A No.
Q Do you recall...
A I must correct myself. I probably have seen them since 1941, but not since I was in prison.
Q When did Dr. Laternser first show them to you?
DR. LATERNSER: I object. Your Honor, I am not actually concerned with the answer and what the Prosecution wants to fine out in regard to this, but I must protest that my relationship as defense counsel with my client is made the subject of an examination here, and that is not admissible.
THE PRESIDENT: The objection to this particular question will be over-ruled.
BY MR. FENSTERMACHER:
Q Do you recall the question, Field Marshal?
A I don't know when Dr. Laternser showed me these notes for the first time.
Q Field Marshal, do you recall being interrogated in connection with this case on the 15th of January 1947?
A Which case?
Q The case we are now hearing in this Court.
A That I was interrogated?
Q On the 15th of January 1947.
A. Yes.
Q At that time were you asked this question, and did you give this answer: "Q. How long did you stay in Greece?" "A. I was in Command until the 6th or 8th of October 1941."
Do you recall being asked that question and giving that answer?
A Whether I gave this date I cannot recall. If I said from the 6th to the 8th of October -- if I said that on the record, that must be correct. And here, when I talked to Dr. Laternser, I repeatedly said, and Dr. Laternser will remember it: "In my opinion I was sent to the Military hospital on the 8th of October."
If I have made this statement it is in complete conformity with my recollection that I commanded in Greece until the 6th or 8th of October and then fell ill. And I found out, by means of my diary, that actually I was not ill on the 6th or 8th of October, but that I fell ill on the 13th of October, and for a long time I told Dr. Laternser my operation had taken place on the 12th of October and that my illness had started on the 6th or 8th of October.
Q On the same day, January 15, 1947, were you asked this question, and did you give this answer: "Q. Has it been reported to you or did it come to your knowledge that Boehme carried out extremely sharp hostage measures against the civilian population?" "A. No, it has not."
"Q. And that the arrests of hostages sometimes were carried out in a ration of 1 to 50?"
"A. I cannot conceive this at that time. That this is said I do know from the documents which I have read here in Nurnberg, because I was here as a witness in the first trial. The hostage decree was issued by the OKW. I have repeatedly attempted to got this ordinance but I have not succeeded. According to the documents the order must date back about to the 2nd half of October, to a time when I could no longer get the edict. It is true that I once received an instruction, the exact contents of which have slipped my memory, however, much I try to recall them which demanded more severe measures on my part and against this I strongly resisted. I wrote a personal letter to Keitel informing him that he was unable to get the hang of the conditions in the Balkans from up there and that they should leave the responsibility to me."
"Q. Apart from that did you know, at that time, that General Boehme was carrying out extremely sharp and terrible measures against the civilian population in Serbia?"
"A. No, it did not come to my knowledge in the sense that I had to suppose that they had been particularly severe, but we had to proceed against the rebels with full strength as a matter of military necessity."
"Q. I am speaking of the hypothesis that some German soldiers within a small marching column..."
I'm sorry; I neglected to give you the German copy of the interrogation. I'm reading now at Question 62.
"Q. I am speaking of the hypothesis that some German soldiers within a small marching column might have been attacked and killed on the road by bands and that the malefactor was not found, but then the Military Commander give orders... "
THE INTERPRETER: Question 62?
MR. FENSTERMACHER: Question 62.
"...and that the malefactor was not found, but then the Military Commander gave orders to arrest from the surrounding places a few hundred hostages and to have them executed according to martial law."
"A. I believe this to be impossible; if it had occurred and had been reported to me, I should have taken very energetic steps. I should not have taken the responsibility for it in view of my christian and ethical attitude."
"Q. If we suppose that such measures took place, are you of the opinion that these measures would only have had an entirely false psychological success?
"A. Of course. The struggle became only harder as a result. Each one of our prisoners on the other side was being treated only so much the harder; the terrible atrocities in the Balkans were well known indeed."
Q. Were those questions asked of you, Field Marshal, and are these the answers which you gave at that time?
A. Yes, only this record has been reproduced partly incompletely. I have never received this record, and I have never signed this record. It has never been shown to me.
Q Then your recollection today is such that you believe those questions were asked of you and that those are the answers which you gave at that time?
A These answers were not quite given in the manner they are reproduced here. The first part, especially, does not correspond with what I said. At that time I could only answer what I had in my memory. I must emphasize today that during the whole time until I came to Nurnberg here, I was of the opinion that the Hostage Order had only been issued after the middle of October. In Nurnberg, in 1945, I learned from the interrogations and the examinations of Keitel that a Hostage Order was issued. At that time I made a note of it and asked that I be given access to this Hostage Order. Dr. Laternser was not in a position at that time to give me this order, and this note is still in my files of that time. And on this note it is written "16-10, Hostage Order from the OKW." And that is what I asked for. On the strength of this information I constantly believed that I had not given a hostage order, and I can only assure you and state that I repeatedly told my comrades that during my time a hostage order had not been received by me and had not been passed on by me. That as what I said in this record which you have just quoted.
Q. Field Marshal, will you turn now to Exhibit 42 in Document Book II, which is on Page 23 of the English and Page 21 of the German.
THE PRESIDENT: Will you kindly repeat the Exhibit No?
MR. FENSTERMACHER: Exhibit 42, Your Honor, on Page 23 of the English and on Page 21 of the German.
DR. LATERNSER: Your honor, I should like to draw the attention of the Court that regarding this exhibit, Mr. Denney has already asked questions, and Mr. Fenstermacher has also asked questions, and now we are turning to this point for the third time in cross-examination. For this reason I object.
MR. FENSTERMACHER: Your Honor, I am not going to interrogate in connection with this document at all. I simply intend to ask one or two questions to aly a foundation.
THE PRESIDENT: Very well; you may ask the questions briefly.
BY MR. FENSTERMACHER:
Q. Field Marshal, this is your order of 5 September 1941, is it not?
A. Yes.
Q. Do you recall being interrogated on 16 January 1947 and being shown this order at that time?
A. I was not shown the whole of this order. I was only shown a small paragraph.
Q. Were you shown Paragraph "f"?
A. Yes, that is right.
Q. Were you asked this question at that time, and did you give this answer: Question: "In Paragraph "f" you brought in accordance with your Christian and ethical feelings with which reference was made not to a situation brought about by Boehme's order..." Question 29; I'm sorry.
DR. LATERNSER: Records are being used here of which I have no copy. If they are used in cross-examination I must be given a copy alone for those reasons that I am enabled to examination the translation for its correctness and therefore I ask, Your Honor, that the Prosecution refrain from asking questions regarding these records until he has given to me a copy in English and German.
THE PRESIDENT: Is this to be offered in evidence?
MR. FENSTERMACHER: No, it is not, Your Honor.
THE PRESIDENT: Then, what's the purpose of it?
MR. FENSTERMACHER: To have the witness explain and clarify exactly the inconsistences between what he said in an interrogation and what he testified to on direct and cross-examination.
THE PRESIDENT: The objection will be over-ruled, but I think before the witness is excused, the counsel for the Defendant should be furnished a copy, and it should be furnished now.
MR. FENSTERMACHER: I will be glad to do that, Your Honor.
DR. LATERNSER: Your Honor, I ask you pardon for coming again in this matter. Actually I need this copy now in order to follow the actual proceedings. I always place a certain value on following the proceedings, and I can't do that at this moment.
THE PRESIDENT: The request will be denied. The nature of the question is apparently directed towards the credibility or the extent of the witness's remembrance, and that matter may be gone into briefly. As stated before, the counsel for the defense should have this copy before the witness is discharged.
Q. Field Marshal, were you asked this question on the 16th of January 1947 in connection with sub-paragraph F of your order of 5 September 1941?
"Q. Can paragraph F be brought into accordance with your Christian and ethical feelings in which reference was made to a situation brought about by Boehme's own hand" -- I beg your pardon -- "in which reference was made not to a situation brought about by Boehme's own hand but to an order given by you to Boehme?
"A. With the best intention, I could not recall it, especially because I had actually been opposed to these things.
"Q. Did you order them, nevertheless, somewhat illogical arrest of hostages, sending of relatives to a concentration camp, etc?
"A. --
THE PRESIDENT: Mr. Fenstermacher, can't you break up your questions and make them so you won't be having a long series of questions and then a long series of answers? Then we will know what the record is.
MR. FENSTERMACHER: Very well, Your Honor.
BY MR. FENSTERMACHER:
Q. Let's take the first question, Field Marshal.
"Can paragraph F be brought into accordance with your Christian and ethical feelings in which reference was made not to a situation brought about by Boehme's own hand but to an order given to you by Boehme?
"A. With the best intention, I could not recall it, especially because I had actually been opposed to these things."
Were you asked that question and did you give that answer?
A. Yes.
Q. Were you asked this question and did you give this answer in the same interrogation:
"Q. Did you order them nevertheless -- somewhat illogical arrest of hostages, sending of the relatives to a concentration camp, etc.?
"A. An arrest of hostages is permissible, however."
Were you asked that question and is that your answer?
A. This question was put to me but I don't believe that I answered it in this way. But I cannot tell you now literally. I remember that this is a matter of the taking of hostages but not of the shooting of hostages.
Q. Were you asked this question and did you give this answer:
"Q. Read this paragraph once again. Is it all in accordance with international law according to your conception?
"A. No, it is not?"
Were you asked that question and was that your answer at that time?
A. I cannot tell that, exactly. It can't have been like that but I may add, regarding this order II-f and regarding these questions. This figure II-f was submitted to me and at the same time I was show my own signature under this order and as far as I remember I answered quite clearly at that time that it is on the 15th of January; I could not recall that I had given this order and I was greatly surprised to find this order here because I had certainly not remembered it. I told the interrogator I would have had no reason at all to make any evading statements or to say something which would not seem correct to me, because from the interrogation on the preceding day I had gained the clear impression that the prosecution or the interrogator was in possession of the documents around that time and from my point of view it would have been quite useless to try and evade these questions.
Rather the situation is this: like many other things I could not remember this order and I have expressed this quite clearly.
Q. Field Marshal, do you recall being interrogated on the 7th of March 1947?
A. Whether it was the 7th of March I don't know, but I was interrogated sometime later and also in March.
Q. Do you recall whether you were asked to swear an oath to what you were going to testify on that day?
A. No. You mean an oath regarding my questionnaire?
Q. No, I mean an oath to the effect that you would answer all the questions that would be put to you on that day under oath?
JUDGE BURKE: Just for my own information, at that time did this witness have counsel?
MR. FENSTERMACHER: No, he did not, Your Honor.
JUDGE BURKE: When did he have counsel?
MR. FENSTERMACHER: I believe he did not have counsel until the indictment was issued against him on the 10th of May.
JUDGE BURKE: Was he informed of anything that we term in America as his constitutional rights?
MR. FENSTERMACHER: I am not in a position to say, Your Honor.
FIELD MARSHAL LIST: I was told by the interrogator when this order had been submitted to me and the interrogator told me that I had not spoken the truth. I said on the next day that was the most weighty reproach that had been made to me in my life, and it was very difficult for me to talk to him, and he had accused me of telling a lie and thereupon he told me, "Field Marshal, you are not accused." And he added that I should tell him now what I knew about this period and should come again for interrogation to him the next day orone of the following days, and I told him that was very difficult for me.
I was certainly prepared to say everything I knew, but I could not say more than I knew. Whereupon he told me, "I cannot, of course, show you the documents, but on the other hand as a good lawyer I don't want to mislead you," and he also told me, "The quicker you make your statements, the sooner you will return to Allendorf."
BY MR. FENSTERMACHER:
Q. Do you recall being asked this question on the 7th of March 1947 and giving this answer?
DR. LATERNSER: Your Honor, I am of the opinion that if a copy of the interrogation is there for the interpreters a copy should be provided for the defense counsel as well.
MR. FENSTERMACHER: Your Honor, that is the only German copy we have at this time.
THE PRESIDENT: The ruling previously made will be adhered to in this case, but as stated the counsel should be furnished a copy before the witness is discharged.
BY MR. FENSTERMACHER:
Q. "Question No. 3. Do you recall the exact time at which you received the hostage order?
"A. No. I have stated once already that I learned of the hostage order for the first time in Nuernberg, as far as I can remember. And that I repeatedly asked if I could not receive it. I have no knowledge of it as such."
Were you asked that question and did you give that answer on the 7th of March 1947?
A. Yes.
Q. Were you asked this question and did you give this answer on that day:
"Question No. 4" -- a second question of a more general nature. "Did you ever circumvent orders which you received?
"A. Hereto I mentioned before that I distinctly remember receiving an order from army headquarters that had emanated from Hitler, which was objectionable to me and my viewpoint and which I refused to pass on."
Were you asked that question and was that your answer at that time?
A. Yes.
Q. Were you asked this question and did you give this answer on the same day:
"Question 5. How much independence did you have to decide whether orders could be circumvented or whether they had to be carried out?
"A. Actually no liberty at all. On the contrary, they all ought to have carried out. I received this order the contents of which I am unfortunately unable to state. I have also stated that I saw my Ia standing before me. I believe he had a telegram in his hand and that I said to him, 'I shall not carry out this command. I am placed here in the capacity of commander in chief and not just as an executing organ.
' I no longer recall the expression; perhaps it was 'hangman'. I only recall that I absolutely refused to carry out this command. I do not recall the circumstances but I definitely remember the facts as such."
Were you asked that question and was that your answer at that time?
A. Yes.
Q. Field Marshal, do you recall now what order you had in mind when you refused to carry out an order of OKW?
A. I cannot say with certainty even today which order that was.
Q. Field Marshal, I now show you Document NOKW-860, which is Prosecution Exhibit No. 2 in evidence. This is in Document Book 1, Your Honors, on page 1 of the English and page 1 of the German.
Is that your signature at the end of that document, Field Marshal?
A. Yes, it is.
Q. Would you pass the document to the Tribunal, please?
(The document was passed to the Tribunal.)
THE PRESIDENT: Are you through with the questioning of the witness on the documents of which there is only one German copy?
MR. FENSTERMACHER: Yes, I am, Your Honor.
THE PRESIDENT: Is there any objection or reason why Dr. Laternser may not have it now?
MR. FENSTERMACHER: No, the court interpreter may pass it to him now.
THE PRESIDENT: Have you been furnished with the two documents, Dr. Laternser?
DR. LATERNSER: Yes.
THE PRESIDENT: Very well, you may proceed then along your proposed line of cross examination at this time.
BY MR. FENSTERMACHER:
Q. Field Marshal, I now show you Prosecution Exhibit 107. This is in Document Book 3 at page 103 of the English and page 76 of the German. Will you look at page 2 of that document, Field Marshal? Is that your signature?
A. Yes.
Q. Would you pass the document to the Tribunal, please?
(Document passed up to Tribunal)
MR. FENSTERMACHER: I have no further questions, Your Honor.
MR. DENNEY: Your Honor, I have just one document I forgot to put to the witness the other day. I wonder if I might ask him. I have the original here.
THE PRESIDENT: Very well.
BY MR. DENNEY:
Q. It is Document -- Exhibit 19, which is at page 68 in the English book and page 49 in the German Book 1. It is the teletype from the Commanding General of the 65th Corps addressed to the Armed Forces Commander Southeast. Did you see that document?
DR. LATERNSER: Your Honor, I don't know how Mr. Denney will examine the witness. When the cross examination was interrupted, I gave my agreement that for an exception there should be an exchange of prosecution counsel. During the International Military Tribunal it was the custom that one member of every prosecution team was allowed to examine a witness, and for the future I want to refer to this ruling and I now want to object that Mr. Denney again examines the witness.
THE PRESIDENT: Is it for the purpose of introduction of some document?
MR. DENNEY: I just want to ask him whether or not he has seen this. I didn't have the document on Friday - the original.
THE PRESIDENT: You may proceed briefly.
BY MR. DENNEY:
Q. Have you ever seen that document before?
A. If I had seen that document, I would have initialed it. My initial cannot be found on this document.
Q. Whose writing is it that appears below the typed part of the message?
A. That is Foertsch's handwriting.
MR. DENNEY: That is all, Your Honor.
THE PRESIDENT: Is there any re-direct examination?
RE-DIRECT EXAMINATION BY DR. LATERNSER:
Q. I want to revert to various questions which have resulted from cross examination. First of all, I want to revert to the main question, that is, the character of the partisans. What concluded the war between Germany and Yugoslavia?
A. The end of the war between Germany and Yugoslavia was brought about by a capitulation of the Yugoslavian army and a conclusion of an armistice with representatives of the Yugoslavian government.
Q. Do you know which government these representatives represented, so to speak?
A. I personally cannot say that from my experience. I can only say that from hearsay, that these were representatives of the old Serbian government.
Q. The war ended as you said by a capitulation of the government and the army?
A. Yes.
Q. If a state has capitulated, can legal bands be formed in its territory?
A. No.
Q. Now what can these bands represent in every case then?
A. These can only be insurgents, illegal bands and guerillas, who have turned against the occupation power.
Q. You just said that these were illegal bands. Who supported this fight of the bands which was contrary to international law?
A. At the beginning it was doubtlessly supported by Moscow.
Q. And in the subsequent time?
A. Via Sofia and subsequently especially by the British and later I believe also by the American army.
Q. In which form was this fight which was contrary to international law supported?
A. At the beginning by proclamations, especially on the part of Moscow, by the distribution of pamphlets, posters, and later on by dropping weapons from airplanes.
Q. Do you know the extent which this dropping of arms and munitions reached later?
A. I cannot remember this in detail.
Q. You spoke yesterday in this connection of the uprising in France in the years 1870-1871. In that case, I only ask whether you know - did in that case the French government or the army capitulate or had none of these two capitulated?
A. I cannot recall this at the moment. The southern army had certainly not capitulated; as far as I remember, capitulation or an armistice had not been concluded by the French government. Paris was surrendered certainly, but a truce had not been concluded between the governments.
Q. Now what is the difference between that time and the conditions which you then saw in Yugoslavia?
A. At that time there was still a French government in the country. There were still strong remnants of the French army which had not been beaten, and these remnants of the French army attracted the franc tireurs in smaller groups and which later appeared in larger units. These franc tireurs were used in the fight by the army.
Q. Was that at that time a levee en masse?
A. Well, in parts one can call it that.
Q. I now mean France.
A. Yes, France.
Q. Do you know whether this levee en masse is represented in international law?
A. I don't know this at the moment.
Q. Now we have dealt with Yugoslavia. Now how did the war against Greece end?
A. The war against Greece ended with two capitulations, the capitulation of the Thracian army and the capitulation of the Epirus army.
MR. DENNEY: If Your Honor please, I think we have been over all this before. Dr. Laternser covered it on his direct.
THE PRESIDENT: I have just been checking. It has been, somewhat. It will be the attitude of the Tribunal to extend some liberality but in doing that we trust that the counsel will not take advantage and extend the examination. If it is, we will have to restrict it.
We will take our morning recess at this time.
(A recess was taken.)
THE MARSHAL: You may proceed, Dr. Laternser.
DR. LATERNSER: Your Honor, may I now announce to the Tribunal that after the conclusion of the examination of Field Marshal List I shall produce a witness, Oberregierungsrat Dr. Gerd Fein. I notified the prosecution of this fact as early as Saturday. The examination will last only half an hour.
REDIRECT EXAMINATION (continued) BY DR. LATERNSER:
Q. You were asked whether you had ordered wagons with hostages to be used in front of trains and you denied that question?
A. Yes.
Q. Do you know whether this measure is permissible by international law?
A. Yes, it is permissible by international law.
Q. Where would one find such a regulation?
A. I can't say at the moment. What kind of regulation?
Q. I am submitting to you an excerpt from American Land Warfare from the year 1940 and I ask you to look at paragraph 359--
MR. DENNEY: Your Honor, I don't know what this has to do with American Rules of Land Warfare. I don't see where this is relevant.
DR. LATERNSER: I withdraw the question, but in this connection I would like to draw the Tribunal's attention to paragraph 359, American Rules of Land Warfare, that this example has been put.
MR. DENNEY: Your Honor, please, I think if Dr. Laternser wanted to bring that up in argument it would be all right. I don't think this is the place to go into the rules of land warfare.
THE COURT: Sustained.
Q. The Prosecution has further alleged military successes of the bands. Who withdrew, when fights took place?
A. Who withdrew? Well, generally speaking the bands.
Q. Now we will shortly turn to Serbia again. Who in Serbia lead the Guerilla warfare?
A. It was lead by several parties. There were bands of a Communist nature; there were the Mihajlovic bands; and the Kostja Petjanic bands; and the Comitadchis.
Q. I meant to say who amongst the Germans?
MR. DENNEY: Your Honor he has been over all this.
DR. LATERNSER: That is only a preparation. I am just laying the foundation. In this connection I will come to another point. Who, on the part of the Germans, was in charge of the band warfare?
THE PRESIDENT: You may continue briefly. I again must caution you Dr. Laternser not to cover ground that you have previously covered in your direct examination.
BY DR. LATERNSER:
Q. I had asked you who, on the part of the Germans, lead the band warfare in Serbia?
A. After the appointment of General Boehme, the Plenipotentiary General.
Q. Did you reserve decisions in respect to General Boehme?
A. No.
Q. Why not?
A. The appointment of General Boehme had as its purpose that there should be a uniform leadership in Serbia and from Athens the Guerilla warfare in Serbia or rather the fighting of that warfare was to be handled. That was in view of the communication lines. Only a personality can do that who is close to the actual scene.
Q. In this connection you were shown the Boehme order of the 10th of October; that is, Exhibit 88?
A. Yes.
Q. On which order is this order of the 10th of October based?
A. The Boehme order is based on the Keitel order of the 16gh of September and he designates it as an addition to this order.
Q. Do you recollect that this order of the 10th of October mentions your order of the 5th of September, that is, Exhibit 42?
A. No, it does not refer to it.
Q. You have frequently been asked about your order of the 5th of September, Exhibit 42, during the cross-examination. Now I wanted to ask you what was the main reason or main reasons for issuing this order?
A. I have already testified that it was the crisis in which I found myself; that I was under pressure; from above, that is from the OKW; that demands and directives came in again and again, the last one of those on the 5th of September itself, and that was an important reason; the whole manner of the band fighting which was shown in the band regulations for the Communist Party, and it was the intention as it was laid down in the last paragraph of the regulations that the only and most important task of the occupation forces was to put down this insurredtion.
Q. In connection with the OKW order of the 16th bf September, Exhibit 63, you have said that after your objectives had at first been successful, which you had followed in regard to this order, you didn't do anything further additionally. What subsequently did you do?
A. Subsequently I issued the order or rather the teletype of the 4th of October on the basis of the impressions that I had gained in the meantime, especially on the basis of impressions which the chief of staff after his return from Belgrade had given to me and in this teletype of the 4th of October I had endeavored to mitigate matters inasmuch as I did not name any ratios for hostage measures.
Q. And I am drawing the attention of the Tribunal to the fact that the teletype which the witness mentions at the moment is Exhibit 70. To whom did you address this teletype on the 4th of October, Exhibit 70?
A. I can't remember now the distribution list but it could have only gone to the Plenipotentiary Commanding General in Serbia as did all orders which were issued at that time.
Q. And why only to the Plenipotentiary Commanding General in Serbia?
A. Because he was the only Commander in Serbia who had executive powers.
Q. One more question in regard to exhibit 80, that is, the case of the Regiment 521 Signal Corps, according to which 2,000 persons were shot as reprisals. One question only: Do you know whether actually this number of people were shot?
A. No.
Q. What did you establish from the files?
A. I established from the files that according to the troop reports which arc present here 440 or 442 persons were actually shot.
Q. You mean reports of execution only to the amount of this figure?
A. Yes, only to the amount of this figure.
Q. At this time may I announce to the Tribunal that regarding this incident I shall produce a witness who will be in a position to clarify matters for the Tribunal. Now, a number of questions about a number of exhibits, short questions. You were shown the Rosenberg letter, Exhibit 4, do you know whether this letter actually went out?
A. No, I can't know that:
Q. Well now turn to Exhibit 14, that is in Document Book I, which concerns the Commissar order. What date docs this order bear?
A. I don't know that by heart.
Q. Then I will show you the exhibit. In the English Document Book I, on page 49 you will find the exhibit and in the German on page 34. Now, what date does this exhibit bear?
A. 8th of June.
Q. Where were you at that time?
A. In the Southeast, in Athens.
Q. Did you get there?
A. No.
Q. How you were told that it was also sent to Norway. Can you give an explanation to the Tribunal for this?
A. I said yesterday that I assume that those troops were concerned which were right up in the North.
Q. Do you mean the troops on the Finnish front?
A. Yes, the troops that were employed in the Finnish Front and actually the AOK Norway was employed at the Finnish Front.
Q. When did you come to the East?
A. At the end of June 1942.
Q. How much earlier had the order been distributed?
A. One year earlier.
Q. I am now turning to Exhibit 585 which was shown to you yesterday during cross-examination. In this order there was some talk about the shooting of a Commissar. Did you ascertain from this exhibit that the Commissar order was mentioned?
A. No, the order refers to a regulation of Korlick.
Q. Is it said in this exhibit why the Commissar was shot?
A. No.
Q. How were Commissars usually taken prisoners, by what troops?
A. Generally speaking by the Front troops, but I must emphasize that I, for my part, have no experiences in this direction. That is only natural because the Commissar would be with his troops.