often in the other parts of your interrogation, together with the safe-blasting unit. Is it true what you said in your affidavit of 21 August that Radetzky selected among the Ukrainians interpreters who were to work with 4A? he not? Another question:
"Q Who was your commanding Officer at that time?
A I think Radetzky--I cannot say it exactly any more." Do you remember in which connection you made this statement?
A No, I can no longer say. I merely knew that Von Radetzky gave me my direct orders in Luck. answer when you were questioned, about the fact whether Radetzky was in charge in Rowno?
A Whether Radetzky commanded the commando of Rowno?
Q I want to read to you the thing again if you want me to:
"Q Did the entire commando move on to Rowno?
A No. Only the advance commando.
Q Who was your commanding officer at that time?
A I think Radetzky. I can no longer say exactly." The question was about Rowno, not about Luck, was it? Now, I want just to ask you what you did say about the fact whether Radetzky was deputy for Blobel or not. Do you remember what you said in interrogations about it? cannot testify about the deputy of the commanding officer because no deputy was ever introduced to us.
Court No. II, Case No. IX.
Radetzky?
MR. HOCHWALD: Your Honors, I have no further questions, but the prosecution respectfully moves that the witness may be cited by the Tribunal for contempt of court.
PRESIDENT: On what grounds?
MR. HOCHWALD: Perjury, Your Honor.
DR. RATZ: Your Honors, I have nothing to say to that. I shall leave the decision up to the Tribunal.
PRESIDENT: The prosecution has made the request that the witness be cited for contempt on the grounds of perjury, and there is no doubt that the prosecution can draw the conclusion that the witness has committed perjury, that is, the prosecution may from what has been advanced, taking its side of the case, conclude that the witness at one time made a certain statement under oath and then later made a statement contrary to that also under oath, but it may be advanced on the other side that while it is true, the witness may have made contradictory statements, yet the witness has explained that he was only giving his opinion. It does appear to the Tribunal that the witness has at least been a little careless in his answers to questions put to him on various occasions, but we are not ready to go so far as to say that with these statements which he made there went the malice which would necessarily be requisite upon which to found a charge of contempt for perjury, but aside from whether perjury has or has not been committed, the Tribunal believes that the effects might be more injurious than solubrious. The Tribunal would not want any defense counsel to feel that there is any danger or hazard to be confronted in calling any witness to testify, and even if this witness may have gone amiss, and we do not pass upon that right now, we are definitely of the belief that it would be a very bad precedent to establish, a very bad example to have, which might cause defense counsel to believe that they should proceed so cautiously as sometimes not to call a witness for fear that Court No. II, Case No. IX.
perjury procedure might follow and in that way perhaps deprive themselves of a witness who might well be helpful to their cause. We regret very much on the side of the witness that he did conduct himself in the way he did because it is quite clear that he was careless, but we will not go so far as to say that he committed perjury insofar as the Tribunal is able to determine it here. So under those circumstances, Mr. Hochwald, your recommendation will not be accepted, but we do not in any way criticize you for having presented it.
MR. HOCHWALD: Thank you very much.
PRESIDENT: Yes. Did you have any further questions, Dr. Ratz? The witness will be excused. Oh, did any other counsel desire to put any questions to the witness, because if you do, we would like to have you do it this afternoon so the witness will not have to come back tomorrow.
DR. RATZ: I only would like to clarify one point, Your Honor. On the basis of this ruling on the part of the Tribunal, I may assume that the witness can return to his homeland, to Goslar, without any hindrance, and that it would not be permitted to arrest him or to detain him or to do anything against him to prevent his return trip home?
PRESIDENT: Without any hindrance whatever, the witness may leave and go about his affairs freely as he did before he came into this courtroom, of course, referring insofar as it pertains to anything which happened here in this courtroom.
DR. RATZ: Yes, Sir. Thank you.
PRESIDENT: The Tribunal will now be in recess until tomorrow morning at 9:30 o'clock.
(The Tribunal adjourned until 0930 hours, 18 December 1947.)
THE MARSHAL: The Honorable, the Judges of Military Tribunal II.
THE PRESIDENT: The defendant, Ruehl, will be taken to the witness box.
JUDGE SPEIGHT: Witness, raise your right hand, repeat the oath after me: I swear by God, the Almighty and Omniscient, that I will speak the pure truth and will withhold and add nothing.
(The witness repeated the oath.)
JUDGE SPEIGHT: You may be seated.
DR. LINCK: Attorney Linck for the defendant, Ruehl. May I begin my direct examination of the witness, please?
THE PRESIDENT: Please do, Dr. Linck. BY DR. LINCK: you about your person, about your vocational and political development. Please give your full name, your birth date, and where you were born.
A My name is Felix Ruehl. I was born on the 12th of August 1910 in Neheim, Westphalia.
Q Are you married?
Q Do you have any children?
Q Did you have, or do you have any brothers or sisters?
A I had one brother. He was a businessman. He was killed in the war against Russia. He was a lieutenant.
of your father?
A My father is a retired customs official. He belonged to the German People's Party.
Q Where did you grow up, Mr. Ruehl, what schools did you attend?
A I grew up in Lockenwalde. I attended the high school there.
Q Where is Lockenwalde?
Q What was your professional training? apprentice for three years in a metal factory. I remained with this firm after I completed my apprenticeship. I remained with them another half year as an assistant. Then I gave up this position in order to go to England to get some further professional training. There I was from October 1929 until May 1930, but because of financial difficulties I had to return. Because of the economic stress prevalent in Germany, at that time, it was impossible for me to find another job in my own profession in Germany, but since I did not want to burden my parents, I accepted a job as an unskilled worker in a factory. After a few months I lost this position, too, since this concern had to close up also. Despite all efforts and eagerness to accept any type of work, I remained unemployed for the time being until in the spring of 1930 -- pardon me--1931, I received an auxiliory job with the district court in Luckenwalde. There I remained until I was taken into the Prussian secret police on the first of October 1933.
Q Will you please briefly describe your political development? stress and need came to an especially strong expression -- therefore, I early reached the conclusion that the solution of the social problem was one of the most pressing problems. Therefore, during my apprenticeship.
already, that was in the year 1926, I joined the trade union of employees and I belonged to this union until it was dissolved in 1933, and I was active in its youth group. But soon I came to the conclusion that on the small front of a profession trade union alone the important youth work could not lead to any success. Therefore, in 1927 I also joined the "greater German youth group".
Q Was this a party political organization?
A No. The"greater German youth group" rejected any political affiliation. It was active generally as a part of the organized youth, and its aim was the moral and ethical education of the youth.
Q How long did you belong to this greater German youth group?
Q Were you in it in some active position?
A Yes. In the years 1931 and 1932 I directed the local youth group.
Q That was in 1931 and 1932? Party and the SA at the end of 1930, is that correct?
Q What led you to do this? party political activity, and I didn't especially interest myself in party politics. Only after I returned from England in the spring of 1930 and when I realized the extent of the economic strain and had to experience its consequences on my own person, I think I began to become interested in political parties. As I have already said, I already had considered socialism as one of the most pressing problems. I was confirmed in this opinion in my activity as an unskilled worker in the factory, and then as an unemployed and, therefore, I came to the conclusion that only socialism would offer a solution. As to the Marxist parties, apart from the ideology, I was against the idea of the class struggle because, in spite of the position I held then, I felt that I belonged to the bourgoisie because of my background.
But in addition to that, there was another thing. In the party system of the Weimar Republic, I saw one of the chief causes of our catastrophic economic and political conditions, which in my opinion, led to the absolutely senseless number of over 30 political parties. Thus the political will of the German people was so split up that the formation of an efficient ogvernment became impossible. Here, in my opinion, was one of the most important impediments to relieving our distress which could only be overcome by joining forces with everybody. Thus I decided to join the Nazi Party which promised to remove these conditions by legal means. I joined the SA because the membership in a Nazi affiliation was a matter of course for party members of my age group.
Q What offices did you hold in the Party? one.
the SS--what was the reason for that? organization and since their attitude seemed impossible to us and, therefore, on the first of October 1932 I joined the SS which was just being formed in my hometown, and in view of their higher prerequisites and their stricter discipline, I expected more from them.
Q Did you do any active service in the SS, if so, how long?
A Yes. In the local SS group I did service. On the basis of my professional training, the administrative work was given to me. When I was taken into the Prussian secret state police on the first of October 1933 I left the active service of the SS. SS membership. First of all, I want to ask you something else. You spoke of being taken into the Prussian secret state police. How did that come about? on a certain evening since a commission from Berlin wished to see us. This commission then reviewed us -- inspected us -- and finally told us that they were looking for people for the security police. For the time being, I no longer heard anything about this matter, until in the last days of September my commander told me that an order had been received from Berlin that on the next day I was to report there at the secret police. Therefore, I went to Berlin according to order where there was no question of reporting any longer, but where they gave me a job right off the bat. That is how I got to join the Gestapo. your career there? as an employee. These in the department for salaries I had to take care of calculating the social contributions -- the welfare contribution. On the first of March 1934, I was transferred to Cologne, and I on my own request.
I was used in the department for espionage counter-intelligence. After two years of training I passed a special examination in March 36 in Berlin, became an assistant for criminal affairs and finally in April 1937 I became chief assistant for criminal affairs. As such, I continued to work in espionage counter-intelligence until in September 1937 I was called to take an examination for the criminal service. After I successfully passed this examination on the first of October 1937, I was assigned to a training course for candidates for police inspector which ended with an examination after nine months. After completion of this course and of this examination, on the 30th of June 1938 I was appointed a police inspector provisionally and finally after another test period, effective the 30th of January 1939 I was appointed a police inspector. I continued to remain active in the espionage counter-intelligence service in this position until on the first of September 1940 I was called in for another course of study. On this occasion I was also transferred to Office I and released from the service.
Q What do you mean "called to a course of study", how did that come about?
A Well, I didn't volunteer for it, on the contrary, I objected orally to my supervisor, but when this remained without succes, I again objected to the RSHA giving my reasons. Nevertheless, on the first of September 1940 I was called to this course of study, since the chief of the security police in a speech termed such applications as without any foundation, and he emphasized that it was the duty of everyone to go wherever he was sent.
Q I do not quite understand that. We are still studying. Are you of the opinion that it was inappropriate to study -- in any case, why did you want to refuse to matriculate in the university?
A There were two reasons for that. First of all, on my own request I was active in espionage counter-intelligence since 1934, and I was very familiar with the work in this field, therefore, it was my wish to remain in this activity since I like it. Secondly, on the first day of the war and soon afterwards again I tried to get a release for the army. Both applications were rejected, and the reason for that was that the importance of my work was decisive. Only the belief that I could do a greater service to my people in performing this work made it bearable for me to take this rejection without any trouble, therefore, I was ashamed of the fact that now I was also taken out of this work and as a young, able-bodied man to be sent to a university, while at the same time heads of families were being sent to the front.
Q. All right. You took up your studies.
A. Yes.
Q. How long did you stay?
A. Until August 1943. Then I passed my big legal examination and that finished that.
Q. Now we are in August 1943. Then your assignement in Russia, with which we shall concern ourselves in detail, was in the midst of your legal studies?
A. Yes.
Q. Now, I would like to conclude your professional c areer. What happened after you finished your studies in August 1943?
A. Before I finished my studies, I had tried to find employment in the Criminal police, but I could not get this because of official requirements as they told me. Instead, effective the 1st of September, 1943, I was sent to the Inspector of the Security Police and SD in Koenigsberg as a Government assessor. I held this position until the 30th of August, 1944.
Q. When you worked for this Inspector of the Criminal Police and SD in Koenigsberg, did you have any executive duties or powers?
A. No, even the Inspector himself did not have such power and certainly then I couldn't have them.
Q. Can you say with one sentence what your activity was during that period?
A. In order to summarize it in one sentence To aid the Inspector in the fields of police and administrative law and to cooperate with the authorities of the Interior Administration.
Q. Now we are on the 31st of August, 1944.
A. Yes.
Q. What happened then?
A. At that point I was transferred to Augsburg. The State Police Agency there, because of lack of personnel had been dissolved in the first years of the war and had been reorganized into a branch office Augsburg agency as far as personnel was concerned and gradually to take over its former competencies.
When this reorganization had been completed in February or March, 1945, the appointment of a commander took place -- to whom I was subordinated -- as Chief of Department IV.
Q. And after the capitulation?
A. After the capitulation, I went back to the headquarters of my office in Augsburg and there I reported to the CIC of Third Army.
Q. Now, let's come back to the Russian assignment. This has already been mentioned on the occasion of your studies. How did this come about? Did you volunteer?
A. No, I did not. In Hay 1941 approximately all the candidates of the Leading Service who were studying in Berlin were assembled in the Leaders School of the Gestapo in Berlin and the then Chief of Office I told us that our studies would have to be interrupted immediately, since we had to be available for other more urgent tasks. He did not tell us anything about the nature of the work. A few days later, the entire group of students was sent to Pretzch, where other forces of the Security Police and SD had already been assembled and forces of the Regular Police and SS also joined us.
Q. One moment. Another question. This group of students, was that the group of which Herr Schulz spoke on the witness stand?
A. Yes.
Q. And to which Mr. Fendler belonged?
A. Yes.
Q. And how long did you stay in Pretzch?
A. As far as I recall, that could have been about three weeks.
Q. What happened during those three weeks?
A. They were essentially taken up with military training and a number of innoculations. This looked like an officer assignment, but we couldn't find out anything about the objective. It was the general opinion that the long awaited campaign against England was at hand.
About the beginning of June we were distributed in the forces already assembled and the Einsatzgruppen and Einsatzkommandos were set up. BY THE PRESIDENT:
Q. witness, before you go into that, just a question please: What did the military training consist of at Pretzch?
A. Practically speaking, it was a brief basic military training. The important thing was to give these men a sense of belonging together to make them feel as one unit. The military training was limited to drills, marching, terrain exercises, terrain intelligence and a short course in the firing of weapons.
Q. Were you given military training in tactics, military tactics?
A. No, within the officer group terrain intelligence was discussed, and map reading -- that is really the most important thing -- and, if I may add, what we call terrain exercises, terrain games.
Q. What did you do in this type of exercise?
A. A problem was given us. Two groups were formed and one would try to reconnoiter the other and would have to find it.
Q. How long were you in Pretzsch?
A. About three weeks.
Q. Had you had any military training before?
A. Yes.
Q. Had many of your comrades had any military training before?
A. The officers, almost all of them. The members of the police, almost all. The only exceptions were those on an emergency war status. In their case it varied.
Q. was the Defendant Fendler with you?
A. Only at the beginning. We were sent there together and afterwards we were distributed among various places and even in Pretzsch we were in different groups.
Q. But you both received about the same kind of training during the time you were there?
A. In Pretzsch itself, basically yes.
THE PRESIDENT: All right. Proceed, Dr. Linck. BY DR. LINCK (Attorney for the defendant Ruehl):
Q. Thus, when these three weeks were over, there was a distribution and I think you wanted to say something else about it. To what group or to what kommando were you sent?
A. May I add that Einsatzgruppe D was then transferred to Dueben as their garrison. Here I was assigned to Special Kommando 10-B, whose commanding officer was Major Bersterer.
Court No. II, Case No. IX.
Q. Now we are in Special Kommando 10B. Will you now tell the Tribunal about your mission as exactly as possible, the position which you had in that kommando?
A. No administrative officer had been assigned to this Kommando. Since during my time with the SS I was in charge of the administrative business of my unit and since I had also been active in the State administration, all administrative jobs were given to me. I took care of these jobs until I left the Einsatzgruppe. My first-job in Dueben was therefore to look after quarters and supplies, look after equipment and taking care of the administration and organization of the forces which had come from all parts of the Reich and all branches. This work, as well as the military training already mentioned, took up my entire time until the Einsatzgruppe left at the end of June.
Q. I want to go back once more for a moment. Did you in Dueben hear about the aims and objectives of your unit?
A. In Dueben there was nothing announced about the aim or objective of the assignment, until, when war broke out with the Soviet Union, when it became clear through some lectures about Russia that we were to be sent to Russia for an assignment. About the type of our mission the Chief of the Security Police and SD in a speech in front of the entire group assembled there shortly before we left told us briefly that difficult missions were ahead of us and that he demanded absolute obedience from us and absolute fullfillment of duty.
Q. Herr Ruehl, a discussion with Gruppenfuehrer Streckenbach has been frequently mentioned here. Did you participate in this conference or did you hear anything about it?
A. I neither participated in this conference nor did I hear that such a conference had taken place.
Q. But you must have had some thoughts about your mission or you must have tried to find out something about it.
A. I considered it as a matter of course that as far as the assignment ahead of us was concerned we would have to do a job which resulted from the usual police activity, namely, the detection and combatting of all enemy forces, especially espionage, sabotage, Communist resistance movements, and so forth. That is how I understood the remark of Heydrich that difficult tasks lay ahead of us, that the carrying out of such missions in a war area would be so much more difficult. Since the commander who came later and who was completely unknown to me did not make any announcements on his part, I, therefore, say no reason to ask him.
Q. But when did you find out details about this mission?
A. Only later on, I think, in Chernovitz.
Q. Well, then, please continue your story. You left Dueben when, and where was your kommando committed at first?
A. On the 27th or 28th of June Group D left for its assignment in the southern sector and we were then told that our area would be the Caucasus. Within the Group the kommando moved via Iglau, Englaw, Arrat, Muelbach, until Chessburg in Rumania, where it arrived on the 3d of July and remained there for two days. There the kommando received, its first assignment and the order to move on to Chernovitz as their first garrison. After on the 4th of July an advance detachment had left Chessburg, the kommando followed on the 5th until Sochawa, where the kommando was divided up, while the commando himself with the major part of the kommando moved on on one next day, that is, the 6th or 7th of July, I received the order to take up quarters in Sochawa with the supply column.
BY THE PRESIDENT:
Q. What do you mean? I am afraid I am getting lost between Rodavia and Bessarabia. I don't know just where I am now. when die you arrive in Chernovitz?
A. Your Honor, the first parts of the Kommando, or I, or the commando, which do you mean?
Q. Well, first tell me at what point did the kommando divide.
A. One advance detachment already became independent at Chessburg and proceeded to Chernovitz on its own, with a few cars.
Q. I see, and of what group were you a member?
A. I belonged to the kommando.
Q. To the advance kommando?
A. No.
Q. The kommando itself?
A. To the kommando itself, to the bulk of the kommando.
Q. I see. and where did it go?
A. On the next day, the kommando went to Sochawa.
Q. And it arrived there when?
A. In the evening.
Q. What day?
A. On the 5th.
Q. I see, and then where did it go?
A. There the kommando was divided, that is, the commander himself with the bulk of the kommando moved on the next day, that is, the 6th of July, towards Chernovitz, whereas I with the supply column, that is, kitchen, ambulances, etc., remained in Sochawa. Persterer, the commanding officer, first had to clarify the situation in Chernovitz. We had no news about the situation there and I received the order to remain until I received, the order to move on.
Q. And then when die you receive the order to move on?
A. In Sochawa I remained about three to four days, that is to say, I left on the 9th or 10th in the morning and on the same evening I arrived in Chernovitz.
Q. I see, and there you joined up with Persterer?
A. Yes.
THE PRESIDENT: Very well, I see now. Thank you.
DR. LINCK: May I proceed?
THE PRESIDENT: Yes, yes. Please. BY DR. LINCK (Attorney for the Defendant Ruehl):
Q. I just want to ask you one more thing about this, Herr Ruehl. You are giving us exact dates, even the time of the day. Do you remember that exactly or do you have any facts written down about it?
A. I remember the march and the various garrisons very well. As for the exact dates, I would nit have been able to cite them, but, fortunately, the prosecution by submitting its reports helped me out here so that I mentioned I can cite with certainty.
Q. Thus you arrived at your first headquarters in Chernovitz. You came there a few days after the bulk of the kommando arrived, there and from the 9th or 10th of July on you were in Chernovitz?
A. Yes.
Q. What did you do in detail in Chernovitz? Did you have the same mission which you have already described on did any change take place? we are now on the assignment.
Q. During the entire assignment, my mission remained the same, namely taking care of the usual economic and administrative questions; among them are the directing of all personnel matters, the calculation of their monthly pay, the negotiations with German and Rumanian Army agencies for the purpose of allocation of food and PX goods, gasoline, maps, as well as the distribution of these items within the kommando.
Court No. II, Case No. IX.
THE PRESIDENT: Witness, was the pay of any member in the Einsatzoommando the same as would be paid to some one of an equivalent rank in the Army?
THE WITNESS: Yes, the same thing.
THE PRESIDENT: Very well. BY DR. LINCK:
Q Any other job? You were just listing the various duties? of personnel technical equipment, as well as the arranging of quarters for the technical personnel, that is to say, for interpreters, drivers, medics, guards, and kitchen personnel. In addition, and this was the case especially in Chernovitz, there were the repairs of the hotels which had been assigned to us by the Rumanian Army, which the Russians had left in a very poor condition, as well caring for Rumanian, Hungarian and German guests. see any other places around Chernovitz? I didn't leave Chernovitz with the exception, first of all, of one drive to Piatra Neamt, which was for the purpose of taking care of some economic and administrative matters, as well as calling the group physician. Secondly, when I participated in a one day military exercise in the vicinity of Chernovitz, which was for the purpose of military training.
Q Was one of your jobs also the matter of making reports? I mean by that, receiving of reports from the subcommandos, and writing of reports about the entire activity to the group? various experts were subordinated to the commanding officer personally, and got personal instructions from him; in the same manner they also reported to him personally. The making out of the reports about the entire activity of the commando was done by the commanding officer Court No. II, Case No. IX.