Trial of the Major War Criminals Before the International Military Tribunal, Nuremburg, 14 November 1945-1 October 1946, Volume 06

In the early days of the International Military Tribunal, the courtroom hums with the weight of history as prosecutors lay out the systematic looting of occupied Europe. The French assistant prosecutor steps forward to trace how the German war machine rewired Belgium’s entire economy, from factories to farms, in a bid to fuel its own arsenal. Listeners are drawn into a meticulous examination of directives, black‑market suppression, and the bureaucratic machinery that turned everyday production into a weapon of war.

The narrative unfolds through a vivid tapestry of official orders, exhibition documents, and candid testimony, revealing how every sector—iron, coal, textiles, and transport—was seized and repurposed. By exposing the stark contrast between the occupiers’ public promises of protecting the Belgian market and their relentless drive for profit, the trial offers a compelling glimpse into the economic strategies that underpinned Nazi conquest. This portion of the proceedings sets the stage for understanding the broader legal reckoning that followed.