10 Dec.
45
of the Supreme Command of the Armed Forces, the
Defendant Keitel; the Chief of the Armed Forces Operations Staff, the
Defendant Jodl; the Commander-in-Chief of the Army, Brauchitsch; the
Chief of the Army General Staff, Halder; as well as several others,
including Colonel Schmundt, Hitler's Adjutant.
A report of this conference is contained in our Document Number 872-PS,
which I now offer as Exhibit USA-134.
During the course of this conference the Chief of the Army General
Staff gave a long report about enemy strength as compared with their own
strength and the general overall operational plans for the invasion.
This report was punctuated at various intervals by comments from the Führer.
At Page 4 of the English translation of the conference plan, which is
at Page 5 of the German original, there is an interesting extract,
which, although written in a semi-shorthand, is at least sufficiently
clear to inform us that elaborate timetables had already been set out
for the deployment of troops as well as for industrial operations. I
quote:
"The proposed time schedule is
charted on the map. First Deployment Echelon" —
Aufmarschstaffel — "now being transferred,
Front-Interior-East. Second Deployment Echelon from the middle of
March gives 3 divisions for reinforcement in the West, but Army groups
and Army High Commands are withdrawn from the West. In the East there
are already considerable reinforcements though still in the rear area.
From now on, 'Attila'" — I might state here parenthetically
that this was the code word for the operation for the occupation of
unoccupied France — "Attila can be carried out only with
difficulty. Economic traffic is hampered by transport movements. From
the beginning of April, Hungary will be approached about the
march-through. Third Deployment Echelon, from the middle of April.
'Felix' is now no longer possible, as the main part of the artillery
has been shipped. " — Felix was the name for the proposed
operation against Gibraltar. — "In industry the full
capacity timetable is in force. No more camouflage. Fourth Deployment
Echelon, from 25. IV to 15. V, withdraws considerable forces from the
West ('Seelöwe' can no longer be carried out)." — "Seelöwe"
(or Sea Lion) was a code word for the planned operation against
England, and "Marita," which we shall see a little later in
the quotation, was the code word for the action against Greece. —
"The concentration of troops in the East is clearly apparent. The
full capacity timetable is maintained. The complete picture of the
disposition of forces on the map shows 8 Marita divisions.