After the Allied liberation and surrender of the Nazis, a total of twenty-one men stood trial for the crimes committed during the Holocaust. These men represented some of the highest-ranking individuals in the Nazi regime. Many more were at large, but these men were apprehended and made to stand trail for what they had done. Judges were present from the United States, Britain, France, and the Soviet Union. Some, like Hans Frank, were willing to admit their guilt. Others, like Alfred Jodl, emphasized that they were only following orders. While some maintained that they had staunchly supported Hitler, others began to make damaging claims about the deceased Fuhrer.
The war criminals tried at Nuremberg were each charged with some combination of four charges. These included conspiracy to commit crimes alleged in other counts, crimes against peace, crimes against humanity, and war crimes. The verdicts for the twenty-two men who stood trial in Nuremberg were as follows:
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Karl Doenitz – Sentenced to 10 years in prison; died in 1981
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Hans Frank – Sentenced to death by hanging
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Wilhelm Frick – Sentenced to death by hanging
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Hans Fritzsche – Acquitted
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Walther Funk – Sentenced to life in prison; released in 1957 due to poor health
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Hermann Goering – Sentenced to death by hanging; he killed himself before his sentenced was carried out
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Rudolf Hess – Sentenced to life in prison; committed suicide in 1987
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Alfred Jodl – Sentenced to death by hanging
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Ernst Kaltenbrunner – Sentenced to death by hanging
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Wilhelm Keitel – Sentenced to death by hanging
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Konstantin von Neurath – Sentenced to 15 years in prison; released in 1954 due to poor health
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Franz von Papen – Acquitted
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Erich Raeder – Sentenced to life in prison; released in 1955
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Joachim von Ribbentrop – Sentenced to death by hanging
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Alfred Rosenberg – Sentenced to death by hanging
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Fritz Sauckel – Sentenced to death by hanging
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Hjalmar Schacht – Found not guilty
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Balbur von Schirach – Sentenced to 20 years in prison; released in 1966
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Arthur Seyss-Inquart – Sentenced to death by hanging
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Albert Speer – Sentenced to 20 years in prison
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Julius Streicher – Sentenced to death by hanging
Though Hitler escaped being held responsible for his crimes by committing suicide, these men were held accountable at Nuremburg. In the following years, many other war criminals were captured and punished for their crimes. Still others were able to escape their wrongdoings by fleeing to other countries.