7 May 1945

7 May 1945 General surrender order sent to the Channel Islands

Teleprinter message / radio message from Grand Admiral Dönitz, 7 May 1945

Copy

The Grand Admiral

Armed Forces High Command / Armed Forces Operations Staff

No. 89003/45, Secret Command Matter, Commanders Only

7 May 1945. Twelve copies. First copy.

For commanders only. To be conveyed only by an officer.

FRR teleprinter message / radio message

To:

1) Naval High Command / Naval Staff, Admiral Meisel, by courier

2) Luftwaffe High Command, for Major General Christian, by courier

3) Commander-in-Chief, Army Group Courland, General of Infantry Hilpert

4) Commander-in-Chief, Army High Command East Prussia, General of Panzer Troops von Saucken

5) Commander-in-Chief South, Field Marshal Kesselring

6) Commander-in-Chief, Army Group Centre, Field Marshal Schörner

7) Commander-in-Chief, Army Group Southeast, Colonel General Löhr

8) Commander-in-Chief, Army Group Ostmark, Colonel General Rendulic

9) Commander-in-Chief, 20th Mountain Army, General of Mountain Troops Böhme

10) Commander, Aegean, Major General Wagner

11) Commander, Crete, Major General Benthak

12) All western fortresses and the Channel Islands

13) For information: Command Group B, General of Mountain Troops Winter

14) For information: Commander-in-Chief Northwest, Field Marshal Busch

1) At 0241 hours on 7 May 1945, the Armed Forces High Command signed the general surrender of all armed forces on land, at sea and in the air to the Supreme Command of the Allied Expeditionary Forces and simultaneously to the Soviet High Command. This was unavoidable in order to prevent the complete destruction of certain sectors of the front, which was to be expected shortly, and thereby to save as many people as possible for Germany.

2) Accordingly, all active combat operations are to cease at 0000 hours German summer time on 9 May 1945. All Army, Navy and Luftwaffe establishments, together with the troops of all branches of the armed forces and of the Waffen-SS, are to remain in the positions occupied at that time. With immediate effect, no vessel or aircraft is to be scuttled or destroyed, and no hull, machinery or equipment is to be damaged in any way.

All further orders issued by the Supreme Command of the Allied Expeditionary Forces and by the Soviet High Command after 0000 hours on 9 May 1945 [corrected by hand; original wording: “0100 hours”] are to be carried out. Otherwise, the Supreme Command of the Allied Expeditionary Forces and the Soviet High Command will impose punitive measures or take other steps beyond the terms of surrender.

Additional instruction for Army Group Courland and Army High Command East Prussia:

Every opportunity available until 0100 hours on 9 May 1945 for evacuation by sea is to be exploited with the utmost exertion of all forces. All ships must have sailed by that time.

Signed Dönitz

OKW/WFSt No. 89003/45, Secret Command Matter, Commanders Only

Certified correct

Signed Brudermüller

Lieutenant Colonel, General Staff

Translator’s note: The edition records a further teleprinter message to the same recipients, signed by Colonel General Jodl: the time 0100 hours on 9 May was to be changed to 0000 hours in both places in paragraph 2 and in the additional instruction for Courland and East Prussia. The translation preserves the time shown in the additional instruction and records its correction here. The source lists fourteen recipients despite its heading “Twelve copies”. “FRR” is retained as printed.

German Naval Staff diary. BArch RM 7/854. Published Part A, volume 68. PDF pages 465, 466; printed page 455-A to 456-A. Audited translation reference 50.