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

IMT

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Authors

Karl Doenitz (admiral; submarine commander (1939-43; 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

Exhibit Code: Prosecution 196

Document Book No: Prosecution 9 (Doenitz)

Citations: IMT (page 2663), IMT (page 9376), IMT (page 9247)

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. A 3-page version of D 642 was included in Doentiz's defense document book 1.

Trial Issue

Naval warfare, crimes during, and background of (IMT)

Document Summary

Blue Series Subject Index

D-642: NAVAL WARFARE, SUBMARINE -- of survivors, Doenitz oral evidence / NAVAL WARFARE, SUBMARINE -- measures, "Laconia" case, their consequences, Doenitz Defense plea -- Standing Orders of the U-boat command -- No. 154 / COUNT III, WAR CRIMES -- Naval warfare: German conduct, Pros, final statement -- Nonrescue orders [Judgment -- Judgment