Nürnberg, Germany.
4 November 1945
DECLARATION UNDER OATH
I, Oberregierungs- and Kriminalrat, Willy Litzenberg, born in November 1900 in Liebenwalde, last chief of Dept. IV A 1 b of the Reich Security Main Office (RSHA) Berlin, having been duly sworn, declare:
It was probably in the year 1943 when I learned of the so-called "Kugel-Erlass" (bullet) which was probably classified as "Top Secret" [Geheime Reichssache] and was distributed to a number of competent reviewers of the Reich Security Main Office by the Reichsfuehrer SS (Himmler) or the Chief of the SIPO (Kalten-brunner), respectively. jMy name was on the distribution list by mistake; this matter was no concern of mine. Neither did I, therefore, take part in a later conference, which was called to discuss this decree.
As far as I remember the subject of this decree were Russian Prisoners of War, who had escaped from prisoner of war camps and had been recaptured by the SIPO. These prisoners of war were not to be put into a prisoner of war camp after their recapture, but into a concentration camp. For the outside world they were to be considered dead. To my knowledge there was to be no court martial procedure. I furthermore remember certain executive orders for this'decree, regarding the certification of the alleged death of these prisoners of war.
WILLY LITZENBERG.
Signed and sworn before me on 4 November 1945 in Nürnberg, Germany.
' WHITNEY R. HARRIS Lt. USNR.
Affidavit concerning the SS program to place recapured Soviet POWs in a concentration camp
Authors
Willy Litzenberg (legal officer in RSHA)
Willy Litzenberg
German police officer (1900-1964)
- Born: 1900-11-27 (Liebenwalde)
- Died: 1964-01-01 (Würzburg)
- Country of citizenship: Germany
- Occupation: police officer
- Member of political party: Nazi Party
- Member of: Schutzstaffel
- Military rank: Obersturmbannführer
Date: 04 November 1945
Literal Title: Declaration under Oath
Total Pages: 1
Language of Text: English
Source of Text: Nazi conspiracy and aggression (Office of United States Chief of Counsel for Prosecution of Axis Criminality. Washington, D.C. : U.S. Government Printing Office, 1946.)
Evidence Code: PS-2478
HLSL Item No.: 451618
Notes:Other evidence indicates that these POWs were executed. This document was apparently not entered as evidence in the trial.
Trial Issues
Criminal organizations (Gestapo, Leadership Corps, Cabinet, SS, SD, OKW) (… Prisoners of war, mistreatment of, in concentration camps and SS agencies …
Document Summary
PS-2478: Affidavit by Willy LITZENBERG, former Chief of DIVISION IV A II or the REICHS-SECURITY-MAIN OFFICE BERLIN, re: 'KUGEIERL SS'