Nürnberg,
SS
Germany. J
Walter Warlimont, being duly sworn, deposes and says:
My last position with the German Armed Forces was Deputy Chief of Staff of the Wehrmacht-Fuehrungs-Stab.
I am only partly familiar with the policy followed by the German government toward political functionaries and commissars of the Soviet Army during the course of the German campaign against the U.S.S.R. Shortly before the beginning of this campaign I was present in a group composed of the commanders in chief (with their chiefs of staff) of the three armed forces, of the army groups, of armies, and of the corresponding groups in the air forces and navy. Hitler made an announcement to this group that special measures would have to be taken against political functionaries and commissars of the Soviet army. He said that this would not be an ordinary campaign but would be the clash of conflicting ideologies. He further said that the political functionaries and commissars were not to be considered as prisoners of war were to be segregated from other prisoners immediately after their capture and were to be turned over to special detachments of the SD which were to accompany the German troops to Russia. He further said that when it was not possible to turn over the political functionaries and commissars to the SD, they were to be eliminated by the German troops. He further said that Russia was not a signatory of the Geneva convention and that intelligence had been received that the Russians would not treat German prisoners of war in the usual way, especially the members of the SS and the police. He further said that he did not expect the officer corps to understand his orders but he demanded that they obey his orders unconditionally.
I recognize a document entitled "Directives Regarding Treatment of Authorized Political Representatives of the Russian State for the Uniform Execution of the Mission Received on 31 March 1941" which is an excerpt from a proposed directive drafted by the OKH and dated 12 May 1941. That document is a true and accurate statement of the proposals made by the OKH with respect to Soviet political functionaries and military commissars captured with Soviet troops. That document states that political functionaries and commissars among the Soviet prisoners of war are to be eliminated. That document bears my initials indicating that it had been sent to my division in the OKW and had been seen by me before submitting
550
2884-PS
it to General Jodi, my immediate superior. I added to the documents parts II and III before submitting it to General Jodi. In addition, on my own initiative, I sent a copy of the document to the OKW legal department for information, expecting that department to examine the entire question and to render an opinion thereon to the chief of the OKW.
In 1943 General Zeitzler, chief of the army general staff, pressed the argument several times that particular action against political functionaries and commissars among Soviet prisoners of war had to be stopped. The reason for his position in the matter was that he was trying to get as many soldiers of the Red army as possible to desert and come over to the German lines. The existence of a particular policy against these political functionaries and military commissars seriously interfered with this program, since these political functionaries and commissars exhorted the soldiers to fight to the last man rather than surrender to the Germans.
/s/ Walter Warlimont WALTER WARLIMONT
Subscribed and sworn to this 14th day of November 1945, before me
/s/ Thomas S. Hinkel.
Lt. Col., IGD.
Affidavit concerning the military's program to execute captured Soviet commissars and communist officials
Authors
Walter Warlimont (general; deputy chief, operations staff of the armed forces)
Walter Warlimont
German general (1894-1976)
- Born: 1894-10-03 (Osnabrück)
- Died: 1976-10-09 (Kreuth)
- Country of citizenship: Germany
- Occupation: military officer (military rank: general)
- Member of: High Command of the Armed Forces (since: 1941-01-01)
- Participant in: Hostages Trial (date: 1947-07-04; role: affiant); Judges' Trial
- Significant person: Hermann Foertsch (role: colleague, friend); Walter Kuntze
- Military rank: General of the Artillery
Date: 14 November 1945
Total Pages: 1
Language of Text: English
Source of Text: Nazi conspiracy and aggression (Office of United States Chief of Counsel for Prosecution of Axis Criminality. Washington, D.C. : U.S. Government Printing Office, 1946.)
Evidence Code: PS-2884
HLSL Item No.: 451632
Notes:PS 2884 was entered as miscellaneous evidence without an exhibit number. The affidavit cites a draft directive on the issue, which is document PS 884 (USSR exhibit 351).