In the secret Battle order of the day of 19 April 1945, Doenitz gives an example of the type of under-officer who should be promoted:
“An example: In a prison camp of the auxiliary cruiser ‘Cormorau’, in Austria, a petty officer acting as camp senior officer, had all communists who made themselves noticeable among the inmates of the camp systematically done away with in such a way that the guards did not notice. This petty officer is sure of my full recognition for his decision and his execution. After his return, I shall promote him with all means, as he has shown that he is fitted to be a leader.” (D-650)
E. CONCLUSION.
Doenitz was no plain sailor, playing the part of a service officer, loyally obedient to the orders of the government of the day. He was an extreme Nazi who did his utmost to indoctrinate the Navy and the German people with the Nazi creed. It is no coincidence that it was he—not Goering, not Ribbentrop, not Goebbels, not Himmler—who was chosen to succeed Hitler. He played a large part in fashioning the U-boat fleet, one of the most deadly weapons of aggressive war. He helped to plan and execute aggressive wars, which he knew well were in deliberate violation of treaties. He was ready to stoop to any ruse where he thought he would not be found out: breaches of the Geneva Convention or of neutrality, where it might be asserted that sinking was due to a mine. He was ready to order, and did order, the murder of helpless survivors of sunken ships, an action only paralleled by that of his Japanese ally.
There can be few countries which do not mourn for men of the merchant navies whose destruction was due to the callow brutality with which, at the orders of this man, the German U-boats did their work.
LEGAL REFERENCES AND LIST OF DOCUMENTS RELATING TO KARL DOENITZ
| Document | Description | Vol. | Page |
| Charter of the International Military Tribunal, Article 6. | I | 5 | |
| International Military Tribunal, Indictment Number 1, Section IV (H); Appendix A. | I | 29, 67 | |
| ———— | |||
| Note: A single asterisk (*) before a document indicates that the document was received in evidence at the Nurnberg trial. A double asterisk (**) before a document number indicates that the document was referred to during the trial but was not formally received in evidence, for the reason given in parentheses following the description of the document. The USA series number, given in parentheses following the description of the document, is the official exhibit number assigned by the court. | |||
| ———— | |||
| *382-PS | Affidavit of Korvettenkapitaen Moehle, England, 19 July 1945, concerning the interpretation of Doenitz’s order of September 1942. (GB 202) | III | 290 |
| *498-PS | Top Secret Fuehrer Order for killing of commandos, 18 October 1942. (USA 501) | III | 416 |
| 503-PS | Letter signed by Jodl, 19 October 1942, concerning Hitler’s explanation of his commando order of the day before (Document 498-PS). (USA 542) | III | 426 |
| *526-PS | Top secret notice, 10 May 1943, concerning saboteurs captured and shot in Norway. (USA 502) | III | 434 |
| *1463-PS | Diary of the Navy, 1944, by Admiral Doenitz. (GB 184) | IV | 45 |
| *2098-PS | Decree relating to Status of Supreme Commanders of Army and Navy, 25 February 1938. 1938 Reichsgesetzblatt, Part I, p. 215. (GB 206) | IV | 725 |
| *2878-PS | Extracts from The Archive. (GB 187) | V | 540 |
| *2887-PS | Certificate of positions held by Doenitz, 8 November 1945. (USA 12) | V | 552 |
| 2988-PS | Affidavit of Gerhard Wagner, Nurnberg, 19 November 1945, who identified document C-158 as expressing opinion of Doenitz and initialled by him. | V | 693 |
| 3150-PS | Interrogation of Doenitz, 3 November 1945. | V | 911 |
| 3151-PS | Interrogation of Falkenhorst, 24 October 1945. | V | 912 |
| *3260-PS | “Churchill Sank the Athenia”, published in Voelkischer Beobachter, 23 October 1939. (GB 218) | V | 1008 |
| *C-5 | Memorandum to Supreme Command of the Navy by Doenitz, 9 October 1939, concerning base in Norway. (GB 83) | VI | 815 |
| *C-21 | Extracts from file on Intensification of U-boat warfare. (GB 194) | VI | 825 |
| *C-105 | Extract from German Naval War Diary, 21 December 1940, p. 252. (GB 455) | VI | 913 |
| C-118 | Extract from German Naval file, 18 July 1941, concerning authorization of attacks on U. S. Merchantmen. (GB 195) | VI | 916 |
| *C-120 | Directives for Armed Forces 1939-40 for “Fall Weiss”, operation against Poland. (GB 41) | VI | 916 |
| *C-122 | Extract from Naval War Diary. Questionnaire on Norway bases, 3 October 1939. (GB 82) | VI | 928 |
| *C-126 | Preliminary Time Table for “Fall Weiss” and directions for secret mobilization. (GB 45) | VI | 932 |
| *C-151 | Details for execution of operation “Weseruebung”, 3 March 1940, signed by Doenitz. (GB 91) | VI | 965 |
| *C-158 | Minutes of conference of C-in-C of Navy with Hitler, 19 and 20 February 1945. (GB 209) | VI | 971 |
| *C-171 | Minutes of conference between Hitler and C-in-C of Navy regarding Copenhagen General Strike, 1 July 1944. (GB 210) | VI | 1002 |
| *C-172 | Order No. 1 for “Fall Weiss” signed by Doenitz. (GB 189) | VI | 1002 |
| *C-178 | Order of Navy concerning treatment of saboteurs, 11 February 1943. (USA 544) | VI | 1012 |
| *C-179 | Hitler’s second decree, 18 October 1942, regarding annihilation of terror and sabotage units. (USA 543) | VI | 1014 |
| *C-191 | Demands by defendant Doenitz on sinking of merchant ships, 22 September 1939. (GB 193) | VI | 1018 |
| *C-195 | Report signed by Doenitz, 1944, giving support to Navy and Merchant Marine. (GB 211) | VI | 1022 |
| D-423 | Memorandum of conversation between Hitler and Oshima, 3 January 1942. (GB 197) | VII | 53 |
| *D-436 | Citation on promotion of Doenitz to Vice Admiral, published in The Archive, 27 September 1940. p. 550. (GB 183) | VII | 54 |
| *D-443 | Speech by Doenitz to Naval officers at Weimar, 17 December 1943. (GB 185) | VII | 54 |
| *D-444 | Order of day and speech of Doenitz on death of Hitler, 1 May 1945. (GB 188) | VII | 55 |
| *D-446 | Extract from B.d.U. War Diary, 16 September 1942. (GB 198) | VII | 57 |
| *D-566 | Affidavit by Peter-Joseph Heisig, 27 November 1945. (GB 201) | VII | 72 |
| *D-630 | Extracts from B.d.U. War Diary and Order to all U-boat commanders; telegram from Schacht and in reply to Schacht. (GB 199) | VII | 100 |
| *D-638 | Affidavit of Doenitz concerning sinking of Athenia, 17 November 1945. (GB 220) | VII | 114 |
| *D-640 | Speech by C-in-C of Navy to Commanders in Chief, 15 February 1944. (GB 186) | VII | 116 |
| *D-641-A | Extracts from official reports concerning German attacks on merchant shipping, 3 September 1939 to September 1940. (GB 191) | VII | 116 |
| *D-641-B | Extracts from official reports concerning German attacks on merchant shipping, 1 September 1940 to 28 February 1941. (GB 191) | VII | 120 |
| *D-641-C | Sinkings by U-boats during the war, 1939-1945. (GB 191) | VII | 124 |
| *D-642 | Extract from Befehlshaber der U-bootes; Secret Standing Order No. 154 signed by Doenitz. (GB 196) | VII | 124 |
| D-644 | Report of sinking of “Sheaf Mead”. (GB 192) | VII | 124 |
| *D-645 | Report on sinking of “Noreen Mary”; affidavit by survivor. (GB 203) | VII | 128 |
| *D-646-A | Wireless talk by German naval reporter concerning Windjammer sunk by U-boat. (GB 205) | VII | 133 |
| D-646-B | Extract from War Diary of U-105, 12 January 1943. | VII | 133 |
| *D-647 | Statement on sinking of SS “Antonico”, which was torpedoed, set afire and sunk, 28 September 1942. (GB 204) | VII | 134 |
| *D-648 | List of Hitler-Doenitz meetings. (GB 207) | VII | 136 |
| *D-649 | Affidavit by Judge Advocate, 28 December 1945. (GB 208) | VII | 145 |
| *D-650 | Orders issued by Doenitz, 11 April 1945. (GB 212) | VII | 148 |
| *D-663 | Operation Order “Atlantic” No. 56 for U-boats in Atlantic, 7 October 1943. (GB 200) | VII | 170 |
| Statement I | The Laconia Case and German Submarine Warfare, by Karl Doenitz, Nurnberg, 7 and 19 October 1945. | VIII | 657 |
| Statement IX | My Relationship to Adolf Hitler and to the Party, by Erich Raeder, Moscow, fall 1945. | VIII | 707 |