Jodl Memorandum Concerning
Downed Anglo-American Air Crews, 22 May 1944

Chief of the Command Staff of the Armed Forces
Chef WFSt
   Please direct drafting of order
   W [ Warlimont-?]

K [Keitel] 21 May

Deputy Chief of Command Staff of the Armed Forces.

[note apparently written by Keitel] Must * * * go to the Reichsfuehrer SS After a report of the Reichsmarshall [Goering] General Korten makes the following statement: [Note: All the above remarks are handwritten.]

Memorandum

The Fuehrer has rendered the following decision in regard to measures to be taken against Anglo-American air crews, in special instances; downed enemy airmen are to be shot without court martial proceedings in the following instances:

1. In the event of the shooting of our own (German) downed air crews while they are parachuting to earth;

2. In the event of aerial attacks upon German planes, which have made emergency landings, and whose crews are in the immediate vicinity;

3. In the event of attacks upon railway trains engaged in public (civilian) transportation;

4. In the event of low-level aerial attacks upon individual civilians (farmers, workers, single vehicles, etc.) [Note-this paragraph was amended to read: In the event of low-level aerial attacks upon civilian population, single civilian vehicles, etc. The words "civilian population" are in Jodl's handwriting.]

[Note on bottom of page referring to item 2 : "I consider this point dangerous. For, to attack an airplane which has made an emergency landing, can not be classified as Gangster Method but is in complete agreement with the strictest standards of civilized warfare."]

J. [Jodl]

[Note on left margin: The order should be preceded by a preamble in which the disregard of the most primitive laws-civilization-( balance unintelligible) ]

J. [Jodl] 22 May