Two former SS officers found guilty of complicity in the murders of 1000 Jews in the Ukraine during World War II, received prison sentences from a Traunstein court last week. Fronz Bauer, 64, from Altoetting was given 5 1/2 years and his co-defendant, Hans Hertel, 65, of Hamburg was sentenced to 3 1/2 years.
Their trial, which lasted nearly six months, heard eye-witnesses testify about details of mass shootings, allegedly ordered by Bauer and Hertel. But there was no conclusive evidence that either man had personally participated. The accused claimed they were acting on orders of their superiors and had no authority to stop the killings.
The State Prosecutor charged that Bauer and Hartel were responsible for the murders of at least 11,000 Jews but the court concluded there was insufficient evidence to support the charge.
The Archive of the Jewish Telegraphic Agency includes articles published from 1923 to 2008. Archive stories reflect the journalistic standards and practices of the time they were published.
