In the Eastern Countries the defendants pursued a policy of wanton
destruction and devastation: some particulars of this (without prejudice
to the production of evidence of other cases) are set out above under
the heading “Plunder of Public and Private Property”.
In Greece the villages of Amelofito, Kliston, Kizonia, Messovunos,
Selli, Ano-Kerzilion, and Kato-Kerzilion were utterly destroyed.
In Yugoslavia on 15 August 1941, the German military command officially
announced that the village of Skela was burned to the ground and the
inhabitants killed on the order of the command.
On the order of the Field Commander Hoersterberg a punitive expedition
from the SS troops and the field police destroyed the villages of
Machkovats, and Kriva Reka in Serbia and all the inhabitants were
killed.
General Fritz Neidhold (369 Infantry Division) on 11 September 1944,
gave an order to destroy the villages of Zagniezde and Udora, hanging
all the men and driving away all the women and children.
In Czechoslovakia the Nazi conspirators also practiced the senseless
destruction of populated places. Lezaky and Lidice were burned to the
ground and the inhabitants killed.
(H) CONSCRIPTION OF CIVILIAN LABOR
Throughout the occupied territories the defendants conscripted and
forced the inhabitants to labor and requisitioned their services for
purposes other than meeting the needs of the armies of occupation and to
an extent far out of proportion to the resources of the countries
involved. All the civilians so conscripted were forced to work for the
German war effort. Civilians were required to register and many of those
who registered were forced to join the Todt Organization and the Speer
Legion, both of which were semi-military organizations involving some
military training. These acts violated Articles 46 and 52 of the Hague
Regulations, 1907, the laws and customs of war, the general principles
of criminal law as derived from the criminal laws of all civilized
nations, the internal penal laws of the countries in which such crimes
were committed, and Article 6 (b) of the Charter.
Particulars, by way of example only and without prejudice to the
production of evidence of other cases, are as follows: