 1944/45.
According to letter from the Norw. Govt. statistical office of 25 February and 26 June this year, some of the items of war damages for the FINMARK and NORTH-TROMS districts are covering all damages during the war, and consequently also the damages before the evacuation 1944/45.
To-day the Town Council has, however, obtained the following additional information about the part of damages that is to be attributed to the time before the evacuation and during the evacuation Buildings, furniture and movables, etc.
In the letter by the Town Council of 26 June, the damages have been put down with a total amount of about 290 million Norwegian kr. Of this amount approximately 50 million Norw. kr. cover the time before the evacuation and 240 million Norw. kr. approximately the evacuation period. The percentage for damages on buildings, furniture and movables, etc. during the evacuation then amounts to 70%.
Ships, freighters, larger and smaller fishing boats.
The Town Council has no information at present about the part of the amount of damage of 4.5 million Norw.kr. falling within the time of war before the evacuation. Still the damages before the evacuation were of very little importance.
The forest.
The main part of the damages on the forests in the FINMARK and NORTH-THOMS districts, estimated to approximately 25 million kr. falls into the time of evacuation. The damages before the time of evacuation can only be estimated to 2-8 million Norw.Kr. Considering that the estimate of damages for the time of evacuation of approximately 23.5 million Norw.kr., the percentage obtained is about 56%.
Supplement to the buildings belonging to the State as well as material, etc.
The damages included in the amount of 4.5 million Norw. kr. are only concerning the time of evacuation.
According to the additional information given above the total estimation of the damages for the FINMARK and NORTH-TROMS for the time or evacuation is about 400 million Norw.
kr. minus about 52.5 million norw.kr. 347.5 million Norw.kr. or an average percentage of about 66% of the total real capital on April 1940 of about 530 million Norw.kr.
signature A. SKIEN If your Honors now please turn to page 17 of the document book, page 19 of the German document book.
This document was offered for identification only as 516A. It is now being submitted as Prosecution Exhibit 516.
I would like to call to your Honors attention that we have only translated excerpts of this letter from the City Engineer of Hammer-fest, but we have furnished defense counsel with a complete translation of such letter.
The City Engineer of Hammerfest The devastation of Hammerfest after the compulsory evacuation of the population at the beginning of the month of November 1944.
On Sunday 29 October it was proclaimed that "the population of Finmark was to be compulsorily evacuated immediately". The first district of Hammerfest to be evacuated was Fuglenes-Storelven at the latest Monday, 30 October, 1200 hours.
On Monday 30 October I called on the then Island Commandant Major Gaedke-who simultaneously was Evacuation Commissar-in order to find out what was to happen to the public utilities i.e., fire department, water works, electricity works etc., I was together with the administrator of telegraphy who wished to receive similar information concerning telephone and telegraph. We were told that there was no further use for the fire department. However, the water and the electricity works were to continue until further orders. I asked whether I myself should remain in the city and was told that of course i did not have to evacuate.
Then I stated the necessary number of employees I required i.e. three engineers, one guard for the dem of one electricity work and preferably three men for the water work, However, the families of these people had to be evacuated because women and children were not permitted to remain.
The fire department was given leave of absence. Some of them had left already-they had been evacuated to the country previously with their families-as had other inhabitants of the city.
"After the evacuation of the population was finished on 3 November it became possible in the course of the following week to collect, pack up and to send away all essential remaining fire department and air protection material with the help of the persons who had remained. This material was collected from different places. All of it was went away with two freighters which had stayed there with evacuees and loaded diverse goods.
.......................
"On 15 November when the General Horwegian Telegraph service was supposed to be liquidated or terminated and the machines were to be dismantled I telegraphed as a matter of orderly procedure to the Norges Brandkasse (Norwegian Fire Insurance). I told them that the fire department had ceased to exist on 1 November and that according to rumors the city was to be destroyed entirely.........
"The devastation of the city The figures in parenthesis in the following refer to the enclosed map of Hammerfest 1:4000.
This map shows the different areas or buildings.
"As early as on the 5 and 6 November 3 farms in Fuglenesdalen and all smaller buildings in the neighborhood of the city were burned down and at the same time also the houses in Soereyesund-the area along the Akkerfjordweg to Sjaaholmen. -The building containing the reduction valves of the water works seemingly was mistaken for an ordinary dwelling. It was burned down so that the valves were partly destroyed packing were standing open. After the inspection the Evacuation Commissar was informed that the mains of the water works would freeze if a heavy frost should occur which would put the works out of commission.
...................
"(2) On 22 November the first part of the city, the western part (Hauen)-about 50 plots- were burned down. One or two buildings were blasted in order to prevent the fire from spreading to other buildings. At the corner of the cemetery in the street toward the Krutthusstrasse a few small bombs and sure burning wood had been dropped. German soldiers were successful in removing all this with the exception of one bomb which exploded and blasted a piece of the cemetery wall.The burning down had started in the morning. About 9:00 o'clock I arrived at a place where the German soldiers brought out hose from a fire station to extinguish the fires. They wanted to prevent the fire from spreading across the street toward the elementary school. However, the keys for the hydrants, the connection for the hose etcetera were missing. I then had to help to organize the extinguishing and were now able to keep the fire from spreading.
"During the following days all foundations of the burned down places were blasted. There were still 10 buildings standing unharmed, west across the Akkerfjerdweg.
They remained until the last..........
"(5) On 18 December the settlement on Hammeren near Fuglonesweg-(Mella) a total of 5 buildings was burned down. One house (Loekkes) down the road remained whole.