Instructions to military commanders, to treat acts of resistance in occupied territories as organized Communist operations, and to react with "the strongest means," including reprisal executions at 50 or 100 for each German casualty, and the death penalty for acts of espionage, sabotage, and attempts to join enemy forces

Directives 287 Fuehrer's Headquarters 16 September 41
The Chief of the Supreme Command of the Armed Forces
Armed Forces Command Staff/Dept L(N/Qu)
No. 002060/41 Top Secret
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[handwritten] 40 Copies 25th copy
Subject: Communist insurrections in the Occupied Areas -
1. Since the beginning of the campaign against Soviet Russia, communist insurrections have broken out in all the areas occupied by Germany. The forms of procedure are increasing from propaganda measures and assaults on individual members of the Armed Forces to open rebellion and widespread guerilla warfare.
It can be ascertained that we are dealing with a mass movement, uniformly controlled by Moscow, which is also responsible for the seemingly unimportant sporadic incidents, in otherwise quiet areas.
In view of the considerable political and economic tensions in the occupied areas, it also has to be taken into account that nationalistic and other circles take advantage of this opportunity to cause difficulties for the German occupation forces, by joining the communist uprising.
In this way, an increasing danger to the German conduct of the war is developing, which appears at first in the form of general insecurity for the occupation force, and has already led to a shift of forces toward the main centers of unrest.
2. The measures taken so far, to meet the general communistic mutiny-movement, have proved to be insufficient.
The Fuehrer has given orders now to strike everywhere with the strongest means, in order to suppress the movement in shortest time.
Only with this method, which in the history of power-extension of great nations has always been used with success, will it be possible to restore peace.
3. The following rules will apply:
(a) Every case of rebellion against the German occupation forces, regardless of circumstances, must be concluded to be of communistic origin.
(b) In order to suppress those machinations from the begin-
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ning, right on the first occasion, the strongest means have to be employed to ensure the authority of the occupation forces and to prevent further spreading. Here also has to be considered that a human life, in those countries affected, often doesn't mean anything, and a deterrent effect can only be achieved by extraordinary strength. As atonement for the life of one German soldier a death-penalty for 50-100 communists must be generally considered as proper. The manner of execution of the death penalty must be such so that it will have a deterrent effect. The reverse method, to proceed first with relatively mild punishment and threaten with stronger measures, is in this case not warranted, and will therefore not be applied. .
(c) The political relations between Germany and the country concerned are not decisive for the attitude of the military occupational government. Rather it has to be thought about and presented through propaganda, that strict measures free the native population from those communistic criminals, and therefore they will profit by them.
A clever campaign of propaganda of this sort will not have as a result unforeseen reactions on the liberal [gutgesinnt] portions of the populace due to the harsh measures employed against thé communists.
(d) Forces indigenous to the areas will in general be opposed to the execution of such violent measures. Their augmentation brings as a consequence increased danger for the various troops with them, and consequently must be discontinued.
On the contrary, by the utilization of a system of premiums and rewards for the populace, their assistance can be secured in a suitable form. '
(e) In so far as exceptional court-martial procedures should have to be introduced in connection with the communist insurrection or with other offenses against the German Occupational Force, the severest penalties are requested.
A practicable means of intimidation in this matter can be only the death penalty. In particular acts of espionage, sabotage, and attempts to join the forces of hostile powers must of necessity be punishable by death. For illegal possession of weapons the death penalty in general is to be decreed.
4. The Commanders in the Occupied Territories are to be responsible for the immediate dissemination of these policies to all military units concerned with the treatment of communistic acts of rebellion.
[Signed:] KEITEL.
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Distribution:
Armed forces commander southeast through communication section 1st copy
Military commander Serbia 2d copy
Military commander Salonika-Aegean 3d copy
Military commander southern Greece 4th copy
Military commandant Crete 5th copy
Armed forces commander Norway 6th copy
Armed forces commander Netherlands 7th copy
Armed forces commander Ostland 8th copy
Armed forces commander Ukraine 9th copy
Armed forces deputy with the Reichs protector in Bohemia and Moravia 10th copy
Army High Command (Operations division) 11th copy;
(Quartermaster Section IV) 12th copy General quartermaster through Communications section for .13th copy
Military commander France 14th copy
Military commander Belgium and Northern France 15th copy
Military commander General Government 16th copy
Chief of Armament and commander of Reserve Army
over LII
through communications section for Commander of German Forces in Denmark Chief of the Luftwaffe (Gen Staff of the Air)
Supreme command of the Navy (SKI)
(Seekommando 1)
Armed forces staff K. Wiesbaden Foreign office for Mr. BOTSCH. RITTER Special purpose staff Frankfort on the Oder Special purpose staff Breslau Supreme Command of the Armed Forces:
Armed forces command staff Section L W. Pr
Foreign office/intelligence Section foreign countries Intelligence III Economical mobilization office A W A W R
Liaison officer with the general government in Cracow 40th copy
17th copy 18th copy 19th copy
20th copy 21st' copy 22d copy 23d copy 24th copy [stamped: 291] 25th copy 26th to 32d copies 33d copy 34th copy 35th copy 36th copy 37th copy 38th copy 39th copy
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