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Translation of document 3702-PS
STATEMENT Ultimate authority and responsibility for military affairs in Germany was vested in the Head of State who prior to 2 August 1934 was Field Marshal von Hindenburg and thereafter until 1945 was Adolf Hitler. Specialized military matters were the responsibility of the three branches of the Armed Forces subordinate to the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces (at the same time Head of State), that is to say the Army, the Navy, and the Air Force. In practice, supervision within this field was exercised by a relatively small group of high-ranking officers. These officers exercised such supervision in their official capacity and by virtue of their training, their positions, and their mutual contacts. Plans for military operations of the German Armed Forces were prepared by members of this group according to the instructions of the OKW in the name of their respective Commanding Officers and were presented by them to the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces (at the same time Head of State). The members of this group were charged with the responsibility of preparing for military operations within their competent fields and they actually did prepare for any such operations as were to be undertaken by troops in the field. Prior to any operation, members of this group were assembled and given appropriate directions by the Head of State. Examples of such meetings are the speech by Hitler to the Commander-in-Chief on 22 August 1939 prior to the Polish campaign and the consultation at the Reich Chancellery on 14 June 1941 prior to the first Russian campaign. The composition of this group and the relationship of its members to each other were as shown in the attached chart. This was in effect the General Staff and High Command of the German Armed Forces. [signed] HALDER [Page 412] CHART [Initialed] H. +---------------------+ | SUPREME COMMANDER OF| | THE ARMED FORCES | | ------------------- | | Hitler | +----------+----------+ | +-----------+------------+-------------+ +-------------------------+ | | CHIEF OF THE HIGH COMMAND| | ARMED FORCES | +----------+---------+ | OF THE ARMED FORCES | | OPERATIONS STAFF | | COMMANDER IN CHIEF | | ------------------------ +--+ ------------------------| | OF THE ARMY | | Keitel | | Chief: Jodl | | ------------------ | +------------+-------------+ | Deputy Chief: Warlimont | | von Brauchitsch | +----------------+-------------------------+ | (later Hitler) | +------------+-------------+ +----------+---------+ | COMMANDER IN CHIEF OF | +-------------------------+ | | THE NAVY | | COMMANDER IN CHIEF OF | +----------+---------+ | ----------------------- | | THE AIR FORCE AND REICHS- | CHIEF OF THE GEN- | | Raeder | | MINISTER OF AIR | | ERAL STAFF OF THE | | (later Doenitz) | | ----------------------- | | ARMY | +------------+-------------+ | Goering | | ------------------ | | | (later von Greim) | | Beck (later Halder,| +------------+-------------+ +------------+------------+ | Zeitzler, Guderian,| | CHIEF OF NAVAL WAR STAFF | | | Krebs) | | ------------------------ | +------------+------------+ +----------+---------+ | Schniewindt | | CHIEF OF THE GENERAL | | | (later Fricke, Meisel) | | STAFF OF THE AIR FORCE | +----------+---------+ +------------+-------------+ | ----------------------- | | COMMANDER IN CHIEF | | | Jeschonnek | | OF ARMY GROUPS | +------------+-------------+ | (later Korten, Kreipe, | | ------------------ | | COMMANDER IN CHIEF IN THE| | Keller) | | COMMANDERS IN CHIEF| | NAVY | +-------------------------+ | OF ARMIES | +--------------------------+ +--------------------+ +-------------------------+ | COMMANDER IN CHIEF OF | | AIR FORCES | +-------------------------+ [Page 413] CITY OF NURNBERG: SS Before me, Walter H. Rapp, Captain, Cavalry, ASN 0-454231, an officer duly qualified to take oaths, appeared Colonel General Franz Halder, to me known, who in my presence signed the foregoing “Erklaerung” (statement) consisting of two pages in the German language with amendments initialed by him and an attached chart initialed by him, and swore that the same, including the attached chart, was true on the 7th. day of November 1945. [Signed] Walter H. Rapp WALTER H. RAPP Captain, CAV. 0-454231