Selected Documents on Operation Barbarossa
Barbarossa Decree of 13 May 1941
Decree on the jurisdiction
of martial law and on special measures of the troops
The exercise of martial law serves primarily to maintain military
discipline.
The wide extent of operational space in the East, the form of combat that this
offers, and the peculiarity of the enemy, present tasks to the courts
martial...that, with their limited personnel, they can only solve, if military
law restricts itself for the time being to its central task.
That is only possible if the troops themselves defend themselves against
every threat from the enemy civilian population without mercy....
I
Treatment of criminal acts by enemy civilians
1. Criminal acts of enemy civilians are withdrawn until further notice
from the jurisdiction of courts-martial and summary courts.
2. Guerrillas are to be dispatched without mercy by the troops either
in combat or while trying to escape.
3. Furthermore, all other attacks by enemy civilians against the Wehrmacht, its members and retinue are to be repelled
on the spot by the most extreme measures up to the destruction of the attacker.
4. Where measures of this kind were missed or were initially not possible, the
suspicious elements are to be immediately brought before an officer. He will
decide whether they are to be shot.
Collective drastic action will be taken immediately against communities
from which treacherous or insidious attacks against the Wehrmacht
are launched, on the orders of an officer with at least the rank of battalion
commander upwards, if the circumstances do not permit a speedy apprehension of
individual culprits.
5. It is expressly forbidden to detain suspected culprits, in
order to hand them over to the courts when jurisdiction over native inhabitants
is restored to these.
II.
Treatment of criminal acts by members of the Wehrmacht
or its retinue against native civilians
1. For acts which members of the Wehrmacht or
its retinue commit against enemy civilians, there is no compulsion to
prosecute, even when the act represents at the same time a military crime
or offense.
2. In judging such deeds it is to be considered in any proceedings
that the collapse in the year 1918, the later period of
suffering of the German people, and the battle against National Socialism with
the movement’s countless sacrifices of blood are incontestably to be
attributed to Bolshevik influence, and that no German has forgotten that.
3. The chairman of the court must therefore examine whether a disciplinary
reprimand is appropriate or whether it is necessary to institute judicial
proceedings. The chairman only orders court-martial proceedings for
acts against native inhabitants, when the maintenance of discipline or the
protection of the troops demands it. That applies, for example, in the case
of serious acts that result from the loss of sexual restraint, are derived from
a criminal disposition, or are a sign that the troops are threatening to run
wild. Criminal acts, by which lodgings or supplies or other plunder are
senselessly destroyed to the detriment of our own troops, are not on the whole
to be judged more leniently.
© Translation G.Giles
The Commissar
Order of
Guidelines for the
Treatment of Political Commissars
In the battle against Bolshevism, the adherence of the enemy to the
principles of humanity or international law is not to be counted on. In
particular the treatment of those of us who are taken prisoner in a manner full
of hatred, cruelty and inhumanity can be expected from the political
commissars of every kind as the real pillars of opposition.
The troops must be aware that:
1. In this battle mercy or considerations of
international law with regard to these elements is false. They are a danger to
our own safety and to the rapid pacification of the conquered territories.
2. The originators of barbaric, Asiatic methods of warfare are the political
commissars. So immediate and unhesitatingly severe
measures must be undertaken against them.
They are therefore, when captured either in battle or offering resistance, as a
matter of routine to be dispatched by firearms.
The following provisions also apply:
2. ...Political commissars as agents of the enemy troops are
recognizable from their special badge—a red star with a golden woven hammer and
sickle on the sleeves.... They are to be separated from the prisoners of war immediately,
i.e. already on the battlefield. This is necessary, in order to remove from
them any possibility of influencing the captured soldiers.
These commissars are not to be recognized as soldiers; the protection due to
prisoners of war under international law does not apply to them. When they have
been separated, they are to be finished off.
3. Political commissars who have not made themselves guilty of any enemy
action nor are suspected of such should be left unmolested for the time
being. It will only be possible after further penetration of the country to
decide whether remaining functionaries may be left in place or are to be handed
over to the Sonderkommandos. The aim should be for
the latter to carry out the assessment.
In judging the question "guilty or not guilty", the personal
impression of the attitude and bearing of the commissar should as a matter of
principle count for more than the facts of the case which it may not be
possible to prove.
© Translation Geoffrey J.Giles
Field Marshal von Reichenau’s Instructions to the Wehrmacht
Translation of Document No.
NOKW-309 Continued Copy AOK 6
Sect. Ia-File
No. 7
Army H.Qu.,
Subject: Conduct of Troops in Eastern Territories.
Regarding the conduct of troops towards the bolshevistic
system, vague ideas are still prevalent in many cases. The most essential aim
of war against the Jewish-bolshevistic system is a
complete destruction of their means of power and the elimination of Asiatic
influence from the European culture. In this connection the troops are facing
tasks which exceed the one-sided routine of soldiering. The soldier in the
Eastern territories is not merely a fighter according to the rules of the art
of war but also a bearer of ruthless national ideology and the avenger of
bestialities which have been inflicted upon German and racially related
nations.
Therefore the soldier must have full understanding for the necessity
of a severe but just revenge on subhuman Jewry. The Army has to aim at another
purpose, i.e. the annihilation of revolts in hinterland, which, as experience
proves, have always been caused by Jews.
The combating of the enemy behind the front line is still not being
taken seriously enough. Treacherous, cruel partisans and degenerate women are
still being made prisoners-of-war and guerilla fighters dressed partly in
uniform or plain clothes and vagabonds are still being treated as proper
soldiers, and sent to prisoner-of-war camps. In fact, captured Russian officers
talk even mockingly about Soviet agents moving openly about the roads and very
often eating at German field kitchens. Such an attitude of the troops can only
be explained by complete thoughtlessness, so it is now high time for the
commanders to clarify the meaning of the pressing struggle.
The feeding of the natives and of prisoners-of-war who are not working
for the Armed forces from Army kitchens is an equally misunderstood
humanitarian act as is the giving of cigarettes and bread. Things which the
people at home can spare under great sacrifices and things which are being bought
by the command to the front under great difficulties,
should not be given to the enemy by the soldier even if they originate from
booty. It is an important part of our supply.
When retreating the Soviets have often set
buildings on fire. The troops should be interested in extinguishing of fires
only as far as it is necessary to secure sufficient numbers of billets.
Otherwise the disappearance of symbols of the former bolshevistic
rule even in the form of buildings is part of the struggle of destruction.
Neither historic nor artistic considerations are of any importance in the
Eastern territories. The command issues the necessary directives for the
securing of raw material and plants, essential for war economy. The complete
disarming of the civilian population in the rear of the fighting troops is
imperative considering the long vulnerable lines of communications. Where
possible, captured weapons and ammunition should be stored and guarded. Should
this be impossible because of the situation of the battle, the weapons and
ammunition will be rendered useless. If isolated partisans are found using
firearms in the rear of the army drastic measures are to be taken. These
measures will be extended to that part of the male population who were in a
position to hinder or report the attacks. The indifference of numerous
apparently anti-Soviet elements which originates from a "wait and
see" attitude, must give way to a clear decision for active collaboration.
If not, no one can complain about being judged and treated a member of the
Soviet system.
The fear of German counter-measures must be stronger than threats of
the wandering bolshevistic remnants. Regardless of
all future political considerations the soldier has to fulfill two tasks:
1.) Complete annihilation of the false Bolshevist doctrine of the
2.) The pitiless extermination of foreign treachery and cruelty and
thus the protection of the lives of military personnel in
This is the only way to fulfill our historic task to liberate the
German people once and for all from the Asiatic-Jewish danger.
Commander-in-Chief
(signed) von Reichenau
Field Marshal