19 Dec. 45
SS according to the ideological and
political standards which I have ordered for the NSDAP and for the
Schutzstaffeln. Its members are to be trained and its ranks filled
with volunteers from those who are subject to military service, having
finished their duties in the obligatory labor service. The service
period for volunteers is 4 years. It may be prolonged for SS Unterführer.
Special regulations are in force for SS leaders. The regular
compulsory military service (Paragraph 8 of the law relating to
military service) is fulfilled by service of the same duration in the
SS Verfügungstruppe."
I
want to quote a further short passage from that decree which will be
found on Page 3 of the translation in the middle of the page and on Page
5 of the original order:
"III. Orders in case of Mobilization.
A. The employment of the SS Verfügungstruppe in case of
mobilization is a double one.
"1. By the Supreme Commander of the Army within the war- time
army. In that case it comes completely under military laws and
regulations, but remains a unit of the NSDAP politically.
"2. In case of necessity in the interior according to my orders;
in that case it is under the Reichsführer SS and Chief of the
German Police.
"In case of mobilization I myself will make the decision about
the time, strength, and manner of the incorporation of the SS Verfügungstruppe
into the wartime army; these things will depend on the internal
political situation at that time."
Immediately after the issuance of this decree-and the Court will recall
it was issued in August of 1938 — this militarized force was
employed with the Army for aggressive purposes — the taking over of
the Sudetenland. Following this action feverish preparation to motorize
the force and to organize new units such as antitank, machine gun, and
reconnaissance battalions were undertaken pursuant to further directives
of the Führer. By September 1939 the force was fully motorized; its
units had been increased to division strength and it was prepared for
combat. These steps are described in the National Socialist Yearbook
for the years 1940 and 1941. I offer in evidence Pages 365 to 371 of the
1940 yearbook. It is our Document Number 2164-PS. It bears Exhibit
Number USA-255. I offer Pages 191 to 193 of the 1941 yearbook, which is
our Document Number 2163-PS, as Exhibit Number USA-444. Since the
yearbook is an official publication of the Nazi Party, edited by
Reichsleiter Robert Ley and published by the Nazi Party publishing
company, I assume that the Court will take judicial notice of the
contents of these exhibits.