Adolf Hitler's directives
Adolf Hitler's directives encompassed the authoritative orders, strategic instructions, and policy mandates issued by Hitler as Führer und Reichskanzler of Nazi Germany from 1933 until his death in 1945, functioning as the de facto law of the state under the Führerprinzip, which vested absolute decision-making power in his person alone and rendered subordinate institutions mere executors of his will.[1] These directives bypassed parliamentary or judicial oversight following the 1933 Enabling Act, allowing Hitler to dictate governance through verbal commands, written memoranda, or formal erlasse that held binding force across military, administrative, and party apparatuses.[2] The directives' scope included military operational plans, such as the numbered Führer Directives that outlined invasions of Poland, France, and the Soviet Union, prioritizing rapid conquest and total war mobilization while often overriding professional military advice with ideological imperatives.[3] Domestically, they enforced economic autarky, rearmament, and suppression of dissent via orders to the Gestapo and SS, consolidating totalitarian control.[2] In racial and ideological domains, directives authorized euthanasia programs for the disabled, the Commissar Order mandating execution of Soviet political officers, and broader annihilation policies targeting Jews, Slavs, and other groups deemed threats to Aryan supremacy, causal chains linking these commands to systematic mass murder exceeding ten million victims.[4] Notable for their improvisational and often contradictory nature—stemming from Hitler's intuitive decision-making rather than systematic planning—the directives fueled both early Nazi successes, like the Blitzkrieg victories, and catastrophic failures, including resource misallocation on the Eastern Front and refusal of retreats, contributing decisively to Germany's defeat.[1] Controversies surrounding their implementation persist in historiography, with debates over the extent of Hitler's direct culpability versus subordinates' initiative under "working towards the Führer," though primary evidence from Nuremberg trials affirms the directives' role as originating genocidal and aggressive intents.[5][2]Overview and Conceptual Framework
Definition and Legal Status
![Nuremberg Document PS-630: Hitler's directive dated 1 September 1939]float-right Adolf Hitler's directives, known as Führerweisungen or Führer Directives, constituted formal orders issued by Hitler in his capacities as Führer of the Nazi Party, head of state, and Supreme Commander of the Wehrmacht, primarily delineating strategic military objectives, operational guidelines, and policy imperatives for the armed forces and government apparatus.[6] These directives emerged systematically from late 1938 onward, with the initial documented military directive dated 21 October 1938, instructing preparations for potential contingencies including border security and intervention in Czechoslovakia. Unlike routine commands from the Oberkommando der Wehrmacht (OKW), Hitler's directives personally overrode conventional military hierarchies, reflecting his centralized control over wartime decision-making.[3] Under the Führerprinzip—the Nazi leadership principle mandating absolute hierarchical obedience and personal responsibility upward to the leader—these directives possessed supreme legal authority, superseding existing statutes, regulations, and even OKW operational plans.[7] Enacted through the Enabling Act of 24 March 1933 and reinforced by the consolidation of power following the 1934 Night of the Long Knives and Hindenburg's death, this principle positioned Hitler's verbal or written pronouncements as the ultimate source of law, binding all subordinates to unconditional execution without recourse to debate or legal review.[8] Military personnel and officials faced severe repercussions, including execution for the 20 July 1944 plotters, for non-compliance, underscoring the directives' enforceability through the regime's terror apparatus.[9] The directives' legal precedence extended beyond the military to administrative and ideological domains, as evidenced by authorizations like the 1939 decree initiating Aktion T4 euthanasia, which bypassed parliamentary processes entirely.[10] Post-war Nuremberg trials classified many such orders as criminal under international law, yet within the Nazi state, their status derived solely from Hitler's unchallenged sovereignty, unmediated by constitutional constraints or judicial oversight.[11] This absolutist framework facilitated rapid policy shifts but contributed to strategic inflexibility, as subordinates anticipated and preemptively aligned actions with perceived Führer intent to avoid culpability.[8]Issuance Process and Command Implications
Adolf Hitler's directives, known as Führerbefehle or Führer directives, were formal instructions and strategic plans issued personally by Hitler as Supreme Commander of the Armed Forces, often through the Oberkommando der Wehrmacht (OKW) established on February 4, 1938.[12] These directives were prepared at Hitler's headquarters, which included mobile trains, Berlin offices, or forward locations like Rastenburg, involving consultations with key staff such as Alfred Jodl, Walter Warlimont, and Wilhelm Keitel during daily situation conferences around noon.[12][1] Instructions were typically stated verbally during these briefings, then transcribed into written form, numbered sequentially (e.g., Directive No. 1 on September 1, 1939), dated, and marked "Top Secret" with limited distribution of 5 to 70 copies depending on sensitivity.[12][1][6] Signed by Hitler or Keitel on his behalf, they incorporated operational details, deadlines, code names for secrecy, and requirements for subordinate commanders to submit plans.[12] Dissemination targeted the high commands of the Army, Navy, and Luftwaffe, regional field commanders (e.g., Field Marshals von Rundstedt or List), and occasionally allies like Italy or Hungary, ensuring coordination while superseding prior orders or government laws.[12][6] Directives could be issued orally or in writing at various levels, but formal Führer directives were binding without question, demanding literal adherence and overriding traditional military protocols. The first war directive was issued on August 31, 1939, initiating preparations for the invasion of Poland, with subsequent ones covering broad strategic shifts.[12] In terms of command implications, these directives centralized absolute authority under Hitler, bypassing the autonomy of the General Staff and enforcing personal loyalty oaths through the OKW, which diminished intermediate decision-making and fostered direct intervention in operations.[12] Commanders received plenary powers over assigned forces and areas but operated under rigid constraints, with deviations, retreats, or resistance punishable by execution or suppression, as emphasized in later directives like No. 25 of April 15, 1945.[12] This structure promoted efficiency in loyal execution but induced strategic rigidity, encouraged competitive rivalries among subordinates, and overrode professional military advice, such as disputes with Army Commander-in-Chief Walther von Brauchitsch over priorities like Moscow, contributing to inflexibility in adapting to battlefield realities.[12][1] After the July 20, 1944, assassination attempt, Party influence intensified, with figures like Heinrich Himmler assuming roles, further eroding conventional command hierarchies.[12]Pre-War Directives
Directive of 21 October 1938
The Directive of 21 October 1938, issued by Adolf Hitler as Führer and Supreme Commander of the Armed Forces, instructed the Wehrmacht to prepare for multiple strategic contingencies following the Munich Agreement's annexation of the Sudetenland on 1 October 1938. Marked "Top Secret" and limited to eight copies for officers only, the order—countersigned by Wilhelm Keitel, Chief of the OKW—outlined future tasks amid ongoing border adjustments and potential escalations in Central Europe. It emphasized rapid military readiness without specifying timelines, stating that detailed war conduct preparations would follow in a subsequent directive.[13][14] The directive prioritized three main eventualities: (1) securing Germany's expanded frontiers against surprise air attacks or incursions, requiring deployment of anti-aircraft units and frontier guards; (2) the "liquidation of the remainder of Czechoslovakia," mandating that forces be positioned to "smash at any time" the residual Czech state if its policy turned hostile; and (3) occupying the Memelland (Klaipėda Region) from Lithuania. For the Czech scenario, Hitler directed the Army to ready occupation forces, the Luftwaffe to secure air superiority over Bohemia and Moravia, and the Navy to support Baltic operations if needed, all while maintaining secrecy to avoid diplomatic repercussions. These instructions reflected Hitler's intent to dismantle the post-Munich Czechoslovak state, exploiting internal divisions like Slovak separatism and Hungarian irredentism.[13][14][15] Implementation began covertly: by November 1938, Keitel appended detailed plans (C-137), including troop movements and economic exploitation of Czech industries like Škoda Works for German rearmament. The directive's foresight enabled the swift occupation of Prague on 15 March 1939, with minimal resistance, as Czech President Emil Hácha yielded under threat of bombardment—fulfilling the "liquidation" goal without full-scale war. This preemptive planning underscored the directive's role in Hitler's stepwise expansionism, bypassing Versailles constraints and testing Allied responses post-Munich. Nuremberg prosecutors cited it (as USA-104/C-136) as evidence of premeditated aggression, highlighting how it bridged "peaceful" annexations to overt conquest.[14][16][13]Aktion T4 Euthanasia Authorization
In October 1939, Adolf Hitler signed a secret memorandum authorizing the involuntary euthanasia of patients judged medically incurable, backdated to 1 September 1939 to align with the start of World War II and shield participants from legal scrutiny under existing German penal code provisions against murder.[17] The directive, presented as Nuremberg Document PS-630 during the post-war trials, explicitly tasked Reichsleiter Philipp Bouhler, head of the Führer Chancellery, and Hitler's personal physician Karl Brandt with expanding the remit of designated doctors to administer "mercy death" (Gnadentod) following a critical assessment of patients' conditions, thereby circumventing the absence of parliamentary legislation.[4] This authorization stemmed from Hitler's verbal instructions to Brandt, prompted by a July 1939 petition from the parents of a severely deformed infant, Gerhard Kretschmar, seeking permission for his killing, which Hitler approved as a precedent for broader application.[18] The decree established a bureaucratic framework under the Führer Chancellery rather than public health authorities, ensuring operational secrecy and direct accountability to Hitler, with selections initially focused on children via the Reich Committee for the Registration of Serious Hereditary and Congenital Defects, established in July 1939.[17] Physicians evaluated cases through standardized questionnaires assessing criteria like mental incapacity or physical deformities, granting "incurable" status to approximately 5,000-6,000 children by mid-1941, who were then transferred to clinics for lethal overdose or starvation.[18] For adults, the program expanded post-authorization to target institutionalized patients with schizophrenia, epilepsy, or senility, utilizing gas chambers in facilities like Hartheim Castle, where over 70,000 were killed by 1941 using carbon monoxide derived from bottled gas.[17] Implemented as Aktion T4—named after the Berlin address Tiergartenstrasse 4 of its coordinating office—the directive facilitated the regime's eugenic goals of racial hygiene by eliminating "life unworthy of life" (Lebensunwertes Leben), a concept propagated in Nazi ideology since the 1920s but operationalized here without public debate or consent mechanisms.[17] Despite its clandestine nature, public awareness grew through church protests, notably Bishop Clemens von Galen's August 1941 sermon denouncing the killings, leading Hitler to officially halt centralized gassings on 24 August 1941, though decentralized murders continued, totaling around 200,000-300,000 victims by war's end.[19] The program's techniques, including deception of families via falsified death certificates citing causes like pneumonia, and the use of mobile killing units, later informed extermination methods in death camps.[17]Fall Weiss Directive for Poland
The Fall Weiss directive constituted Adolf Hitler's order to the German Armed Forces (Wehrmacht) for operational preparations against Poland, codenamed "Case White" (Fall Weiss). Issued on 11 April 1939 and signed by Chief of the High Command of the Armed Forces Wilhelm Keitel on Hitler's behalf, it built on preliminary instructions dated 3 April 1939 and formalized the intent to eliminate Poland as a military factor through armed conflict if necessary.[20][21] The directive specified that all measures—military, economic, and political—must enable the operation to begin at any time from 1 September 1939 onward, aligning with Hitler's strategic timeline to exploit perceived vulnerabilities in Polish defenses and international alliances.[22] Central to the directive was the objective of destroying Polish military power decisively, particularly to secure German interests in Danzig (Gdańsk) and the Polish Corridor, framed internally as a preemptive strike against Polish aggression. Hitler personally appended instructions emphasizing rapid execution to prevent Polish mobilization or external intervention, stating: "Preparations must be made in such a way that the operation can be carried out at any time from 1 September 1939 onwards."[22] It directed the Army (Heer) to concentrate forces for a multi-pronged offensive, the Navy (Kriegsmarine) to conduct mining and blockade operations in the Baltic Sea, and the Luftwaffe to achieve air superiority through preemptive strikes on Polish airfields. Economic warfare provisions included directives for resource seizure and disruption of Polish supply lines to ensure German self-sufficiency during the campaign.[21] The planning process under Fall Weiss involved reissuing the Armed Forces' uniform war preparation guidelines for 1939–1940, with specific annexes on frontier defense and Danzig annexation without formal declaration of war. Hitler instructed avoidance of broader entanglement with Britain and France initially, anticipating their hesitation due to prior appeasement policies, though he anticipated potential escalation. By mid-June 1939, the Oberkommando der Wehrmacht (OKW) had finalized detailed operational orders, committing approximately 54 divisions, over 2,000 tanks, and 1,900 aircraft to the assault that ultimately launched on 1 September 1939.[20][23] This directive marked a pivotal shift from diplomatic maneuvering—such as the 1934 German-Polish Non-Aggression Pact—to overt aggression, reflecting Hitler's long-term expansionist aims in the East as outlined in Mein Kampf.[24]Early World War II Directives (1939–1941)
Directive No. 1: Conduct of the War
Directive No. 1 for the Conduct of the War was issued by Adolf Hitler on 1 September 1939, coinciding with the German invasion of Poland that marked the onset of World War II in Europe.[11] This order formalized the shift from diplomatic efforts to military resolution of the German-Polish border dispute, declaring that all peaceful avenues had been exhausted and authorizing offensive operations under the codename Fall Weiss.[25] The directive emphasized rapid, decisive action to achieve a swift victory, underscoring Hitler's strategic preference for localized conflict in the east while avoiding immediate escalation in the west.[11] The document assigned specific tasks to the Wehrmacht branches to ensure coordinated execution. The Army was directed to launch the main attack into Polish territory per prior operational plans, aiming to encircle and destroy enemy forces through concentrated breakthroughs.[25] The Luftwaffe was tasked with neutralizing Polish air forces on the ground where possible, providing close support to ground troops, and conducting strategic bombing against key infrastructure and troop concentrations to disrupt Polish mobilization.[11] Naval operations were limited to defensive measures, securing the eastern Baltic Sea approaches and German North Sea coasts against Polish submarine and surface threats, with provisions for commerce raiding only if opportunities arose without risking major units prematurely.[25] Inter-service cooperation was mandated as a core principle, requiring commanders to prioritize joint operations over independent actions to maximize the impact of combined arms tactics.[11] On the western front, strict restraint was imposed: no German forces were to cross the frontier or initiate hostilities unless provoked by enemy aggression, reflecting Hitler's calculation that Britain and France would hesitate to intervene decisively despite their guarantees to Poland.[25] The directive concluded with Hitler's intent to prosecute the campaign aggressively, exploiting surprise and mobility to deliver a knockout blow before potential Allied intervention could materialize.[11] This order set the operational tone for the early war, prioritizing blitzkrieg principles of speed and concentration over prolonged attrition.[25] It bypassed formal declarations of war, aligning with Hitler's pre-invasion instructions to present the action as a response to Polish provocations, though border incidents like the Gleiwitz false flag had already been staged to justify the assault.[11] The directive's execution led to the rapid collapse of Polish defenses within weeks, despite eventual Anglo-French declarations of war on 3 September, validating the short-war assumption embedded in its framework.[25]Directives for Western Campaigns (Nos. 6–12)
Directive No. 6, issued on 9 October 1939, initiated comprehensive preparations for a major offensive in Western Europe following the conclusion of the Polish campaign. It directed the Wehrmacht High Command (OKW) to develop plans for rapid advances into the Netherlands, Belgium, and Luxembourg to secure air bases for the Luftwaffe and establish jumping-off points for further operations against France, emphasizing the need to defeat Anglo-French forces decisively on land while avoiding prolonged engagements.[26] [27]| Directive No. | Date | Key Provisions |
|---|---|---|
| 6 | 9 October 1939 | Ordered Army Group B to probe and occupy Dutch and Belgian territory for Luftwaffe bases; main Army Group A thrust through southern Belgium to bypass Maginot Line; Luftwaffe to support ground advances and target enemy air forces; Navy to mine and disrupt British sea lanes.[26] [27] |
| 7 | 18 October 1939 | Refined No. 6 by mandating intensified defensive measures along the Westwall (Siegfried Line) alongside offensive planning; required reconnaissance and logistical buildup for a surprise winter attack if feasible, with emphasis on armored concentrations and air superiority.[26] |
| 8 | 20 November 1939 | Expanded preparations amid bad weather delays, calling for troop training in winter conditions, fortification of assembly areas, and contingency plans for multiple attack variants; prohibited premature disclosures and stressed inter-service coordination for a breakthrough to the English Channel.[26] [28] |