AHC: Nuremberg with Hitler, Goebbels, Himmler, Bouhler, and Bormann plus OTL Defendants

Alright, here's a challenge for you:
Find a way to get Hitler, Goebbels, Himmler, Bouhler, and Bormann to Nuremberg, with all the defendants from OTL there as well. Basically, best-case scenario for true justice at Nuremberg. You can try to get Eichmann in as well if you want.
 
Himmler and Bouhler killed themselves after they were in WAllied custody. So they're the easy ones: keep them in handcuffs from the moment of arrest, put them in padded cells, keep them under suicide watch, and make sure the prison guards can be completely trusted not to smuggle lethal objects into the prison.

Bormann is a little more tricky, as he died very close to Lehrter Station (now Berlin Hauptbahnhof). Most likely he killed himself with cyanide, because glass was found in his mouth when his body was exhumed. He came close to the Russians at several points in his circuitous journey to Lehrter Station. If the Russian soldiers had been able to identify Bormann, perhaps they had a chance of taking him alive. They would have had to act quickly, seizing Bormann before he had a chance to bite on his cyanide capsule.

Goebbels and Hitler are the hard ones, with Hitler being harder than Goebbels. I can't see it happening with the OTL military situation in Berlin, or with the OTL personalities of Goebbels and Hitler. (That is, no ASBs convincing Hitler that suicide is wrong.) Placing them in "protective custody" on a sort of suicide watch might have kept them alive, but who could possibly have given an order to arrest the Führer? Alternatively, have Hitler and Goebbels go to Berchesgaden instead of Berlin. Then have the SAS or some other special forces parachute into the area, and have them storm the Berghof at 4 in the morning. Given a quick, decisive assault and a lot of luck, Hitler and Goebbels could have been caught as they slept. It's a stretch, but it could be done without ASBs.
 
Perhaps if there would be succesful coup on April and military government handle all these persons to Allies. But stopping them making commit suicide is bit tricky.
 
Bouhler? You mean Josef Bühler (of Fatherland fame)?

Edit: Still strange you mention Philipp Bouhler in the list - he's a bad guy, true, but not exactly first tier. In fact, I never heard of him yet. (Of the crimes he was involved in, I did.)
 
Bouhler? You mean Josef Bühler (of Fatherland fame)?

Edit: Still strange you mention Philipp Bouhler in the list - he's a bad guy, true, but not exactly first tier. In fact, I never heard of him yet. (Of the crimes he was involved in, I did.)

And Bühler wasn't so much in inner circle of Nazi regime as other Nazis mentioned here.
 
Philip Bouhler was in charge of 'Aktion T4' - the Nazis' murder of the mentally ill and physically handicapped. First time the Nazis used gas for mass killings. Many of the people involved in this were later transferred to the death camps. He also cooperated with Himmler when it came to murdering concentration camp inmates, especially the sick, elderly and those regarded as unfit to work ( Action 14f13).


It's true he was not a member of the inner circle. By the time the war ended, the agency he headed, the Chancellery of the Führer, had become irrelevant since Bormann's Party Chancellery had absorbed most of its functions. Still a nasty fellow who'd merit the hangman's noose. Historically, he committed suicide shortly after being arrested by American troops.
 
I believe the OP means Philip Bouhler, head of the Chancellery of the Führer and responsible for the 'euthanasia' killings, not Josef Bühler, State Secretary in the General Government in Poland and participiant in the Wansee Conference.


Fun fact, Bühler actually appeared at the Nuremberg Trials. He testified on Hans Frank's behalf. Then he was extradited to Poland, where he was sentenced to death and hanged.
 
Perhaps if there would be succesful coup on April and military government handle all these persons to Allies. But stopping them making commit suicide is bit tricky.
Capital suggestion! :)

The German military establishment does a last-minute coup. It doesn’t work as well as they hope as far as getting a better deal from the Allies.

But they do arrest the bad guys and put them on suicide watch.
 
Alright, here's a challenge for you:
Find a way to get Hitler, Goebbels, Himmler, Bouhler, and Bormann to Nuremberg, with all the defendants from OTL there as well. Basically, best-case scenario for true justice at Nuremberg. You can try to get Eichmann in as well if you want.

Himmler and Bouhler are pretty easy, have the Wallies prevent them from using cyanide. Goebbels, Bormann and Hitler is almost impossible unless you have a situation where the WAllies fully occupy Germany. Even if Red Army captures them, it's likely they would be shot on sight or excecuted in some personal court.
 
Himmler and Bouhler are pretty easy, have the Wallies prevent them from using cyanide. Goebbels, Bormann and Hitler is almost impossible unless you have a situation where the WAllies fully occupy Germany. Even if Red Army captures them, it's likely they would be shot on sight or excecuted in some personal court.
Stalin wanted Hitler alive, didn't he?
 
Hans Fritzsche, Franz von Papan and Hjalmer Schacht are not part of the Nuremberg Trials (they were acquitted) and maybe some of the lesser ones are tried separately from the main group as the Allies may want to concentrate on the major figures first.
With Hitler, Himmler, Goebbels, Borman along with Goring being the top prizes for the prosecution maybe some of the lesser defendants get lighter sentences as the Allies are satisfied by getting the top leaders.
 
Alright, here's a challenge for you:
Find a way to get Hitler, Goebbels, Himmler, Bouhler, and Bormann to Nuremberg, with all the defendants from OTL there as well. Basically, best-case scenario for true justice at Nuremberg. You can try to get Eichmann in as well if you want.

If you want true justice than there are a few others missing from your list, like for example Curtis LeMay. You cant use words like true justice if you are only willing to punish the monsters of the loosers.

ps.: I know its ASB to get this.
 
Hitler goes on a tour of the front, runs afoul of a lucky allied breakthrough and is captured?


But for a long time before the end, Adolf didn't go on such tours. Btw even if Adolf was captured, given the extremely poor state of his health by 1945, would he have been fit to stand trial?
 
Goebbels and Hitler are the hard ones, with Hitler being harder than Goebbels. I can't see it happening with the OTL military situation in Berlin, or with the OTL personalities of Goebbels and Hitler. (That is, no ASBs convincing Hitler that suicide is wrong.) Placing them in "protective custody" on a sort of suicide watch might have kept them alive, but who could possibly have given an order to arrest the Führer?

Probably nobody, after the crushing of the July 20th resistance. But might it have been possible for those around him in the furhrerbunker to just desert him as the end drew near? Suppose, as the Russians approached, nearly all of them lost their nerve and began the breakout on the night of April 29-30 while Adolf was still alive? With nobody left to warn him or protect him Adolf might be taken by Red army troops.
 
Maybe Hitler decides to leave Berlin when the situation is hopeless, going to the Alps, but his plane is shot down before the landing, so he miraculously survives.
 
Top