Ops Staff of the Armed Forces/Qu. 2 (Admin. 1)
TOP SECRET
SSD Teleprint
To: 1. Commander of the Armed Forces in Norway.
2. 20th (Mountain) Army HQ.
24.9.1944
10 copies copy
3. Commander of the Armed Forces in 'Dgrnr.aik.
229
D-770
D-770
4.
C-in-C West.
5. Commander of the Armed Forces in the Netherlands (further to Ops. Staff Adj. No. 4489/44 top secret of the 21.9.44). *
6. C-in-C Southwest.
7. Plenipotentiary General of the German Armed Forces in
Italy.
8. C-in-C Southeast.
Ref: OKW/Ops. Staff of the Wehrmacht/Qu. 2 (Admin 1) No.
009169/44 top secret of the 30. 7.44.
Subject: Combatting of criminal acts by non-German civilians in the Occupied Territories.
According to the Fuehrer's order of the 30. 7.44 non-German civilians of the occupied territories who attack us in the rear in the decisive stage of our battle for existence deserve no consideration. This must be the guiding line for the interpretation and application of the Fuehrer's decree itself and of the Chief of the OKW's executive decree of the 18.8.44.
If handing over to the SD is impossible owing to the military situation and the state of communications other effective measures are to be taken ruthlessly and independently. There are naturally no objections to passing and executing death sentences by summary Court procedure under such circumstances.
(signed) Keitel
OKW/Ops. Staff of the Armed Forces/Qu.2/(Admin 1) No. 0011520/44 top secret
Distribution: (after despatch)
1. General Staff of the Army/Chief of the General Staff of the Army .....................
2. OKM/lst Naval Ops. Staff ................
3. OKL/OPs. Staff of the Luftwaffe ..........
4. Reich Fuehrer SS and chief of the German Police—Command Staff ....................
2nd copy 3rd copy 4th copy
5th copy
230
Instructions to military commanders that if civilians who attack German forces cannot be turned over to the SD, they should be dealt with by the military using "effective measures," including execution
Authors
Wilhelm Keitel (Field Marshal, Chief of the High Command of the Armed Forces)
Wilhelm Keitel
German field marshal
- Born: 1882-09-22 (Helmscherode) (country: German Empire; located in the administrative territorial entity: Duchy of Brunswick)
- Died: 1946-10-16 (Nuremberg) (country: Allied-occupied Germany)
- Country of citizenship: Germany
- Occupation: military officer; military personnel; politician
- Member of political party: Nazi Party
- Military rank: general field marshal
- Military branch: artillery
- VIAF ID: https://viaf.org/viaf/74027425
Date: 24 September 1944
Literal Title: Subject: Combatting of criminal acts by non-German civilians in the Occupied Territories.
Defendant: Wilhelm Keitel
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: D-770
HLSL Item No.: 452101
Notes:For the Hitler decree that is cited, see document D 762.