Amid Russia’s brutal invasion of Ukraine and questions about wartime atrocities and their prosecution, the Library and the U.S. Army Command and General Staff College look back to history’s most celebrated case study – the succession of trials of Nazi German leaders in Nuremberg after World War II.

In the latest installment of the Hollywood vs. History series, Mark Hull of the Command and General Staff College assesses the historical accuracy of the 1961 courtroom drama Judgment at Nuremberg. Though a fictionalized version of the third Nuremberg tribunal, which targeted German Ministry of Justice officials, prosecutors, and judges in 1947, the movie is acclaimed for depicting the challenges of determining responsibility for genocide while navigating strong political pressures.

The Judges’ Trial in Nuremberg wrapped up 75 years ago this month with closing statements by the prosecution and defense. Verdicts were handed down in December 1947.

Hull is a professor at the Command and General Staff College who specializes in war crimes prosecution and military law. A former Army military intelligence officer in Iraq, he holds a doctorate in German history/World War II from University College Cork in Ireland and a Juris Doctorate from Samford University’s Cumberland School of Law.

In 2021, Hull was named a fellow with the National Institute of Military Justice, the only non-governmental organization in the U.S. dedicated to the study and improvement of the military's justice system.