4
Dec. 45
face
of them at least to be defensive measures to
ward off attacks which might result from the
intervention of those states in the preparatory
German aggressions in Central Europe. Hitherto
aggressive war against Poland, England, and
France has been contemplated only as a distant
objective. Now, in this document for the first
time, we find a war of conquest by Germany
against France and England openly recognized as
the future aim, at least of the German Navy.
On 24 November 1938 an appendix was
issued by Keitel to a previous order of the Führer.
In that appendix were set out the future tasks
for the Armed Forces and the preparation for the
conduct of the war which would result from those
tasks.
"The
Führer has ordered" — I
quote — "that besides the
three eventualities mentioned in the
previous directive . . . preparations
are also to be made for the surprise
occupation by German troops of the Free
State of Danzig.
"For the
preparation the following principles are
to be borne in mind." — This
is the common pattern of aggression —
"The primary assumption is the
lightning seizure of Danzig by
exploiting a favorable political
situation, and not war with Poland.
Troops which are going to be used for
this purpose must not be held at the
same time for the seizure of Memel, so
that both operations can take place
simultaneously, should such necessity
arise."
Thereafter, as the evidence which is already
before the Tribunal has shown, final
preparations were taking place for the invasion
of Poland. On the 3rd of April 1939, 3 days
before the issue of the Anglo-Polish communiqué,
the Defendant Keitel issued to the High Command
of the Armed Forces a directive in which it was
stated that the directive for the uniform
preparation of war by the Armed Forces in
1939-40 was being re-issued and that part
relating to Danzig would be out in April. The
basic principles were to remain the same as in
the previous directive. Attached to this
document were the orders Fall Weiss, the code
name for the proposed invasion of Poland.
Preparation for that invasion was to be made, it
was stated, so that the operation could be
carried out at any time from the 1st of
September 1939 onwards.
On the 11th of
April Hitler issued his directive for the
uniform preparation of the war by the Armed
Forces, 1939-40, and in it he said:
"I
shall lay down in a later directive
future tasks of the Armed Forces and the
preparations to be made in accordance
with these for the conduct of war. Until
that directive comes into force the
Armed Forces must be prepared for the
following eventualities: