7 Dec.
45
And there for the moment, I will
leave the entries in Jodl's diary and refer the Court to the vital
Document C-174, which for the purposes of the record will be Exhibit
GB-89. The Court will see from that document that it is Hitler's
operation order to complete the preparations for the invasion of Norway
and Denmark. It bears the date of the lst of March 1940, and it is
headed, "The Führer and Supreme Commander of the Armed Forces;
most secret." Then, "Directive for Case Weserübung":
"The development of
the situation in Scandinavia requires the making of all preparations
for the occupation of Denmark and Norway by a part of the German Armed
Forces — Weser Exercise. This operation should prevent British
encroachment on Scandinavia and the Baltic; further, it should
guarantee our ore base in Sweden and give our Navy and Air Force a
wider start line against Britain."
The
second part of Paragraph 1 reads:
"In
view of our military and political power in comparison with that of
the Scandinavian States, the force to be employed in the Weser
Exercise will be kept as small as possible. The numerical weakness
will be balanced by daring actions and surprise execution. On
principle we will do our utmost to make the operation appear as a
peaceful occupation, the object of which is the military protection of
the neutrality of the Scandinavian States. Corresponding demands will
be transmitted to the governments at the beginning of the occupation.
If necessary, demonstrations by the Navy and the Air Force will
provide the necessary emphasis. If, in spite of this, resistance
should be met with, all military means will be used to crush it."
There follows, in Paragraph 2 on
the next page:
"I
put in charge of the preparations and the conduct of the operation
against Denmark and Norway the commanding general of the 21st Army
Corps, General Von Falkenhorst."
Paragraph
3:
"The crossing of
the Danish border and the landings in Norway must take place
simultaneously. I emphasize that the operations must be prepared as
quickly as possible. In case the enemy seizes the initiative against
Norway, we must be able to apply immediately our own counter measures.
"It is most important that the Scandinavian States as
well as the western opponents should be taken by surprise by our
measures. All preparations, particularly those of transport and of
readiness, drafting, and embarkation of the troops, must be made with
this factor in mind.