Nuremberg Trials Day 201:
Generalfeldmarschall Karl Rudolf Gerd Von Rundstedt regally walked to the trial stand, his brass buttons glistening in the light. He was there to put his former colleagues behind bars, or worse. He was there as a witness not as a defendant, mainly due to his age and failing health. While Rundstedt was charged he was never actually taken to trial.
He was given a pair of headphones with a microphone, and then he sat. Before anything, Rundstedt composed himself. His goal was to help bring justice to his colleagues, not to have them killed. A British commander by the name of Peter Calvacoressi began asking the questions. First he dug into the neutrality of Belgium, “Now, before the war did you and your colleagues,” …show more content…
Rundstedt tried to remember back. Since he was not being sentenced, his brain was churning: What reason do I have to lie? Why are they suspicious? He said that the comment in front of the commission was concerning 1939. He thought, “I’m only trying to help, why don’t they believe me?”
Then asked about Poland and the invasion. Rundstedt paused. He racked his brains to give them some evidence. He thought back. He was recalled by Hitler to lead the Invasion of Poland. Then he found what he was looking for. Reason. At least they might listen to logic. Rundstedt remembered that Hitler didn’t prepare enough divisions for an offensive. Simple Logic. Thinking back all those wars ago didn’t make Rundstedt flinch, but nothing did, except for the useless waste of human life.
He did not forget the question. “The measures in Poland... were of a purely defensive nature.” (RobertHJackson) Later he told the delegation that by pure logic, it would be suicide to mount an offensive like that. With not nearly enough divisions the soldiers would have been slaughtered. Hitler wouldn’t have been past that. They’ll try to get more information. Once the trial was over, and the General’s day complete, the trial that spanned almost a year kept going. The search for ‘justice’
Generalfeldmarschall Karl Rudolf Gerd Von Rundstedt regally walked to the trial stand, his brass buttons glistening in the light. He was there to put his former colleagues behind bars, or worse. He was there as a witness not as a defendant, mainly due to his age and failing health. While Rundstedt was charged he was never actually taken to trial.
He was given a pair of headphones with a microphone, and then he sat. Before anything, Rundstedt composed himself. His goal was to help bring justice to his colleagues, not to have them killed. A British commander by the name of Peter Calvacoressi began asking the questions. First he dug into the neutrality of Belgium, “Now, before the war did you and your colleagues,” …show more content…
Rundstedt tried to remember back. Since he was not being sentenced, his brain was churning: What reason do I have to lie? Why are they suspicious? He said that the comment in front of the commission was concerning 1939. He thought, “I’m only trying to help, why don’t they believe me?”
Then asked about Poland and the invasion. Rundstedt paused. He racked his brains to give them some evidence. He thought back. He was recalled by Hitler to lead the Invasion of Poland. Then he found what he was looking for. Reason. At least they might listen to logic. Rundstedt remembered that Hitler didn’t prepare enough divisions for an offensive. Simple Logic. Thinking back all those wars ago didn’t make Rundstedt flinch, but nothing did, except for the useless waste of human life.
He did not forget the question. “The measures in Poland... were of a purely defensive nature.” (RobertHJackson) Later he told the delegation that by pure logic, it would be suicide to mount an offensive like that. With not nearly enough divisions the soldiers would have been slaughtered. Hitler wouldn’t have been past that. They’ll try to get more information. Once the trial was over, and the General’s day complete, the trial that spanned almost a year kept going. The search for ‘justice’