Nuremberg Trials: Did The Nazis Face The Sentences They Deserved?

Following the Nazis’ race to escape Europe, alongside the Nuremberg Trials that attempted to bring war criminals and remaining members of the Nazi Party to justice.

00:00:00:00 – The Fall: Germany has fallen. The once feared dictator, Adolf Hitler is dead. The allies are closing in. Senior Nazis begin to sweat. The Führer can no longer protect them. The US army are catching up, entering Berlin with a firm plan to capture as many Nazi officials as they can, their aim to bring them before a court on trial for the atrocities they helped make possible. In the course of the next few days, the remaining senior members of the Nazi establishment begin to flee Berlin. The wheels were in motion. Top Nazi officials have targets on their backs. They need to make a decision…and quick. Do they attempt to run, or die in Berlin with their Führer. It is every man for himself.

00:43:13:14 – The Trial: Twenty four Nazi officials are brought into the courtroom at Nuremberg, Germany. The biggest trial in history is about to begin. Being broadcast around the world, the public is waiting, hoping these criminals will see justice for their atrocities. For the first time in international law, the Nuremberg indictments also mention crimes of genocide. Key Nazi party members were up against the International Military Tribunal; Hermann Göring; Reichmarschall and Commander of the Luftwaffe, Rudolf Hess; former Deputy Führer, Albert Speer; Minister of Armaments and War Production and Joachim von Ribbentrop; Reichminister of Foreign Affairs.

01:23:53:16 – The Hunt: The Nuremberg Trials continue. Chief United States Prosecutor, Robert H Jackson, makes convincing statements that leave a lasting impression on the court. The prosecution is getting more intense as days go by. Questions about the final solution and each Nazi’s involvement leave an uncomfortable atmosphere in the courtroom. Once a united party, it quickly becomes every man for himself. Becoming known as the ‘worlds most wanted Nazi’, Adolf Eichmann was the mastermind behind the network of death camps in German-occupied Europe, and people wanted him to suffer the way his victims did. He was the next target.

02:09:43:18 – The Verdict: The Nuremberg Trials are coming to an end. The public anxiously await a verdict. The Nazi officials on trial hoping they will be given a lesser sentence for providing new information. Some still believe they are above the justice system. The prosecution has built a promising case. Will the Nazis face the sentences they deserve?

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