Commissar Order
Planning for Operation Barbarossa began in June 1940. Adolf Hitler started vague allusions to the operation during December 1940. He spoke to senior generals about how the war would be conducted. This gave him a chance to gauge their reaction to collaboration with the SS. The goal was the rendering harmless of Bolsheviks. Führer Directive 21 arrived on the 18th of December 1940. The Wehrmacht had already participated in extra-legal killings before this date. Ernst Röhm and his associates were killed in 1934. Communists in the Sudetenland faced violence in 1938. Political exiles in France were targeted in 1940. On the 3rd of March 1941, Hitler explained to military advisers how the war of annihilation in the East would proceed. Instructions went to Section L of the Oberkommando der Wehrmacht that same day. Walter Warlimont served as Deputy Chief at that section. These instructions discussed the interaction between the army and the SS. They derived from the need to neutralize leading Bolsheviks and commissars immediately.
The first draft of the Commissar Order appeared on the 6th of May 1941. General Eugen Müller issued it initially. It called for shooting all commissars without exception. The goal was to prevent any captured commissar from reaching a POW camp in Germany. German historian Hans-Adolf Jacobsen noted there was never doubt about the order flouting international law. Written copies of the Kommissarbefehl remained unusually few. A paragraph calling for commanders to prevent excesses existed in the early version. This paragraph was removed on request by the OKW. Walther von Brauchitsch served as German Army Commander-in-Chief during this period. He amended the order on the 24th of May 1941. He attached Müller's paragraph back into the document. He called on the army to maintain discipline while enforcing the order. The final draft arrived on the 6th of June 1941. Distribution went only to the most senior commanders. They were instructed to inform their subordinates verbally instead of writing it down.
Hitler knew this order violated international laws prohibiting extra-judicial executions. He personally absolved soldiers and officers who broke these rules beforehand. His legal argument claimed the Hague Conventions of 1899 did not apply. He also argued the 1907 conventions were invalid for the war. The Soviet Union had not signed them according to Nazi claims. The Soviet Union did not sign the Geneva Convention of 1929 either. Germany had signed that convention and was bound by Article 82. That article stated provisions remain in force between belligerents even if one side is not a party. Hitler dismissed courts-martial for felonies committed by German troops entirely. He emphasized the different nature of the war in the East compared to the West. This created a framework where soldiers could act without fear of prosecution under existing treaties.
The enforcement of the Commissar Order led to thousands of executions. German historian Jürgen Förster wrote about this in 1989. He stated it was simply not true that the order went unenforced. Most German Army commanders claimed otherwise in their memoirs. Some historians like Ernst Nolte still made similar claims decades later. The majority of German units carried out the Commissar Order regardless. Erich von Manstein passed the order to his subordinates. They executed all captured commissars under his command. A British court convicted him in 1949 for these actions. After the war, Manstein lied about disobeying the order. He said he opposed it and never enforced it. On the 23rd of September 1941, several Wehrmacht commanders asked for the order to be softened. They hoped this would encourage Red Army surrender. Hitler declined any modification of the existing orders regarding political commissars on that date.
When the Commissar Order became known among the Red Army, resistance grew stronger. This unwanted effect appeared repeatedly in German appeals to Hitler. Claus von Stauffenberg cited this problem during discussions. The order provoked a harder fight from Soviet forces instead of breaking them. Hitler finally cancelled the order after one year had passed. The cancellation happened on the 6th of May 1942. Strategic failures contributed to the decision to end the policy. The order was used as evidence at the Nuremberg trials afterward. It formed part of the broader issue of whether generals should follow illegal orders. The failure to achieve quick victory made the harsh tactics counterproductive for Nazi strategy.
The Commissar Order served as key evidence at the Nuremberg trials. Prosecutors used it to demonstrate systematic criminal intent within the military structure. The trial examined if German generals were obligated to follow Hitler's commands. Many officers faced legal consequences for their participation in these executions. Subsequent denial and myth-making emerged among former German generals. They claimed ignorance or refusal to enforce the order publicly. Historians like Jürgen Förster worked to correct these false narratives decades later. The order remains one of a series of criminal directives issued by Nazi leadership. Its legacy continues to shape understanding of Wehrmacht involvement in war crimes.
Continue Browsing
Common questions
When was the Commissar Order issued?
The first draft of the Commissar Order appeared on the 6th of May 1941. The final version arrived on the 6th of June 1941.
Who issued the Commissar Order and who enforced it?
General Eugen Müller initially issued the order while Walther von Brauchitsch amended it on the 24th of May 1941. Erich von Manstein passed the order to his subordinates who executed all captured commissars under his command.
Why did Hitler cancel the Commissar Order?
Hitler cancelled the order after one year had passed because strategic failures made the harsh tactics counterproductive for Nazi strategy. The cancellation happened on the 6th of May 1942 following repeated appeals from German commanders about resistance growing stronger among Soviet forces.
What legal arguments did Adolf Hitler use regarding the Commissar Order?
Adolf Hitler claimed the Hague Conventions of 1899 and the 1907 conventions were invalid for the war since the Soviet Union had not signed them. He argued that Germany was bound by Article 82 of the Geneva Convention of 1929 but dismissed courts-martial for felonies committed by German troops entirely.
How did the Commissar Order affect Red Army resistance?
When the Commissar Order became known among the Red Army, resistance grew stronger instead of breaking Soviet forces. Claus von Stauffenberg cited this problem during discussions with Hitler as an unwanted effect appearing repeatedly in German appeals.