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The Fuhrer
Headquarters
November 3, 1943
Directive No. 51:
The hard and costly struggle against Bolshevism during the last two and
a half years, which has involved the bulk of our military strength in
the East, has demanded extreme exertions. The greatness of the danger
and the general situation demanded it. But the situation has since
changed. The danger in the East remains, but a greater danger now
appears in the West; an Anglo-Saxon landing! In the East, the vast
extent of the territory makes it possible for us to lose ground, even
on a large scale, without a fatal blow being dealt to the nervous
system of Germany.
It is very different in the West! Should the enemy succeed in breaching
our defences on a wide front here, the immediate consequences would be
unpredictable. Everything indicates that the enemy will launch an
offensive against the Western front of Europe, at the latest in the
spring, perhaps even earlier.
I can therefore no longer take responsibility for further weakening the
West, in favour of other theatres of war. I have therefore decided to
reinforce its defences, particularly those places from which the
long-range bombardment of England will begin. For it is here that the
enemy must and will attack, and it is here -- unless all indications
are misleading -- that the decisive battle against the landing forces
will be fought.
Holding and diversionary attacks are to be expected on other fronts. A
large-scale attack on Denmark is also not out of the question. From a
naval point of view such an attack would be more difficult to deliver,
nor could it be as effectively supported by air, but if successful, its
political and operational repercussions would be very great.
At the beginning of the battle the whole offensive strength of the
enemy is bound to be thrown against our forces holding the coast-line.
Only by intensive construction, which means straining our available
manpower and materials at home and in the occupied territories to the
limit, can we strengthen our coastal defences in the short time which
probably remains.
The ground weapons which will shortly reach Denmark and the occupied
areas in the West (heavy anti-tank guns, immobile tanks to be sunk in
emplacements, coastal artillery, artillery against landing troops,
mines, etc.) will be concentrated at strong-points in the most
threatened areas on the coast. Because of this we must face the fact
that the defences of less threatened sectors cannot be improved in the
near future.
Should the enemy, by assembling all his forces, succeed in landing, he
must be met with a counterattack delivered with all our weight. The
problem will be by the rapid concentration of adequate forces and
material, and by intensive training, to form the large units available
to us into an offensive reserve of high fighting quality, attacking
power, and mobility, whose counterattack will prevent the enemy from
exploiting the landing, and throw him back into the sea.
Moreover, careful and detailed emergency plans must he drawn up so that
everything we have in Germany, and in the coastal areas which have not
been attacked, and which is in any way capable of action, is hurled
immediately against the invading enemy.
The Luftwaffe and Navy must go into action against the heavy attacks
which we must expect by air and sea with all the forces at their
disposal, regardless of the losses.
I therefore order as follows:
A. Army
1. The Chief of the Army General Staff and the Inspector General of
Panzer Troops will submit to me without delay a plan for the
distribution, within the next three months, of weapons, tanks,
self-propelled guns, motor vehicles, and ammunition on the Western
front and in Denmark, in accordance with the requirements of the new
situation.
The plan will rest on the following basic principles:
(a) All Panzer and Panzer Grenadier divisions in the West will be
assured of adequate mobility, and each will be equipped with 93 Mark IV
tanks or self-propelled guns, and with strong anti-tank weapons by the
end of December 1943.
The 20th Luftwaffe Field Division will be converted into an effective
mobile offensive formation by the allocation of self-propelled
artillery before the end of 1943.
SS Panzer Grenadier Division "HJ" [Hitler Youth], 21st Panzer Division,
and the infantry and reserve divisions stationed in Jutland will be
brought up to full armed strength with speed.
(b) There will be a further reinforcement with Mk. IV self-propelled
guns and heavy anti-tank guns of Panzer divisions in reserve in the
West and in Denmark, and of the self-propelled artillery training unit
in Denmark.
(c) A monthly allocation of a hundred heavy anti-tank guns Mks. 40 and
43 (of which half will be mobile), for the months of November and
December, in addition to the heavy anti-tank guns, will be made to the
newly raised formations in the West.
(d) An increased allocation of weapons (including about 1,000 machine
guns) will be made to improve the equipment of ground forces engaged in
coastal defense in the West and in Denmark, and to coordinate the
equipment of units which are to be withdrawn from sectors not under
attack.
(e) A liberal supply of short-range anti-tank weapons will be granted
to formations stationed in threatened areas.
(f) The firepower in artillery and anti-tank guns of formations
stationed in Denmark, and on the coasts of occupied territories in the
West, will be increased, and Army artillery will be strengthened.
2. No units or formations stationed in the West and in Denmark, nor any
of the newly raised self-propelled armoured artillery or anti-tank
units in the West, will be withdrawn to other fronts without my
approval.
The Chief of the Army General Staff and the Inspector General of Panzer
Troops will report to me, through the High Command of the Armed Forces
(Operations Staff), when the equipment of armoured units,
self-propelled artillery units, and light anti-tank units and companies
is complete.
3. Commander-in-Chief West will decide which additional formations from
sectors of the front that have not been under attack can be moved up
and made capable of an offensive role, by a timetable of exercises in
the field and similar training measures. In this connection, I insist
that areas unlikely to be threatened should be ruthlessly stripped of
all except the smallest forces essential for guard duties. In areas
from which these reserves are drawn, units will be formed from security
and emergency forces for duties of surveillance and protection. Our
labour units employed on construction will open the lines of
communication which will probably be destroyed by the enemy, employing
for this the help of the local population on an extensive scale.
4. The Commander of German troops in Denmark will adopt the measures
outlined in paragraph 3 for the area under his command.
5. The Chief of Army Equipment and Commander of the Replacement Army
will raise battle groups of regimental strength in the Home Defence
area from training depots, troops under instruction, army schools,
training battalions and recuperative establishments. These will form
security and engineer-construction battalions, and will be ready, on
receipt of special orders, to move within forty-eight hours of being
called up.
In addition, all further personnel available will be incorporated in
infantry units and equipped with such weapons as are available, so that
they may immediately replace the heavy casualties to be expected.
B. Luftwaffe
In view of the new situation, the offensive and defensive power of
formations of the Luftwaffe stationed in the West and in Denmark will
be increased. Plans will be drawn up to ensure that all forces
available and suitable for defensive operations will be taken from
flying units and mobile anti-aircraft artillery units engaged in Home
defence, from schools and training units in the Home Defence area, and
will be employed in the West, and if necessary in Denmark.
Ground establishments in Southern Norway, Denmark, Northwestern
Germany, and the West will be organised and supplied so that, by the
largest possible degree of decentralisation, our own units are not
exposed to enemy bombing at the beginning of large-scale operations,
and the weight of the enemy attack will be effectively broken up. This
applies particularly to our fighter forces, whose ability to go into
action must be increased by the establishment of a number of emergency
airfields. Particular attention will be paid to good camouflage. In
this connection also I expect all possible forces to be made available
for action regardless of the circumstances, by stripping less
threatened areas of their troops.
C. Navy
The Navy will draw up plans for bringing into action naval forces
capable of attacking the enemy landing fleet with all their strength.
Coastal defences under construction will be completed with all possible
speed, and the establishment of additional coastal batteries and the
laying of further obstacles on the flanks will be considered.
Preparations will be made for the employment of all ranks capable of
fighting, from schools, training establishments, and other land
establishments, so that they may be deployed with the least possible
delay, if only on security duties, in the battle area where enemy
landings have taken place.
In the naval plans for strengthening defences in the West, special
attention will be given to defence against the enemy landing in Norway
or Denmark. In this connection, I attach particular importance to plans
for using large numbers of submarines in the northern sea areas. A
temporary diminution of submarine forces in the Atlantic must be
accepted.
D. SS
The ReichsFuehrer SS will test the preparedness of units of the Waffen
SS and Police for operational, security, and guard duties. Preparations
will be made to raise battle-trained formations for operational and
security duties from training, reserve and recuperative establishments,
and from schools and other units in the Home Defence Area.
E. Commanders-in-Chief of the branches of the Armed Forces, the
ReichsFuehrer SS, the Chief of the Army General Staff,
Commander-in-Chief West, the Chief of Army Equipment and Commanding
General of Replacement Army, the Inspector-General of Panzer Troops,
and the Commander of German troops in Denmark will report to me by the
15th November the steps taken, and those which they propose to take.
I expect all staffs concerned to exert every effort during the time
which still remains in preparation for the expected decisive battle in
the West.
All those responsible will ensure that time and manpower are not wasted
in dealing with questions of jurisdiction, but that they are employed
in increasing our powers of defence and attack.
signed: ADOLF HITLER
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