Order for U-boat operations, instructing them not to assist survivors of ships they have sunk ("We must be harsh in this war.")

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Karl Doenitz (admiral; submarine commander (1939-430; naval commander (1943-45))

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Karl Doenitz

German admiral, supreme commander of the Navy, head of state and convicted war criminal (1891-1980)

El Gran Almirante Karl Dönitz siempre defendió la utilización del submarino como la arma más práctica en la guerra naval
  • Born: 1891-09-16 (Grünau) (country: German Empire; located in the administrative territorial entity: Kingdom of Prussia)
  • Died: 1980-12-22 1980-12-24 (Aumühle) (country: West Germany; located in the administrative territorial entity: Schleswig-Holstein)
  • Country of citizenship: Germany
  • Occupation: autobiographer; military officer; politician; soldier (period: 1910-01-01 through 1918-01-01, 1920-01-01 through 1945-01-01)
  • Member of political party: Nazi Party
  • Participant in: Nuremberg trials (charge: war crime, war of aggression; defender: Otto Kranzbühler; role: defendant)
  • Military rank: Admiral (period: 1942-03-14 through 1943-01-30); Commodore (period: 1939-01-28 through 1939-10-01); Fregattenkapitän (period: 1933-10-01 through 1935-10-01); Fähnrich zur See (period: 1911-04-15 through 1913-09-27)
  • Military branch: German Navy; Imperial German Navy (since: 1910-04-01); Kriegsmarine (since: 1935-06-01)

Date: 1940

Literal Title: Extract from Befehlshaber der U-Boote's Secret Standing Order No. 154, Signed Do[e]nitz

Defendant: Karl Doenitz

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-642

Citations: IMT (page 2663), IMT (page 9376)

HLSL Item No.: 452883

Notes:According to statements in the transcript (and the Blue Set, vol. 35, p. 254), the order was issued during or prior to May 1940.

Trial Issue

Naval warfare, crimes during (IMT)

[EXTRACT FROM BEFEHLSHABER DER U-BOOTE'S (B. d. U.-Commander of the U-Boats)
SECRET STANDING ORDER NO. 154, SIGNED DOENITZ.]
Para. e). Do not pick up survivors and take them with you. Do not worry about the merchant-ship's boats. Weather conditions and distance from land play no part. Have a care only for your own ship and strive only to attain your next success as soon as possible! We must be harsh in this war. The enemy began the war in order to destroy us, so nothing else matters.