The Dachau Trials: Nordhausen (Dora-Mittelbau) War Crimes Trials
(August - December 1947)
From August 7 to December 30, 1947, twenty-four defendants were indicted for crimes related to the Nordhausen (Dora-Mittelbau) concentration camp. In the first and major case (United States of America v. Kurt Andrae et al.), nineteen Nazi officials were placed on trial at Dachau. Fifteen were found guilty, one was sentenced to death and the remainer to various terms of imprisonment. In five separate cases, additional defendants stood trial in shorter proceedings. One was acquitted, the others were sentenced to various terms of imprisonment.
USA v. Kurt Andrae, et al.
Defendant | Role | Sentence |
Kurt Andrae | SS master sergeant; in charge of the mail office | Life imprisonment |
Erhard Brauny | SS master sergeant; block leader at Dora and occasional rollcall leader and camp commander of Rottleberode (outcamp) | Life imprisonment |
Otto Georg Werner Brinkmann | SS master sergeant; rollcall leader at Dora and, from January to February 1945, protective custody camp leader at Ellrich (outcamp) | Life imprisonment |
Emil Bühring | SS staff sergeant; tunnel guard later bunker guard | Life imprisonment |
Heinz Georg Alfred Detmers | SS first lieutenant; adjutant and judge advocate at Dora from December 1943 to November 1944. | 7 years imprisonment |
Josef Fuchsloch | SS master sergeant; substitute camp leader at Harzungen (outcamp) | Acquitted & released |
Kurt Heinrich | SS first lieutenant; adjutant and judge advocate at Dora from November 1944 to January 1945 | Acquitted & released |
Oskar Georg Helbig | SS technical sergeant; in charge of clothing supply at Dora | 20 Years imprisonment |
Rudolf Jacobi | SS master sergeant; in charge of the carpentry shop at Dora | Life imprisonment |
Josef Killian | Inmate; for a short time Kapoand afterward official hangman at Dora |
Life imprisonment |
Georg Wilhelm König | SS master sergeant; rollcall leader at Dora and in charge of motor pool | Life imprisonment |
Paul Maischein | SS corporal; worked in Dora dispensary and acted as medical aide at Rottleberode from January to April 1945 | 5 Years imprisonment |
Hans-Karl Möser | SS first lieutenant; protective custody camp leader at Dora | Sentenced to death by hanging (Executed - December 30, 1947) |
Georg Johannes Rikhey | Civilian; general director of entire Mittlebauworks (factory) | Acquitted & released |
Dr. Heinrich Schmidt | SS captain; physician at Boelke-Kaserne (outcamp) | Acquitted & released |
Wilhem Simon | SS technical sergeant; labor allocation leader at Dora | Life imprisonment |
Walter Ulbricht | Inmate; Kapoand clerk at Rottleberode |
5 Years imprisonment |
Richard Walenta | Inmate; Kapoand camp Eldest(head Kapo) at Ellrich and afterward Kapoat Dora |
20 Years imprisonment |
Willi Zwiener | Inmate; Kapoand for a short time camp Eldestand official hangman at Dora |
25 Years imprisonment |
Other Nordhausen Cases
Michail Grebinski (SS private; block leader at Dora: Acquitted (October 23, 1947)
Albert Mueller (SS corporal; roll call leader): 25 Years Imprisonment (December 1, 1947)
Georg Finkenzeller (Inmate; chief
Kapoon tunnel): 2 Years Imprisonment (November 10, 1947)c. 47Philipp Klein (SS sergeant; German national): 4 Years Imprisonment (December 1, 1947)
Stefan Palko (SS corporal; block leader at Nordhausen): 25 Years Imprisonment (December 12, 1947)
Sources: National Archives.
Skalman.