The Holocaust Historiography Project

Translation of document 3838-PS

                                 Satement [sic]
                                       of
                       Standartenfuehrer Martin Sandberger

I, Martin Sandberger, make under oath and after being first
duly sworn in, the following declarations:

In my capacity as group leader VIa at the RSHA, the
following became known to me:

In February 1945, I was told by group leader VIb, SS
Standartenfuehrer Steimle, that he had to represent
Schellenberg at the daily section chief meetings. On that
occasion, Mueller, section chief IV, presented to
Kaltenbrunner a list of names, who were in confinement in or
close to Berlin, and Kaltenbrunner should decide, if they
were to be transported to Southern Germany or if they should
be shot, because the Russian Armies were closing in on
Berlin. Steimle did not know who was concerned.
Kaltenbrunner made his decisions in an extremely hasty and
superficial manner and Steimle indignantly turned to me
regarding the frivolity of the procedure. I assumed that
Kaltenbrunner had ordered a number of executions because if
evacuation would have been ordered, there wouldn’t have been
talk about frivolity of the procedure.

Schellenberg suggested to Himmler — in March or April 1945 --
that the V-weapon factories in concentration camps shouldn’t
be destroyed, but to surrender installations, located in
Thuringia properly to the advancing American Army. Himmler
agreed to it. As I was informed by Schellenberg in September
1945 at an internment camp in England on the occasion of a
walk, Kaltenbrunner frustrated this, by obtaining a
contradictory order directly from Hitler.

That the facts stated above are true; that the declaration
is made by me voluntarily and without compulsion; that after
reading over the statement, I have signed and executed the
same.

                                  [Signed] Martin Sandberger

Oberursel, 19th of November 1945

Subscribed and sworn to before me at Oberursel/Germany this
19th day of November 1945.

          [signed] Rudolf Urbach
          RUDOLF URBACH, Captain, AUS