[Lancer44]

Originally Posted by Directive19

Something important to keep in mind here is that the War Crimes trials were conducted by several prosecuting tribunals. The Nuremburg Trials were primarily against the political cabinet members, Einsatzgruppen and doctors. The Allies extradited hundreds of SS soldiers to Poland, France, the Ukraine, Holland, Belgium and Russia where they stood trial under secondary commissions.

Many of these secondary commissions had no idea how to conduct these trials on a legal level - many judges were little more than former town mayors or officials - and many of the trials were conducted on a cursory legal level. Also, the Nazi criminals being tried did not have the "dark cult fame" then - as they have now. This is to say that many of the secondary commissions weren't as motivated to hand out death sentences and were pleased to sentence these guys to unmitigated terms of confinement.

As to comment on the number of dead in the camps, that's a difficult point to argue. However, Rolf Otto Schiller (a Nazi legal affairs officer) maintained the number was approximately 3.8 million in all combined camps. I can't argue this number as being valid.

I would argue with the "secondary commissions" - "no idea comment".
In case of Poland and Cracow court, in which Auschwitz crew together with Hoess were trialed and sentenced - the best lawyers in the country were employed.
General conclusion was, that about 300.000 people, including Jews, Poles, Russians, Gypsies and many other nationalities perished in Auschwitz and in Birkenau.
4 millions victims and current 1.3 million victims are either products of soviet propaganda or... I can't explain them...

Lancer44