| Original caption: “German War Crimes Trials. Nuremberg and Dachau at the Dachau War Crimes trial, defendant Christof Ludwig Knoll, a political prisoner and block leader (trustee), testifies that he did not beat prisoners in his detail, just slapped them rather than report them. The Dachau concentration camp trial opened on November 2, 1945, in Dachau, Germany. 40 individuals who had participated in the operation of the Dachau concentration camp were charged with the murder and mistreatment of foreign nationals imprisoned there. Among those charged were Martin Gottfried Weiß (June 3, 1905 – May 29, 1946), the “Demon of Dachau,” who was the camp commandant from 1942-1943; Doctor Klaus Karl Schilling (July 5, 1871 – May 28, 1946), a Schutzstaffel SS physician who was brought to Dachau to find a method of immunizing people against malaria; and 3 former prisoners. The trial lasted from November 15 to December 13, 1945, with 70 witnesses called to testify for the prosecution and 50 witnesses called to testify for the defense. All 40 defendants were found guilty, with 36 being sentenced to death by hanging, including Weiss and Schilling, 1 sentenced to hard labor for life, and 3 sentenced to hard labor for 10 years. A few of the sentences were reduced after a review board determined the defendants were involved to a lesser degree than originally believed, but most were upheld. Weiss was executed on May 29, 1946, and Schilling on May 28, 1946, both in Landsberg Prison. The New York Times claimed on November 4, 1945, that Christof Ludwig Knoll (April 20, 1895 – May 29, 1946) repeatedly bragged that he hanged 98 Jews, as well as Soviets, Poles, and more. 36 of the 40 defendants were sentenced to death; 1 was sentenced to life imprisonment. 3 were sentenced to 10 years’ incarceration. United States Army General Lucian K. Truscott Junior (January 9, 1895 – September 12, 1965) commuted some of the death sentences to life imprisonment or 10 to 20 years. Photo by Private Henry V. Gasiewicz (August 26, 1909 – December 12, 1964), 165th Signal Company. | |
| Image Filename | wwii0958.jpg |
| Image Size | 756.17 KB |
| Image Dimensions | 2896 x 2343 |
| Photographer | |
| Photographer Title | United States Army Signal Corps |
| Caption Author | Written or Adapted by Jason McDonald |
| Date Photographed | December 7, 1945 |
| Location | Konzentrationslager Dachau |
| City | Dachau |
| State or Province | Bavaria |
| Country | Germany |
| Archive | National Archives and Records Administration |
| Record Number | 111-SC-221830 |
| Status | Caption ©2026 MFA Productions LLC Please Do Not Duplicate or Distribute Without Permission; Image in the Public Domain |
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