Erich von dem Bach-Zelewski was an SS Obergruppenführer and Einsatzgruppen commander who was not prosecuted at Nuremberg.
Posted by The Pete Quiñones Show, Checked
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The Pete Quiñones ShowOct 10, 2026
Multiple sources confirm Erich von dem Bach-Zelewski was an SS Obergruppenführer who led Einsatzgruppen and was never indicted or tried at Nuremberg; he testified as a prosecution witness, and was later tried by a German court. One picture-alliance caption says he was sworn in as a defendant, which conflicts with the other sources.
What was said
… And that was true in the Eichmann trial. What was relied upon was the ultimate source of that initial figure, and, uh, that was, uh, an SS Overgruppenführer, uhm, Vandenbeck-Zalewski. He was a general of the SS, and he was an Einstein group commander, and he was probably a British intelligence asset, which is why he wasn't prosecuted in Nuremberg. Later, Zalewski was indicted by the Bundesrepublik for a series of murders carried out during the, the, the 1934, um, Rom purge. …
The Pete Quiñones Show · · from the transcriptPost →What we found
Supports. The BBC states he 'not only avoided an appearance in an Allied court but was actually found to be a helpful witness,' and that he was later tried by a West German court.[1]
Supports. An academic abstract states that he was 'never indicted, instead appearing as a witness for the prosecution' before the International Military Tribunal and successor trials.[2]
Supports. The Wikipedia article and a DW piece both say he did not stand trial at Nuremberg and was at the trials as a witness, not a defendant, in exchange for his testimony.[3][4]
Supports. The BBC describes him as the man who led the Einsatzgruppen, and a picture-alliance caption calls him a 'former SS Obergruppenführer and general of the police.'[1][5]
Contradicts. A picture-alliance caption says he was 'sworn in as defendant' at the Nuremberg trials on 7 January 1946, which conflicts with the other sources describing him as a witness and not indicted.[5]
Context. He was sentenced by a German court in 1951 for murders, which does not bear on whether he was prosecuted at Nuremberg.[2][6]
Sources
6 sources: 1 tier 1, 5 not rated
- 1History - World Wars: Making Justice at Nuremberg, 1945 - 1946 - BBCbbc.co.uk · tier 1 · cited for: supports
- 2Criminals as Manipulative Witnesses: A Case Study of SS ...academic.oup.com · not rated · cited for: supports, context
- 3Erich von dem Bach-Zelewski - Wikipediaen.wikipedia.org · not rated · cited for: supports
- 4'Daddy was a man of honor'dw.com · not rated · cited for: supports
- 5Start of Nuremberg Trials (20.11.1945) - Picture Alliancepicture-alliance.com · not rated · cited for: contradicts, supports
- 6Ex-nazi General on Trial for Mass-executions of Jews Near Minsk - Jewish Telegraphic Agencyjta.org · not rated · cited for: context
Where this claim was made
Said in 1 published post
Related claims
- Erich von dem Bach-Zelewski was indicted by the Bundesrepublik for murders carried out during the 1934 Röhm purge and served about three years in prison.Mixed
- Adolf Eichmann never served in an Einsatzgruppe.True
- Adolf Eichmann did not have command authority over the Einsatzgruppen security police on operational terms.True
- Joachim von Ribbentrop was executed in Nuremberg.True
- Adolf Eichmann was sentenced to death.True