Paul M. Krueger

Adolf Hitler issues his “Nero Decree” ordering all industries, military installations, shops, transportation facilities, and communications facilities in Germany to be destroyed.

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ㅤIn March 1945, with Allied forces advancing deep into Germany, Adolf Hitler issued the “Nero Decree,” officially titled “Decree Concerning Demolitions in the Reich Territory.” This order mandated the destruction of all German infrastructure to prevent its use by the Allies. Hitler, refusing to accept unconditional surrender and believing the German people had failed him, sought to enact a scorched-earth policy reminiscent of the apocryphal story of Emperor Nero’s burning of Rome. This wasn’t Hitler’s first attempt at such a strategy; he had previously ordered similar demolitions in Paris and the Netherlands, orders that were largely disobeyed or mitigated by local commanders.

Full text of the Nero Decree, English translation by German History in Documents and Images (GHDI):

RE: Destruction Measures within Reich Territory

Our nation’s struggle for existence forces us to utilize all means, even within Reich territory, to weaken the fighting power of our enemy and to prevent further advances. Any opportunity to inflict lasting damage on the striking power of the enemy must be taken advantage of. It is a mistake to believe that undestroyed or only temporarily paralyzed traffic, communications, industrial, and supply installations will be useful to us again after the recapture of lost territories. During his retreat, the enemy will leave behind only scorched earth and will abandon all concern for the population.

I therefore command –

1. All military traffic, communications, industrial and supply installations as well as objects within Reich territory that might be used by the enemy in the continuation of his fight, either now or later, are to be destroyed.
2. It is the responsibility of the military command posts to execute this order to destroy all military objects, including traffic and communications installations.
   The Gauleiters and Commissioners for Reich Defense are responsible for destroying the industrial and supply installations, as well as of other objects of valuable; the troops must give the Gauleiters and Commissioners for Reich Defense the assistance they need to carry out this task.
3. This command is to be transmitted to all troop commanders as promptly as possible; orders to the contrary are null and void.

Adolf Hitler

ㅤDespite Hitler’s directive, the Nero Decree was effectively sabotaged by Albert Speer, his Minister of Armaments and War Production. Speer, appalled by the order, deliberately undermined it by acquiring exclusive implementation power and then persuading generals and Gauleiters to disregard it. While Speer later claimed he confessed his disobedience to Hitler in their final meeting, some historians dispute this account. Regardless, Hitler remained unaware of the decree’s non-execution until the war’s end. Following Hitler’s suicide and Germany’s surrender, Speer was arrested, highlighting the decree’s ultimate futility.