M.21.5 - Kriegsverbrecherreferat (War Criminals Department), Central Committee of Liberated Jews - Munich The War Criminals Department was established in the American Occupation Zone shortly after the end of World War II. It was active from 1946-1951 as the Legal Department of the Central Committee of Liberated Jews in Munich, in cooperation with the Central Historical Commission in Munich and other survivor organizations. The purpose of the Department was to locate war criminals and collaborators, to gather documentary material, to collect testimonies from survivors and to bring the criminals to justice. In 1960, all the material was transferred to the Joint Distribution Committee Legal Department, and on 19 September 1960, the documentation was submitted to Yad Vashem via the Foreign Ministry.