Text: English     International Military Tribunal "Blue Series," Vol. 4, p. 443
		7 Jan. 46 to the order which I have just read — "a supplementary order of the Führer is enclosed. "This order is intended for commanders only and must not, under any circumstances, fall into enemy hands. "The further distribution is to be limited accordingly by the receiving bureaus. "The bureaus named in the distribution list are held responsible for the return and destruction of all distributed copies of this order and copies made thereof." It is signed, "The Chief of the High Command of the Armed Forces, by order of Jodl." Thereafter follows a distribution list and then the supplementary order itself, signed by Hitler. I will start reading the first two paragraphs of the supplementary order which appear at the bottom of Page 1 of the translation: "I have been compelled to issue strict orders for the destruction of enemy sabotage troops and to declare non-compliance with these orders severely punishable. I deem it necessary to announce to the competent commanding officers and commanders the reasons for this decree. "As in no previous war, a method of destruction of communications behind the front, intimidation of the populace working for Germany, as well as the destruction of war-important industrial plants in territories occupied by us has been developed in this war." I propose to skip to the bottom of Page 2, the last two paragraphs on Page 2 of the translation: "The consequences of these activities are of extraordinary weight. I do not know whether each commander and officer is cognizant of the fact that the destruction of one single electric power plant, for instance, can deprive the Luftwaffe of many thousand tons of aluminum, thereby eliminating the construction of countless aircraft that will be missed in the fight at the front and so contribute to serious damage of the homeland as well as to bloody losses of the fighting soldiers. "Yet this form of war is completely without danger for the adversary. Since he lands his sabotage troops in uniform but at the same time supplies them with civilian clothes, they can, according to need, appear as soldiers or civilians. While they themselves have orders ruthlessly to remove any German soldiers or even natives who get in their way, they run no danger of suffering really serious losses in their operations, since at the worst, if they are caught, they can immediately surrender and thus believe that they will theoretically fall 443
		Text: English     International Military Tribunal "Blue Series," Vol. 4, p. 443     Last modified: October 10, 1998 Copyright © 1998 The Mazal Library and The Holocaust History Project. All rights reserved. Technical/administrative contact: webmaster@holocaust-history.org Find a typo? Let us know.