Ben Ferencz

Born in 1920 in Transylvania

Ben was born in a small village in the Carpathian Mountains of Transylvania. He was an infant when his family moved to the United States. Ben attended school in the United States, eventually studying at Harvard University. There, he pursued his interest in criminal law. Ben graduated from Harvard University Law School in 1943. He joined an anti-aircraft artillery battalion that was training in preparation for an Allied invasion of western Europe. At the end of the war in Europe, Ben was transferred to the war crimes investigation branch of the army. He was charged with gathering evidence against and apprehending alleged Nazi war criminals. He ultimately became chief U.S. prosecutor in the Einsatzgruppen case of the Subsequent Nuremberg Proceedings.

Describes investigating war crimes and the collection of evidence that could be used in war crimes trials.

Henry Plitt

Born 1918, New York City

In the late 1930s, some of Henry's relatives fled to the U.S. from Europe. After hearing their descriptions of persecution, Henry, who was in the army, became a parachutist in order to be on the front lines of attack. In 1944 he was among members of the 101st Airborne division who served as "pathfinders" for the Normandy invasion by guiding the landing of other parachutists. He was also active in the capture of Nazi officials, including Julius Streicher, founder of the antisemitic newspaper "Der Stuermer" (The Attacker).

Describes the capture of Julius Streicher.

Henry Kellermann

Born 1910, Berlin, Germany

Henry received a Doctor of Law (J.D.) degree from the University of Berlin in 1937. Sponsored by the rabbi of the Baltimore Hebrew congregation, Henry emigrated to the United States in the same year. In 1945, the office of Strategic Services (OSS) assigned him to prepare pre-trial briefs for the International Military Tribunal held in Nuremberg, Germany. He interrogated a number of witnesses and defendants. In this audio clip, Henry describes the reactions of the following defendants during proceedings of the Nuremberg Trial: Hermann Goering, until 1945 Hitler’s heir designate and supreme commander of the German air force; Hjalmar Schacht, economics minister and president of the German central bank in the 1930s; Rudolf Hess, until 1941 Hitler’s deputy in the Nazi party; Hans Frank, governor-general of occupied Poland; Fritz Sauckel, who oversaw the use of forced labor in German industry; and Julius Streicher, the radical Nazi antisemitic publisher.

Describes reactions of defendants during the proceedings of the Nuremberg Trial of major war criminals.

Erich Schön