us-005578-irn42331-irn43343
type: RecordSet
record resource extent: folders oversize box 6 1
has record set type: Item
is or was included in: us-005578-irn42331
biographical history: David C. Porter (1926-2010) was born in Abington, Pennsylvania. He was the second of seven children born to Mary C. and William J. Porter. His parents were both born in Pennsylvania, and married in 1921. William worked as an iron clerk, and Mary was a secretary at a construction company. Soon after the December 7, 1941, attack on Pearl Harbor, the United States entered World War II. In spring 1944, David completed high school. On September 11, he enlisted in the US Army and was assigned to the 102nd Combat Infantry Division, nicknamed the Ozarks Division. He was deployed to Germany in February 1945 and advanced with his unit through central Europe to the Rhineland and then toward Berlin. David rose to the position of mortar crew chief for Company A, 26th Infantry Regiment. On April 15, the Division was placed on patrol along the Elbe River. On May 7, 1945, Germany surrendered. The 102nd was placed on occupational duty in Gotha, Germany. In August 1945, the United Nations War Crimes Commission authorized a military tribunal to be convened by eighteen Allied Nations, and conducted by the four major powers, the United States, Great Britain, France, and the Soviet Union in Nuremberg, Germany. The purpose of the International Military Tribunal was to seek justice for crimes against humanity, evidenced by the Holocaust, perpetrated by Nazi Germany. Twenty-four defendants were indicted in October 1945 for the first trial, the Major German War Criminals trial. There were four counts: crimes against peace, war crimes, crimes against humanity, and conspiracy to commit these crimes. The trial began on November 20, 1945. The verdicts were delivered on October 1, 1946: twelve defendants were sentenced to death; three to life imprisonment; four to prison terms ranging from 10-20 years; three were acquitted. The 1st Infantry was assigned the task of guarding the defendants. There were three types of guards: Special, Regular and Prison. Initially, David was responsible for guarding…
identifier: irn43343
has or had holder: us-005578
title: David C. Porter papers
record resource structure: The David C. Porter papers are arranged as a single series.
has or had identifier: http://lod.ehri-project-test.eu/units/us-005578-irn42331-irn43343/alternateIDs/1
archival history: United States Holocaust Memorial Museum
date: circa 1944-2010
results or resulted from: http://lod.ehri-project-test.eu/units/us-005578-irn42331-irn43343/acquisitions/1
has or had some members with language: eng
scope and content: The David C. Porter papers include military records, photographs, news clippings, and speech notes documenting Porter's experiences as a member of the United States Army during World War II and as a guard at the International Military Tribunal at Nuremberg from 1945-1946. The papers also include a 1946 photograph book, Nurnberg, which includes signatures of tribunal defendants, prosecution and defense staff, translators, press corps (including Betsy and Walter Cronkite), and the guard staff.