NOKW 891: Orders from Bader and Bochme for execution of hostages. Letter of Bader to 704th Inf. Div. (Tatigkeitsbericht 704 I.D. Abt Ia, Anlagebuch VI) Activity Report, 704th I.D.

Authors

• International Military Tribunal

Document Type

Court Document

Publication Date

2-20-1947

Keywords

Reprisal policy, Hostage executions, Collective punishment, Counterinsurgency

Abstract

NOKW: 891 ((Nuremberg High Command)

Title: "Orders from Bader and Bochme for execution of hostages. Letter of Bader to 704th Inf. Div. (Tatigkeitsbericht 704 I.D. Abt Ia, Anlagebuch VI) Activity Report, 704th I.D. See Ia, Exhibits Volume VI 9 pp. Photostat"

Original date: October-November 1941

This document, NOKW-891, is a U.S. war crimes evidence analysis compiled in 1947 that examines German military orders and reports from 1941 during the occupation of Serbia. It includes directives issued by high-ranking officials such as Wilhelm List, Franz Böhme, and Paul Bader, as well as field reports from the 704th Infantry Division. The document outlines a systematic policy of reprisal in response to resistance activity, most notably the execution of hostages based on fixed ratios—100 civilians for every German soldier killed and 50 for every wounded. It also details the targeting of specific groups, including Communists, Jews, and suspected insurgents, who were arrested in large numbers and held as hostages. Additional orders emphasize harsh counterinsurgency measures, such as banning negotiations with resistance fighters, conducting summary executions, burning villages, and preventing memorialization of victims.

Recommended Citation

International Military Tribunal. "NOKW 891: Orders from Bader and Bochme for execution of hostages. Letter of Bader to 704th Inf. Div. (Tatigkeitsbericht 704 I.D. Abt Ia, Anlagebuch VI) Activity Report, 704th I.D." (1947). Nuremberg Transcripts. 131.
https://commons.und.edu/nuremburg-transcripts/131