Friedrich Flick receives his sentence in the Flick Trial.

The Flick Trial (or, officially, The United States of America vs. Friedrich Flick, et. al.) was the fifth of the twelve trials for war crimes the U.S. authorities held in their occupation zone in Germany in Nuremberg after the end of World War II. These twelve trials were all held before U.S. military courts, not before the International Military Tribunal, but took place in the same rooms. The twelve U.S. trials are collectively known as the "Subsequent Nuremberg Trials" or, more formally, as the "Trials of War Criminals before the Nuremberg Military Tribunals" (NMT). The Flick family are a wealthy German industrial and political dynasty, heirs to an industrial empire embracing coal, steel and the DaimlerChrysler company. ... A war crime is a punishable offense, under international law, for violations of the law of war by any person or persons, military or civilian. ... The United States of America — also referred to as the United States, the U.S.A., the U.S., America, the States, or (archaically) Columbia—is a federal republic of 50 states located primarily in central North America (with the exception of two states: Alaska and Hawaii). ... The Federal Republic of Germany (German: Bundesrepublik Deutschland) is one of the worlds leading industrialised countries, located in the heart of Europe. ... This article is about the city in Germany. ... Mushroom cloud from the nuclear explosion over Nagasaki rising 18 km into the air. ... The Nuremberg Trials is the general name for two sets of trials of Nazis involved in World War II and the Holocaust. ... Chief prosecutor Telford Taylor opens the prosecution case in the Krupp Trial The Subsequent Nuremberg Trials (or, more formally, the Trials of War Criminals before the Nuremberg Military Tribunals (NMT)) were a series of twelve U.S. military trials for war crimes against surviving members of the military, political, and...

The Flick Trial was the first of three trials of leading industrialists of Nazi Germany for their conduct during the Nazi regime. (The two other industrialist trials were the IG Farben Trial and the Krupp Trial.) The defendants in this case were Friedrich Flick and five other high-ranking directors of the Flick concern, officially called Flick Kommanditgesellschaft, or Flick KG. The charges centered on slave labor and plundering, but Flick and the most senior director, Otto Steinbrinck, were also charged for their membership in the "Circle of Friends of Himmler". This was a group of influential German industrialists and bankers, founded originally in 1932 by Wilhelm Keppler and overtaken by Heinrich Himmler in 1935; its purpose was the financial support of the Nazis. Its members "donated" annually about 1 million Reichsmark on a "Special Account S" in favor of Himmler. Nazi Germany, or the Third Reich, commonly refers to Germany in the years 1933–1945, when it was under the firm control of the totalitarian and fascist ideology of the Nazi Party, with the Führer Adolf Hitler as dictator. ... The judges in the Krupp trial. ... The Flick family are a wealthy German industrial and political dynasty, heirs to an industrial empire embracing coal, steel and the DaimlerChrysler company. ... Slavery is any of a number of related conditions involving control of a person against his or her will, enforced by violence or other clear forms of coercion. ... 1932 is a leap year starting on a Friday. ... Heinrich Himmler (October 7, 1900 – May 23, 1945) was the commander of the German Schutzstaffel and one of the most powerful men in Nazi Germany. ... 1935 was a common year starting on Tuesday (link will take you to calendar). ... The Reichsmark (Symbol: RM) was the currency in Germany from 1924 until June 20, 1948. ...

The judges in this case, heard before Military Tribunal IV, were Charles B. Sears (presiding judge), former Chief Judge of the court of appeals of the state of New York, William C. Christianson from Minnesota, Frank N. Richman from Indiana, and Richard D. Dixon from North Carolina as an alternate judge. The Chief of Counsel for the Prosecution was Telford Taylor. The indictment was filed on February 8 and amended on March 18, 1947; the trial lasted from April 19 to December 22, 1947. Friedrich Flick was sentenced to seven years of imprisonment, two of the other defendants received shorter sentences, and the remaining three were acquitted. Court of Appeals is the title of certain appellate courts in various jurisdictions. ... State nickname: Empire State Other U.S. States Capital Albany Largest city New York Governor George Pataki Official languages None Area 141,205 km² (27th)  - Land 122,409 km²  - Water 18,795 km² (13. ... State nickname: North Star State Other U.S. States Capital Saint Paul Largest city Minneapolis Governor Tim Pawlenty Official languages None Area 225,365 km² (12th)  - Land 206,375 km²  - Water 18,990 km² (8. ... State nickname: The Hoosier State Other U.S. States Capital Indianapolis Largest city Indianapolis Governor Mitch Daniels Official languages English Area 94,321 km² (38th)  - Land 92,897 km²  - Water 1,424 km² (1. ... State nickname: Tar Heel State Other U.S. States Capital Raleigh Largest city Charlotte Governor Michael Easley Official languages English Area 139,509 km² (28th)  - Land 126,256 km²  - Water 13,227 km² (9. ... Telford Taylor Telford Taylor (February 24, 1908 - May 22, 1998) was a U.S. lawyer best known for his role in the Counsel for the Prosecution at the Nuremberg Trials after World War II, his opposition against Senator McCarthy in the 1950s, and his outspoken criticism of the U.S... In the common law legal system, an indictment is a formal charge of having committed a serious criminal offense. ... February 8 is the 39th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar. ... March 18 is the 77th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (78th in leap years). ... 1947 was a common year starting on Wednesday (link will take you to calendar). ... April 19 is the 109th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (110th in leap years). ... December 22 is the 356th day of the year (357th in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar. ...

Indictment

1. War crimes and crimes against humanity by participating in the deportation and enslavement of the civilian populations of countries and territories under the belligerent occupation of or otherwise controlled by Germany, and of concentration camp inmates, for use in slave labor in Flick mines and factories.
2. War crimes and crimes against humanity through the plundering and spoliation of occupied territories, and the seizure of plants both in the west (France) and the east (Poland, Russia).
3. Crimes against humanity through participation in the persecution of Jews and the "aryanization" of their properties.
4. Membership in the NSDAP and the "Circle of Friends of Himmler".
5. Membership in a criminal organization, the SS.

Count 2 excluded Terberger, count 3 applied to Flick, Steinbrinck, and Kaletsch, count 4 to Flick and Steinbrinck, while count 5 applied only to Steinbrinck, who had been a SS Brigadeführer. The SS had been declared a criminal organization previously by the IMT. A war crime is a punishable offense, under international law, for violations of the law of war by any person or persons, military or civilian. ... This article is in need of attention. ... A concentration camp is a large detention center created for political opponents, aliens, specific ethnic or religious groups, civilians of a critical war-zone, or other groups of people, often during a war. ... Slavery is any of a number of related conditions involving control of a person against his or her will, enforced by violence or other clear forms of coercion. ... The Nazi swastika The National Socialist German Workers Party (German: Nationalsozialistische Deutsche Arbeiterpartei), better known as the NSDAP or the Nazi Party was a political party that was led to power in Germany by Adolf Hitler in 1933. ... SS or ss or Ss may be: The Schutzstaffel, a Nazi paramilitary force Steamship (SS) (ship prefix) The United States Secret Service A submarine not powered by nuclear energy (SS) (United States Navy designator), see SSN A Soviet/Russian surface-to-surface missile, as listed by NATO reporting name Shortstop... Brigadeführer was an SS rank that was used in Nazi Germany between the years of 1932 and 1945. ...

All defendants pleaded "not guilty".

The court dismissed count 3, stating that the evidence presented (which was all for cases prior to September 1939) fell outside its jurisdiction as the tribunal had a mandate only for acts committed during World War II, i.e. from September 1939 to May 1945. 1939 was a common year starting on Sunday (link will take you to calendar). ... 1945 was a common year starting on Monday (link will take you to calendar). ...

Defendants

I — Indicted   G — Indicted and found guilty The Flick family are a wealthy German industrial and political dynasty, heirs to an industrial empire embracing coal, steel and the DaimlerChrysler company. ... Bernhard Weiss ( June 20, 1827 - 1918), German Protestant New Testament scholar, was born at Königsberg. ...

References

• Trial proceedings (http://www.mazal.org/archive/nmt/06/NMT06-C001.htm) from the Mazal Library.
• Description  (http://www.ushmm.org/uia-cgi/uia_doc/photos/10458?hr=null) from the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum.
• Another description (http://www.ess.uwe.ac.uk/genocide/cntrl10_trials.htm#Flick)
• In-depth discussion (http://www.adl.org/Braun/dim_13_2_flick_print.asp)
• The "Circle of Friends of Himmler" (in German).