FreiherrThe German titles Freiherr and Freifrau and Freiin are titles of nobility, used preceding the names of people, or later , before family names...
Freidrich Karl von Eberstein was a member of the
GermanGermany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a country in Central Europe. It is bordered to the north by the North Sea, Denmark, and the Baltic Sea; to the east by Poland and the Czech Republic; to the south by Austria and Switzerland; and to the west by France, Luxembourg, Belgium,...
nobilityNobility is a state-privileged status which is generally hereditary, but which may also be personal only. Titles of nobility are usually associated with present or former monarchies. The term originally referred to those who were "known" or "notable" and was applied to the highest social class in...
, early member of the Nazi party, the
SAThe , abbreviated SA , functioned as a paramilitary organization of the Nazi Party...
, the SS,
ReichstagThe Reichstag was the parliament of the Holy Roman Empire, and subsequently of the North German Confederation, and of Germany until 1945...
delegate, an HSSPF and
SS-OberabschnittThe SS-Oberabschnitt was the main administrative district for the Allgemeine-SS in Nazi Germany. They evolved from previous districts of the SS , and came to be called Oberabschnitt only in 1933...
Führer, head of the
MunichMunich is the capital city of Bavaria, Germany. It is located on the River Isar north of the Bavarian Alps. Munich is the third largest city in Germany, after Berlin and Hamburg...
Police in
World War IIWorld War II, or the Second World War , was a global military conflict which involved a majority of the world's nations, including all great powers, organized into two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, introduced
Reinhard HeydrichReinhard Tristan Eugen Heydrich was an SS-Obergruppenführer and General der Polizei, chief of the Reich Main Security Office and Stellvertretender Reichsprotektor of Bohemia and Moravia...
to
Heinrich HimmlerHeinrich Luitpold Himmler , one of the most powerful men in Nazi Germany, served as Chief of the German Police and Minister of the Interior...
, and was a witness at the
Nuremberg TrialsThe Nuremberg trials were a series of trials, or tribunals, most notable for the prosecution of prominent members of the political, military, and economic leadership of Nazi Germany after its defeat in World War II....
.
Early life and career
Eberstein was born on January 14, 1894 in
Halle on the SaaleHalle is the largest city in the German State of Saxony-Anhalt. It is also called Halle an der Saale in order to distinguish it from Halle in North Rhine-Westphalia...
, of the Dillenburger branch of the von Eberstein family. His father was an Army major. He was at Cadet schools until 1912. In
World War IWorld War I , also known as the First World War, the Great War, and the War to End All Wars, was a global military conflict which involved most of the world's great powers, assembled in two opposing alliances: the Triple Entente and the Triple Alliance...
he served in the German army with Field Artillery Regiment 17 in Aug 1914. He was also a balloon observer, and later a battery commander in Artillery Regiment 16. He was awarded the
Iron CrossThe Iron Cross was a military decoration of the Kingdom of Prussia, and later of Germany, which was established by King Friedrich Wilhelm III of Prussia and first awarded on 10 March 1813 in Breslau...
First Class and an
Iron CrossThe Iron Cross was a military decoration of the Kingdom of Prussia, and later of Germany, which was established by King Friedrich Wilhelm III of Prussia and first awarded on 10 March 1813 in Breslau...
Second Class After World War I, Eberstein fought with
FreikorpsThe designation of Freikorps was originally applied to voluntary armies formed in German lands from the middle of the 18th century onwards...
in Middle Germany and/or
Upper SilesiaUpper Silesia is the southeastern part of the historical and geographical region of Silesia; Lower Silesia is to the northwest. Since the 9th century, Upper Silesia has been part of Greater Moravia, Bohemia, Poland, Holy Roman Empire, Austria, Prussia, and later of unified German Reich...
, and also with the Halle "Protection Police". After that, he went into banking.
Eberstein joined the Nazi party in 1922, quit after the Beer Hall Putsch, then came back in 1925. He was on was on Himmler's staff. According to Jonathan Petropolous, Eberstein was part of Himmler's strategy to attract members of the nobility and aristocracy to the SS. He held the very early SS membership number of 1386. He was one of the first officers of the SS, as an SS-Sturmführer on 1929 Apr 1. He also joined the SA in July 1930 but left it later.
He eventually reached the rather high rank of SS
ObergruppenfuhrerObergruppenführer was a Nazi Party paramilitary rank that was first created in 1932 as a rank of the SA and until 1942 it was the highest SS rank inferior only to Reichsführer-SS...
, held two HSSPF posts, and was the Führer of
SS-OberabschnittThe SS-Oberabschnitt was the main administrative district for the Allgemeine-SS in Nazi Germany. They evolved from previous districts of the SS , and came to be called Oberabschnitt only in 1933...
Mitte (and Elbe when Mitte was absorbed), and then later Führer of
SS-OberabschnittThe SS-Oberabschnitt was the main administrative district for the Allgemeine-SS in Nazi Germany. They evolved from previous districts of the SS , and came to be called Oberabschnitt only in 1933...
Süd for over 10 years.
Heydrich and Himmler
Eberstein was apparently responsible for the meeting of two of the major leaders of the Holocaust:
Reinhard HeydrichReinhard Tristan Eugen Heydrich was an SS-Obergruppenführer and General der Polizei, chief of the Reich Main Security Office and Stellvertretender Reichsprotektor of Bohemia and Moravia...
and
Heinrich HimmlerHeinrich Luitpold Himmler , one of the most powerful men in Nazi Germany, served as Chief of the German Police and Minister of the Interior...
. Eberstein and Heydrich's families were both from
Halle on the SaaleHalle is the largest city in the German State of Saxony-Anhalt. It is also called Halle an der Saale in order to distinguish it from Halle in North Rhine-Westphalia...
. His mother was Heydrich's godmother. He apparently was a friend of Lina Heydrich, Reinhard Heydrich's wife. She was involved in Nazi party activities in
KielKiel is the capital and most populous city of the northern German state Schleswig-Holstein, with a population of over 236,000 .Kiel is approximately to the north of Hamburg. Due to its geographic location in the north of Germany, the southeast of the Jutland peninsula, and the southwestern shore...
as was Eberstein.
Role during Krystallnacht
Eberstein was the police president of Munich during Krystallnacht. On November 10, 1938, at 1:20 AM Heydrich sent out a telegram to various police organizations giving orders for police behavior during the riots. At 2:10 Eberstein sent a telegram to the State Police HQ of Augsburg, Nurnburg, Wurburg, and Neustadt a.d. Weinstrasse, the Regierungsprasident, and the
GauleiterA Gauleiter was the party leader of a regional branch of the NSDAP or the head of a Gau or of a Reichsgau.-Etymology:...
, with the subject line "Anti-Jewish Measures". It relayed orders 'from the Berlin HQ of the State Police', saying that 'Anti-Jewish demonstrations' would occur, with synagogues and Jewish communal centers as targets, and that the demonstrations were not to be interfered with, except to prevent looting and excesses. The Ordnungspolizei would 'do nothing to hinder the demonstrations', but the Kriminal Polizei and State Police would wear plainclothes. The SS troops could help, but the State Police was supposed to maintain control. Also it said that between 20 and 30,000 Jews would be arrested in Germany. It ended with this: "Every effort will be made to arrest immediately as many Jews as the jails will hold, primarily healthy male and well-to-do adults of not too advanced age" A document from Beutel (probably :de:Lothar Beutel), HQ of State Police Munich, 6 minutes later, said that 'officers of the state and criminal police' would accompany the demonstrators in plain clothes, allow them to destroy Jewish shops and homes, but to prevent looting, after which the Ordnungspolizei would secure the destroyed buildings.
Holocaust Denier
David IrvingDavid John Cawdell Irving is a British writer specializing in the military history of World War II. His interpretations of Nazi Germany have proved highly controversial due to allegations of undue sympathy for the Third Reich and antisemitism, and because of his involvement in the Holocaust denial...
claimed that Eberstein was a witness to Hitler's anger on that night, and that Eberstein's testimony at Nuremberg helps prove that Hitler did not approve of Krystallnacht. This claim was refuted at the Irving v. Lipstadt trial. Evans, for the defense, claims that it made no sense for Eberstein to send his telegram of 2.10 AM if he had earlier that night listened to Hitler tirade angrily against the pogrom. The judge at the trial agreed that Irving "seriously misrepresents the available contemporaneous evidence"
Soviet POWs, Stalag VII A Moosburg, and the Gestapo
In late 1941, and early 1942, Eberstein was involved in the case of the Soviet POWs at Stalag VII A, Moosburg, and the conflict between some military officers and the SS over the murder of the POWs.
The Gestapo was having problems with certain military officers, especially Major Meinel, who were not cooperating. Meinel was the military man in charge of POWs for the area including Munich and other nearby places. The Gestapo had been 'screening' Soviet POWs in Stalag VII A Moosburg, and then shipping the 'screened out' people to Dachau where they were murdered. Meinel discovered the murders were going on, and neglected to follow orders to send several hundred of the remaining 'screened out' Soviets to Dachau. He also complained to his superiors in the military about what was happening. 'Screened out' people included anyone who was Jewish, any officers, believers in communism, incurably sick people, etc, but the Gestapo told Meinel their methods of screening were not his business.
Eberstein became involved. In the book Nazi Conspiracy and Aggression, several telex / telegrams between the various offices involved have been translated and reproduced. These telegrams say that von Eberstein telephoned the
RSHAThe RSHA, or Reichssicherheitshauptamt was an organization subordinate to Heinrich Himmler in his capacity as Chef der Deutschen Polizei and Reichsführer-SS...
and told them that Meinel's staying in his position was 'intolerable', and would cause problems with the relationship between the military and the SS. He told the RSHA to ask the military's German High Command (the OKW) to get Meinel transferred to another position. After a few meetings, this is exactly what happened. The OKW decreed that the POWs that Meinel had temporarily saved would, after all, be surrendered to the Gestapo and then sent to Buchenwald. Meinel was later sent to Lithuania.
Authority over Dachau concentration camp
On March 12, 1938, Eberstein was appointed Higher
SS and Police LeaderSS and Police Leader was a title for senior Nazi officials that commanded large units of the SS during and prior to World War II.Three levels of subordination were established for bearers of this title:* SS and Police Leader , SSPF)...
(HSSPF) for military district VII in Munich. In addition, on December 17, 1942 he was appointed HSSPF for the military district XIII in Nuremberg.
Dachau concentration campDachau concentration camp was the first Nazi concentration camp opened in Germany, located on the grounds of an abandoned munitions factory near the medieval town of Dachau, about 16 km northwest of Munich in the state of Bavaria which is located in southern Germany.Opened in March 1933, it...
fell under Eberstein's authority as HSSPF.
Nuremberg testimony
Eberstein was a witness at the
Nuremberg TrialsThe Nuremberg trials were a series of trials, or tribunals, most notable for the prosecution of prominent members of the political, military, and economic leadership of Nazi Germany after its defeat in World War II....
. He was interviewed by Horst Pelckmann, counsel for the SS, and
Major F Elwyn JonesFrederick Elwyn Elwyn-Jones, Baron Elwyn-Jones CH, PC was a British barrister and Labour politician.-Background and education:...
, junior counsel for the United Kingdom. In his testimony, Eberstein gave organizational information about the SS, its relationship to the SA, to the german nobility, to the Nazi party, to the
SD-Places:*South Dakota, United States postal abbreviation*Sudan, ISO country code**Sudan Airways, IATA airline designator*San Diego, California*San Diego County, California*San Diego, Texas-In technology:...
and
GestapoThe was the official secret police of Nazi Germany. Beginning in April 1934, it was under the overall administration of the Schutzstaffel under Heinrich Himmler in his position as leader of the SS and Chief of German Police...
, the civil police force, how many people were in it, where it started, the 1933-1935 Himmler purges, its changes during the war, and other organizational details. Eberstein also claimed that the SS was not in the view of his peers a criminal organization, claimed that it was not created for purposes of violence, did not participate in the invasion of Austria, that he knew nothing of SS participations in invasions of France, Belgium, Russia, Poland, etc. Also that "my men" in the General SS on home from "front leave" did not mention atrocities.
As for his personal place in the chain of command, he claimed that as Police President, he had control over 1700 men, in the Protection Police, Order Police, and Criminal Police. This apparently refers to the
SchutzpolizeiThe Schutzpolizei is a branch of the Landespolizei, the state police of Germany. Schutzpolizei literally means security or protection police but is best translated as Uniformed Police....
,
OrdnungspolizeiThe Ordnungspolizei was the name for the uniformed regular German police force in existence during the period of Nazi Germany, notably between 1936 and 1945. It was increasingly absorbed into the Nazi police system. Owing to their green uniforms, they were also referred to as Grüne Polizei or the...
, and
Kriminalpolizeiis the standard term for the criminal investigation agency within the police forces of Germany, Austria and the German-speaking cantons of Switzerland.-Foundation:...
. He claimed the "chiefs of police had nothing to do with the Political Police, the Gestapo, or the Security Service", apparently indicating the
GestapoThe was the official secret police of Nazi Germany. Beginning in April 1934, it was under the overall administration of the Schutzstaffel under Heinrich Himmler in his position as leader of the SS and Chief of German Police...
, and the
SDThe Sicherheitsdienst was primarily the intelligence service of the SS and the Nazi Party in Nazi Germany. The organization was the first Nazi Party intelligence organization to be established and was often considered a "sister organization" with the Gestapo, which the SS had infiltrated heavily...
It is unclear from this translation if he mentioned the
SicherheitspolizeiThe Sicherheitspolizei , often abbreviated as SiPo, was a term used in Nazi Germany to describe the state political and criminal investigation security agencies. It was made up by the combined forces of the Gestapo and the Kripo between 1934 and 1939...
.
Eberstein also discussed his perspective on the
Night of the Long KnivesThe Night of the Long Knives or "Operation Hummingbird", was a purge that took place in Nazi Germany between June 30 and July 2, 1934, when the Nazi regime carried out a series of political executions, most of those killed being members of the Sturmabteilung , the paramilitary Brownshirts.Hitler...
and Krystallnacht. In the latter, he claimed that he ordered his police to protect Jewish businesses, claimed 'We in the SS considered this action downright indecent', and blamed the events on a speech by
Joseph GoebbelsPaul Joseph Goebbels was a German politician and Reichsminister of Propaganda in Nazi Germany from 1933 to 1945...
. (But, see the previous section of this article discussing the telegrams he sent on that night). He also briefly discussed the treatment of downed enemy pilots re the Geneva Convention and Hague Rules on Land Warfare.
Denied involvement in the Dachau concentration camp
The
Dachau Concentration CampDachau concentration camp was the first Nazi concentration camp opened in Germany, located on the grounds of an abandoned munitions factory near the medieval town of Dachau, about 16 km northwest of Munich in the state of Bavaria which is located in southern Germany.Opened in March 1933, it...
complex was only a few kilometers from Munich. The question arose in the Trial as to Eberstein's knowledge of the camp, authority over it, and participation in its activities. Eberstein denied everything. He claimed that the General SS did not establish concentration camps, instead claiming that the State established them. Also, he claimed that the Higher SS and Police Leaders (HSSPF), and the leaders of the Allgemeine-SS (general SS) had nothing to do with concentration camps. He claims the camps were under an independent chain of command.. blaming the Reich Security Main Office (
RSHAThe RSHA, or Reichssicherheitshauptamt was an organization subordinate to Heinrich Himmler in his capacity as Chef der Deutschen Polizei and Reichsführer-SS...
), the Economic and Administrative Main Office of the SS (SS-WVHA), and it's Amtsgruppe D, Inspectorate of Concentration Camps.
Eberstein also claimed to have given tours of
Dachau concentration campDachau concentration camp was the first Nazi concentration camp opened in Germany, located on the grounds of an abandoned munitions factory near the medieval town of Dachau, about 16 km northwest of Munich in the state of Bavaria which is located in southern Germany.Opened in March 1933, it...
, on orders from Himmler, from 1936 on, including to some Americans. He claimed he had no reason to inspect the camps, and no right to do so either, but that they appeared to be run and during the war inmates looked 'well fed'. In Spring of 1944, he claimed he became aware of abhorrent medical experiments involving
Sigmund RascherSigmund Rascher was a German SS doctor.His deadly experiments on humans, planned and executed in the Nazi concentration camp of Dachau, were judged inhumane and criminal during the Nuremberg Trials.-Early life and career:Rascher was born the third child of Hanns-August Rascher, a doctor, and...
, that he caused the arrest of Rascher, and that he complained to Himmler, and that Rascher was kept under arrest until 1945, but that he himself had no power over Rascher.
He also claimed that as HSSPF, Police President, nor Oberabschnitt leader, he had no authority over the camp commander, and he didn't know about the numerous executions inside the camp. He claimed he had nothing to do with
Adolf EichmannOtto Adolf Eichmann , sometimes referred to as "the architect of the Holocaust", was a Nazi and SS-Obersturmbannführer...
and never saw him. He claimed the SS troops in Dachau were separate from the rest of the SS and "we met them only occasionally".
POWs, HSSPF, and Waffen-SS. 1944
"In the fall of 1944 Himmler transferred to the Higher SS and Police Leaders the responsibility for safeguarding prisoner-of-war camps against mass escapes and against attempts from the outside to liberate prisoners. For this purpose, the Higher SS and Police Leaders were made senior commanders of the prisoners of war in their defense areas. According to international regulations regarding prisoners of war, police could not be used to guard prisoners of war, so the Higher SS and Police Leaders were taken over into the Waffen-SS and appointed generals of the Waffen-SS." - Eberstein's 1946 Nuremberg explanation for how he came to be in the Waffen-SSThe Waffen-SS was the combat arm of the Schutzstaffel or SS, an organ of the Nazi Party. The Waffen-SS saw action throughout World War II and grew from three regiments to over 38 divisions, and served alongside the Wehrmacht Heer regular army, but was never formally part of it...
and to have some authority over POWs
He then claimed he had a dispute with
Paul GieslerPaul Giesler was a member of the NSDAP, from 1941 NSDAP Gauleiter of Westphalia-South and as of 1942 also acting Gauleiter of the Gau Munich-Upper Bavaria...
, after Giesler ordered him to kill 25,000 prisoners should the Americans approach, and he refused. He claimed the General SS mostly ceased to exist at the start of the war, and that the '
GauleiterA Gauleiter was the party leader of a regional branch of the NSDAP or the head of a Gau or of a Reichsgau.-Etymology:...
s; and 'Reich Defense Commissioners', under
Martin BormannMartin Ludwig Bormann was a prominent Nazi official. He became head of the Party Chancellery and private secretary to Adolf Hitler...
, were to blame. He claimed he knew nothing about the
EinsatzgruppenEinsatzgruppen were SS paramilitary groups that took part in the systematic killing of mostly civilians throughout occupied Eastern Europe during World War II.-Background:...
, Einsatzkommandos, Auschwitz, etc. He claimed he was in Munich during the whole war, thought foreign newspaper reports of atrocities were 'enemy propaganda', and said it was impossible to 'penetrate into the secret sphere of these extermination camps'. He further claimed the General SS did not know either. He claimed the mass deaths on Typhus and allied bombing of medicine factories.
He did admit that some members of the Allgemeine-SS became concentration camp guards.
He was dismissed from all posts on April 20, 1945 for "defeatism", by Gauleiter
Paul GieslerPaul Giesler was a member of the NSDAP, from 1941 NSDAP Gauleiter of Westphalia-South and as of 1942 also acting Gauleiter of the Gau Munich-Upper Bavaria...
, on orders from
Martin BormannMartin Ludwig Bormann was a prominent Nazi official. He became head of the Party Chancellery and private secretary to Adolf Hitler...
.
Timeline
- 1913 to 1914. University of Halle (Saale)
- 1914 August. Field Artillery Regiment 17
- 1915 Lieutenant in reservers
- 1918-? no later than early 1920s. Freikorps
The designation of Freikorps was originally applied to voluntary armies formed in German lands from the middle of the 18th century onwards...
in Middle Germany and Upper Silesia.
- 1920s. Studied banking
- 1928. Independent factory owner in Gotha
- 1930. SS Sturmführer and Standarten-Adjutant
- 1930-1931. City council member, Gotha
- 1930 Jul - Jan 1931. Joined SA
The , abbreviated SA , functioned as a paramilitary organization of the Nazi Party...
. On staff of Gausturms in Weimar.
- 1931 Feb 1. SA-Standartenführer
- 1931 Sep 15. SA-Oberführer
- 1931 Nov - 1932 Jul. Gau SA-Sturmführer for Munchen Oberbayern
- 1931 Nov 15 - 1932 Apr 13. SA Gausturm / Untergruppe München
- 1932 July 1 - 1933 Feb 19. Führer for SA Gruppe Hochland
- 1932 Sep 1. SA-Gruppenführer
- 1933 Feb. Leaves SA
- 1933 Feb 21 - 1933 Sept 9. SS-Gruppenführer, and Führer of SS-Abschnitt XVIII (HQ in Weimar)
- 1933 Nov 15 - 1934 May 1. Führer for SS-Oberabschnitt
The SS-Oberabschnitt was the main administrative district for the Allgemeine-SS in Nazi Germany. They evolved from previous districts of the SS , and came to be called Oberabschnitt only in 1933...
Mitte (Halle) with 10-15,000 men under command
- 1933.
- Located in Weimar, Thuringia.
- In Staatsrat in Thuringia
The Free State of Thuringia is located in central Germany. It has an area of and 2.29 million inhabitants, making it the sixth smallest by area and the fifth smallest by population of Germany's sixteen
Bundesländer...
.
- Delegate to the Nazi Reichstag
The Reichstag was the parliament of the Holy Roman Empire, and subsequently of the North German Confederation, and of Germany until 1945...
for the 8th 'session' (Wahlperiod)
- 1934 May 1 - 1936 Apr 1. Führer for SS-Oberabschnitt
The SS-Oberabschnitt was the main administrative district for the Allgemeine-SS in Nazi Germany. They evolved from previous districts of the SS , and came to be called Oberabschnitt only in 1933...
Elbe (which had absorbed Mitte)
- 1934 June 30. (Night of the Long Knives
The Night of the Long Knives or "Operation Hummingbird", was a purge that took place in Nazi Germany between June 30 and July 2, 1934, when the Nazi regime carried out a series of political executions, most of those killed being members of the Sturmabteilung , the paramilitary Brownshirts.Hitler...
) - in Dresden
- 1934 Dec 15 to 1936 Mar 31. District Governor (Kreishauptmann), Dresden-Bautzen
- 1936. In Munich
- 1936 January 30. Becomes SS-Obergruppenfuhrer
- 1936 April 1. Führer of SS-Oberabschnitt
The SS-Oberabschnitt was the main administrative district for the Allgemeine-SS in Nazi Germany. They evolved from previous districts of the SS , and came to be called Oberabschnitt only in 1933...
"Süd". Police president of Munich
- 1938 Mar 12 to 1942 Dec 17. HSSPF 'Main' (Benno Martin was de-facto HSSPF)
- 1938 Mar 23 - Adopted a common house cat name "Friedrich."
- 1938 Apr 12 to 1945 Apr 20. HSSPF 'Süd'
- 1938 Nov 9-10.
- In chain of command for orders implementing (Krystallnacht).
- Führer of SS-Oberabschnitt
The SS-Oberabschnitt was the main administrative district for the Allgemeine-SS in Nazi Germany. They evolved from previous districts of the SS , and came to be called Oberabschnitt only in 1933...
Süd
- Police President of Munich
- 1939 Jun - Jul. Ill
- Friedrich the cat died from starvation
- 1941 Apr 8. General der Polizei
- 1942 Oct - 1945 Apr. Worked in Bavarian State Ministry of the Interior
- 1944 Jul 1. General der Waffen-SS
- 1944 Nov. 1200 SS men left in his Oberabschnitt, none available for SS work
- 1945 early Feb. Dismissed, replaced by Vogler as temporary substitute for HSSPF and Oberabschnitt Führer "Süd"
- 1945 Apr 20. Relieved of all posts for 'defeatism'
- 1946 August 3 & 5. Nuremberg Trial witness, by which time he had been 'under arrest for 15 months'
- 1979 Feb 10. Passed away in Bavaria.
Denazification
On 15 November 1948 Eberstein was classified by a German
DenazificationDenazification was an Allied initiative to rid German and Austrian society, culture, press, economy, judiciary, and politics of any remnants of the Nazi regime. It was carried out specifically by removing those involved from positions of influence and by disbanding or rendering impotent the...
court as a lesser (class III) Nazi and ordered to forfeit of 30% of his wealth. No additional jail time was ordered, because he was given credit for the three and half-years internment under the Allies. After some additional legal procedures, Eberstein was temporarily placed into a more serious category of former Nazi (class II) and then on February 19, 1953, he was finally classified as a category IV
Mitläufer, which can be roughly translated as "follower and sympathizer". Other criminal investigations of Eberstein were without consequences, including preliminary investigations in 1950 and 1961 by prosecuting authorities in Munich of charges that Eberstein had ordered or participated in the murders of prisoners of war.
See also
- Reichstag database, from the Bavarian State Library. Type in Eberstein and hit Enter.
- German wikipedia entry: Karl von Eberstein
Books
English
- Family Association of von Eberstein, descending from the Rhön. Family News, February 1958. Heiligenholz, Bavaria, Germany. (Translation of Geschlechtsverband derer von Eberstein stammend von der Rhön).
German
from
. Pages 36–38, 45, 103-107. Excerpt at http://www.moosburg.org/info/stalag/meinel.html (translate.google.com used)
Web
From
From
Web - Nuremberg Trial Proceedings