Extract from the Commissar's Order for "Operation Barbarossa," June 6, 1941
In this battle it would be mistaken to show mercy or respect for international law towards such elements. They constitute a danger to our own security and to the rapid pacification of the occupied territories.
Memo to German Soldiers about the treatment of Soviet prisoners of war. This document shows that the Nazis felt that they needed to explain the treatment of the Soviet prisoners of war to their own soldiers and so this memo addressed some of their ideology. The first numbered bullet point addresses the need to pacify occupied territories…the space issue. However, this memo could also lead student groups to conclude that the Nazis considered the Soviets anti-social as well, especially in the treatment of the prisoners.
