The Special Court in Stanisławów (Sondergericht Stanislau) and Its Chairman (1941–1944)

Towards extermination

Abstract

The present article concerns the activities of the Special Court in Stanisławów (Sondergericht Stanislau) – one of the German special courts operating in the Galicia District of the General Government – in the years 1941–1944. Taking up this topic is justified by the lack of even fragmentary findings. Accordingly, the purpose of research was to determine the following: what types of cases were heard by the Sondergericht; of what nationality were the majority of defendants; what sentences did they receive; was the death penalty used, and, if yes, in which cases; who administered the workings of the Sondergericht; which judges were its members and which prosecutors took part in hearings before the Sondergericht; from where did the lawyers involved in its work originate; and were the court’s rulings ever overturned through extraordinary legal measures. The source basis for the analysis comprises archives, literature, and the press of the period. As regards this aspect, completely new findings were made concerning the Special Court in Stanisławów. In addition, I have described the case of Erwin Wester, the Chairman of the Special Court, who was extradited to Poland after the war for trial, but avoided proceedings due to his death.
The present article was written as part of a research project funded by the National Science Centre (2020/39/B/HS5/02111).