World War II: Adolf Hitler Military Directives and Naval Conferences - Download

World War II: Adolf  Hitler Military Directives and Naval Conferences

1,541 pages of U.S. Army Intelligence translations of top-level directives issued by Adolf Hitler and by the German Armed Forces High Command (0KW) from 1939 through 1945, conferences between Hitler and the Commander in Chief of the German Navy, and Battle Instructions for the German Navy.

As the war progressed Hitler took more and more direct command over activities in the field. The directives of the later years of the war clearly reflect the change in the character of German warfare from large scale planned offensives to piece meal defensive operations.


Adolf Hitler and other Top-Level Directives of the German Armed Forces

U.S. Army Intelligence translations of  top-level directives issued by Adolf Hitler and by the German Armed Forces High Command.

An example of key a directive is the December 20, 1940 Top Secret Directive 21 titled "Operation Barbarossa," signed by Adolph Hitler. Operation Barbarossa was the code name for the German invasion of the Soviet Union, which started on Sunday, 22 June 1941.  The first sentence in the directive reads, "The German Armed Forces must be ready to crush Soviet Russia in a rapid campaign, even before the termination of the war with Britain (operation 'Barbarossa')." The directive goes on to give general plans for the German army, air force and navy, and speculation about which nations would support Germany and what their roles would be in the invasion.


Some of the directive titles include:

Operation "Weiss"

Operation "Gelb"

Air Attacks Without Warning

Operation "Seeloewe"

Operation "Felix"

Cooperation with Japan

Operation "Barbarossa"

Future of Leningrad

Deception of the Enemy Operations

Operation "Barbarossa"

Operations in the Black Sea

Operations against Unoccupied France and the Iberian Peninsula

Strengthening of Defense Measures in the West

Operations in the Crimea

Reinforcement of the African Panzer Army

Hitler Assumes Command of Army

Operation "Atilla"

Operations in Italy

Operations in Southern Russia

Warfare against England

Battle for Rome

Order to Destroy U.S. 5th Army

Operations by Naval Forces in Case of an Enemy Landing

Bombardment of England

Preparations for the Defense of the Reich

Participation of Civilian Authorities in Repelling Enemy Attacks

Preparations for Gas Warfare

V-1 and V-2 Operations

Evacuation of Personnel West of the Rhine

Measures for Destruction Within the Reich

Doenitz Appointed Successor of Hitler

Hamburg Not to be Defended

Unconditional Surrender

Capitulation to Eisenhower

Terms or Capitulation



Hitler Conferences on Matters Dealing with the German Navy

Office of Naval Intelligence translations of documents concerning important conferences between Hitler and the Commander in Chief, Navy occurring from 1939 to 1945, for which records were recovered. For the most part the documents translated were notes taken for the Commander in Chief, Navy during his conferences with Hitler. After these notes were subsequently typed, they were signed by the Commander in Chief, Navy.

These translations provide material for the study of naval problems experienced by the German navy. The material shows that the German Navy did not think it would be prepared for a wide war until 1944 or 45. The notes clearly shows Germany’s vain hope that Britain and France might drop out of the war after the defeat of Poland.

For this reason, at the outset, restrictions were placed on submarine warfare, particularly with reference to French ships, in spite of the fact that German naval men believed that unrestricted submarine warfare was Germany's only chance of bringing the war to a successful conclusion.


Battle Instructions for the German Navy

Office of Naval Intelligence translations of a 1939 German Navy document titled, "Battle Instructions for the Navy." The purpose of this staff study according to the report was to, "serve as a general basis and to provide for uniform guidance of the operational and organizational ground-work of the Commanding officers, in preparation for the event of war. These instructions specify the tasks which may be probably expected during the opening phase of a war, and give directions for the employment of the means for waging war, and for the conduct of naval warfare in the various sea and ocean areas within the limits of present potentialities. With the commencement of hostilities, they go into effect in every case without special orders being issued."