High Command Case (NMT)

Case No. 12 of the Nuremberg Military Tribunals was the High Command Case (NMT), United States against Wilhelm von Leeb, et al. In the four-power International Military Tribunal (Nuremberg), the High Command (Oberkommando der Wehrmacht) itself was not determined to be a criminal conspiracy.

Two of the defendants were acquitted of all charges. The remaining eleven were all found guilty on charges of war crimes, crimes against humanity, or both, and imprisoned for terms from life to three years.

Defendants

Defendant	Disposition
Wilhelm von Leeb	3 years
Hugo Sperrle	Row 2, Column 2
Georg von Kuechler	Row 3, Column 2
Johannes Blaskowitz	Committed suicide
Hermann Hoth	Row 3, Column 2
Hans Reinhardt	Row 3, Column 2
Hans von Salmuth	Row 3, Column 2
Karl Hollidt	Row 3, Column 2
Otto Schniewind	Row 3, Column 2
Karl von Roques	Row 3, Column 2
Hermann Reinecke	Row 3, Column
Walter Warlimont	Row 3, Column 2
Otto Woehler	Row 3, Column 2
Rudolf Lehmann	Row 3, Column 2

Charges

The charges laid against the defendants were:

1. crimes against the peace (i.e., waging aggressive war)
2. war crimes and crimes against humanity: crimes against enemy belligerents and prisoners of war
3. war crimes and crimes against humanity: crimes against civilians
4. common plan or conspiracy.

The conspiracy charge was dismissed on the grounds "as tendering no issue not contained in the preceding Counts." All defendants were judged to have been below the policy-making level and acquitted of the first charge.

The war crimes and crimes against humanity indictments included criminal responsibility in connection with the implementation of the Commissar Order, the Barbarossa Jurisdiction Order, the Night and Fog Decree (Nacht und Nebel), the Hostages and Reprisals Order, murder and ill-treatment of prisoners of war and of the civilian population in occupied territories and their employment as slave laborers, cooperation between the Wehrmacht and the SS in connection with the persecution and execution of Jews and other segments of the population, and plunder and spoliation.

Hostage taking was also considered in the Hostages Case (NMT); the taking and execution of hostages was not always impermissible in international law.

War crimes

The charges include denial of prisoner of war (POW) status to lawful combatants,and mistreatment of detained POWs. The defendants were also accused of cooperation with the Einsatzgruppen units for field killing of civilians. The Commissar Order and Commando Order were cited as unlawful orders for summary execution of persons entitled to POW status.

Crimes against Humanity

Murder, extermination, ill-treatment, torture, conscription to forced labour, deportation to slave labour or for other purposes, imprisonment without cause, killing of hostages, persecutions on political, racial and religious grounds, plunder of public and private property, wanton destruction of cities, towns and villages, devastation not justified by military necessity, and other inhumane and criminal acts against German nationals and members of the civilian populations of countries and territories under the belligerent occupation of, or otherwise controlled by Germany.