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| caption = Jodl in 1940 |
| caption = Jodl in 1940 |
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| order = |
| order = |
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| office = Chief of the Operations Staff <br>of the |
| office = Chief of the Operations Staff <br>of the [[Oberkommando der Wehrmacht|''Wehrmacht'' High Command]] |
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| term_start = 1 September 1939 |
| term_start = 1 September 1939 |
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| term_end = 13 May 1945 |
| term_end = 13 May 1945 |
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| deputy = [[Walter Warlimont]] |
| deputy = [[Walter Warlimont]] |
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| order2 = |
| order2 = |
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| office2 = Chief of the |
| office2 = Chief of the [[Oberkommando der Wehrmacht|''Wehrmacht'' High Command]] |
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| term_start2 = 13 May 1945 |
| term_start2 = 13 May 1945 |
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| term_end2 = 23 May 1945 |
| term_end2 = 23 May 1945 |
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| nationality = |
| nationality = |
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| party = |
| party = |
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| spouse = {{marriage|Irma Gräfin von Bullion{{sfn|Tofahrn|2008|pp=129–130}}|1913|1944|end=d.}} |
| spouse = {{plainlist| |
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* {{marriage|Irma Gräfin von Bullion{{sfn|Tofahrn|2008|pp=129–130}}|1913|1944|end=d.}} |
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* {{marriage|Luise von Benda{{sfn|O'Keeffe|2013|p=172}}|1945}} |
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}} |
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| partner = <!--For those with a domestic partner and not married--> |
| partner = <!--For those with a domestic partner and not married--> |
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| relations = [[Ferdinand Jodl]] (brother) |
| relations = [[Ferdinand Jodl]] (brother) |
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| branch = {{army|German Empire}}<br />{{army|Weimar Republic}}<br />{{army|Nazi Germany}} |
| branch = {{army|German Empire}}<br />{{army|Weimar Republic}}<br />{{army|Nazi Germany}} |
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| serviceyears = 1910–1945 |
| serviceyears = 1910–1945 |
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| rank = |
| rank = ''[[Generaloberst]]'' |
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| unit = |
| unit = |
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| commands = |
| commands = |
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'''Alfred Josef Ferdinand Jodl''' ({{IPA-de|ˈjoːdl̩|lang|De-Alfred Josef Ferdinand Jodl.oga}}; 10 May 1890 – 16 October 1946) was a German ''[[Generaloberst]]'' who served as the Chief of the Operations Staff of the ''[[Oberkommando der Wehrmacht]]'' – the German Armed Forces High Command – throughout [[World War II]]. |
'''Alfred Josef Ferdinand Jodl''' ({{IPA-de|ˈjoːdl̩|lang|De-Alfred Josef Ferdinand Jodl.oga}}; 10 May 1890 – 16 October 1946) was a German ''[[Generaloberst]]'' who served as the Chief of the Operations Staff of the ''[[Oberkommando der Wehrmacht]]'' – the German Armed Forces High Command – throughout [[World War II]]. |
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After the war, Jodl was indicted on charges of conspiracy to commit [[Crime of aggression|crimes against peace]], planning, initiating and waging [[war of aggression|wars of aggression]], [[war crime]]s, and [[crimes against humanity]] at the Allied-organized [[Nuremberg trials]]. The principal charges against him related to his |
After the war, Jodl was indicted on charges of conspiracy to commit [[Crime of aggression|crimes against peace]], planning, initiating and waging [[war of aggression|wars of aggression]], [[war crime]]s, and [[crimes against humanity]] at the Allied-organized [[Nuremberg trials]]. The principal charges against him related to his signing of the criminal [[Commando Order|Commando]] and [[Commissar Order]]s. Found guilty on all charges, he was sentenced to death and [[Nuremberg executions|executed in Nuremberg]] in 1946. |
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==Early life and career== |
==Early life and career== |
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[[File:Bundesarchiv Bild 136-B3513, Süddeutschland, Manöver der 5. und 7. Division.jpg|thumb|left|Jodl (second from right) as a captain of the ''Reichswehr'', 1926]] |
[[File:Bundesarchiv Bild 136-B3513, Süddeutschland, Manöver der 5. und 7. Division.jpg|thumb|left|Jodl (second from right) as a captain of the ''Reichswehr'', 1926]] |
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Alfred Jodl was educated at a military cadet school in [[Munich]], from which he graduated in 1910. [[Ferdinand Jodl]], who |
Alfred Jodl was educated at a military cadet school in [[Munich]], from which he graduated in 1910. [[Ferdinand Jodl]], who also became an army general, was his younger brother. He was the nephew of philosopher and psychologist [[Friedrich Jodl]] at the [[University of Vienna]].{{sfn|Jodl|1946|p=663}} Jodl was raised Roman Catholic but rejected the faith later in life.<ref>Railton, Nicholas M. "Henry Gerecke and the Saints of Nuremberg." Kirchliche Zeitgeschichte, vol. 13, no. 1, 2000, pp. 112–137. {{JSTOR|43750887}}. Accessed 8 Feb. 2021.</ref> |
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From 1914 to 1916, he served with a battery unit{{explanation needed|date=June 2023}} on the [[Western Front (World War I)|Western Front]], being awarded the [[Iron Cross]] 2nd Class for gallantry in November 1914, and for being wounded in action. In 1917, he served briefly on the [[Eastern Front (World War I)|Eastern Front]] before returning to the West as a staff officer. In 1918, he was awarded the Iron Cross 1st Class for gallantry in action. After the defeat of the German Empire in 1918, he continued his career as a professional soldier with the much-reduced German Army (''[[Reichswehr]]'').{{sfn|Görlitz|1989|p=155}} Jodl married twice: in 1913 and (after becoming a widower) in 1944.{{sfn|Görlitz|1989|p=161}} |
From 1914 to 1916, he served with a battery unit{{explanation needed|date=June 2023}} on the [[Western Front (World War I)|Western Front]], being awarded the [[Iron Cross]] 2nd Class for gallantry in November 1914, and for being wounded in action. In 1917, he served briefly on the [[Eastern Front (World War I)|Eastern Front]] before returning to the West as a staff officer. In 1918, he was awarded the Iron Cross 1st Class for gallantry in action. After the defeat of the German Empire in 1918, he continued his career as a professional soldier with the much-reduced German Army (''[[Reichswehr]]'').{{sfn|Görlitz|1989|p=155}} Jodl married twice: in 1913 and (after becoming a widower) in 1944.{{sfn|Görlitz|1989|p=161}} |
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{{expand section|date=December 2020}} |
{{expand section|date=December 2020}} |
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[[File:Bundesarchiv Bild 183-R99057, "Wolfsschanze", Adolf Hitler mit Stab.jpg|thumb|left|(front row, from l. to r.) ''Reichspressechef'' [[Otto Dietrich]], [[Wilhelm Keitel]], Hitler, Jodl, and [[Martin Bormann]], at the [[Führer Headquarters]] of [[Felsennest]], June 1940]] |
[[File:Bundesarchiv Bild 183-R99057, "Wolfsschanze", Adolf Hitler mit Stab.jpg|thumb|left|(front row, from l. to r.) ''Reichspressechef'' [[Otto Dietrich]], [[Wilhelm Keitel]], Hitler, Jodl, and [[Martin Bormann]], at the [[Führer Headquarters]] of [[Felsennest]], June 1940]] |
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Jodl's appointment as a [[major]] in the operations branch of the ''[[Truppenamt]]'' ('Troop Office') in the Army High Command in the last years of the [[Weimar Republic]] put him under the command of General [[Ludwig Beck]].{{citation needed|date=June 2013}} In September 1939, Jodl first met [[Adolf Hitler]]. During the build-up to the Second World War, Jodl was nominally assigned as commander of the 44th Division from October 1938 to August 1939 after the ''[[Anschluss]]''. |
Jodl's appointment as a [[Major (rank)|major]] in the operations branch of the ''[[Truppenamt]]'' ('Troop Office') in the Army High Command in the last years of the [[Weimar Republic]] put him under the command of General [[Ludwig Beck]].{{citation needed|date=June 2013}} In September 1939, Jodl first met [[Adolf Hitler]]. During the build-up to the Second World War, Jodl was nominally assigned as commander of the [[44th Infantry Division (Wehrmacht)|44th Division]] from October 1938 to August 1939 after the ''[[Anschluss]]''. |
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He was chosen by Hitler to be Chief of the Operations Staff of the newly formed ''[[Oberkommando der Wehrmacht]]'' (OKW) on 23 August 1939, just prior to the German [[invasion of Poland]].{{sfn|Encyclopedia Britannica}} Jodl acted as chief of staff during the [[German invasion of Denmark (1940)|invasion of Denmark]] and [[Operation Weserübung|Norway]]. Following the [[Battle of France|Fall of France]], Jodl was optimistic of Germany's success over Britain, writing on 30 June 1940 that "The final German victory over England is now only a question of time."{{sfn|Shirer|1990|p=758}} |
He was chosen by Hitler to be Chief of the Operations Staff of the newly formed ''[[Oberkommando der Wehrmacht]]'' (OKW) on 23 August 1939, just prior to the German [[invasion of Poland]].{{sfn|Encyclopedia Britannica}} Jodl acted as chief of staff during the [[German invasion of Denmark (1940)|invasion of Denmark]] and [[Operation Weserübung|Norway]]. Following the [[Battle of France|Fall of France]], Jodl was optimistic of Germany's success over Britain, writing on 30 June 1940 that "The final German victory over England is now only a question of time."{{sfn|Shirer|1990|p=758}} |
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Jodl spent most of the war at the [[Wolf's Lair]], Hitler's forward command post in [[East Prussia]]. On 1 February 1944, he was promoted to the rank of ''[[Generaloberst]]'' (Colonel general). He was among those slightly injured during the [[20 July plot]] of 1944 against Hitler, during which he suffered a concussion.{{sfn|Spartacus Educational}}{{better source|date=December 2020}} |
Jodl spent most of the war at the [[Wolf's Lair]], Hitler's forward command post in [[East Prussia]]. On 1 February 1944, he was promoted to the rank of ''[[Generaloberst]]'' (Colonel general). He was among those slightly injured during the [[20 July plot]] of 1944 against Hitler, during which he suffered a concussion.{{sfn|Spartacus Educational}}{{better source|date=December 2020}} |
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On 6 May 1945, Jodl was awarded the [[Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross]] by [[Grand admiral |
On 6 May 1945, Jodl was awarded the [[Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross]] by [[Grand admiral]] [[Karl Dönitz]], who had succeeded Hitler on 30 April 1945 as head of Germany and its armed forces.{{sfn|Scherzer|2007|p=146}} |
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Following regional surrenders of German forces in Europe, Jodl was sent by Dönitz to respond to the demand for "immediate, simultaneous and [[unconditional surrender]] on all fronts."<ref>Kershaw, Ian (2012). ''The End; Germany 1944–45''. Penguin. p. 370</ref> Jodl signed the [[German Instrument of Surrender]] on 7 May 1945 in [[Reims]] on behalf of the OKW.{{sfn|Shepherd|2016|p=519}} The surrender to all the Allies was concluded on 8 May in Berlin. On 13 May, on the arrest of ''[[Generalfeldmarschall]]'' [[Wilhelm Keitel]], Jodl succeeded him as Chief of OKW.<ref>{{cite web | title = After the Battle: The Flensburg Government | publisher = Battle of Britain International Ltd.| date = 2005| url = https://www.39-45.org/files3945c/8843_Flensburg2.pdf | page= 11 | access-date = 2 May 2021}}</ref> |
Following regional surrenders of German forces in Europe, Jodl was sent by Dönitz to respond to the demand for "immediate, simultaneous and [[unconditional surrender]] on all fronts."<ref>Kershaw, Ian (2012). ''The End; Germany 1944–45''. Penguin. p. 370</ref> Jodl signed the [[German Instrument of Surrender]] on 7 May 1945 in [[Reims]] on behalf of the OKW.{{sfn|Shepherd|2016|p=519}} The surrender to all the Allies was concluded on 8 May in Berlin. On 13 May, on the arrest of ''[[Generalfeldmarschall]]'' [[Wilhelm Keitel]], Jodl succeeded him as Chief of OKW.<ref>{{cite web | title = After the Battle: The Flensburg Government | publisher = Battle of Britain International Ltd.| date = 2005| url = https://www.39-45.org/files3945c/8843_Flensburg2.pdf | page= 11 | access-date = 2 May 2021}}</ref> |
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==Trial and conviction== |
==Trial and conviction== |
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[[File:Germany Under Allied Occupation BU6701.jpg|thumb|Jodl being arrested by British troops on 23 May 1945, near [[Flensburg]]]] |
[[File:Germany Under Allied Occupation BU6701.jpg|thumb|upright|Jodl being arrested by British troops on 23 May 1945, near [[Flensburg]]]] |
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<!----[[File:Nazi Personalities BU6713.jpg|thumb|left|Members of the [[Flensburg Government]] after their arrest: [[Albert Speer]] (left), [[Karl Dönitz]] (center) and Alfred Jodl (right)]]---> |
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Jodl was arrested, along with the rest of the [[Flensburg Government]] of Dönitz, by British troops on 23 May 1945 and transferred to [[Camp Ashcan]] and later put before the International Military Tribunal at the [[Nuremberg trials]]. He was accused of [[conspiracy (crime)|conspiracy]] to commit [[crime against peace|crimes against peace]]; planning, initiating and waging [[war of aggression|wars of aggression]], [[war crime]]s and [[crimes against humanity]]. The principal charges against him related to his signature of the Commando Order and the Commissar Order, both of which ordered that certain classes of prisoners of war were to be summarily executed upon capture. When confronted with the 1941 mass shootings of [[German atrocities committed against Soviet prisoners of war|Soviet POWs]], Jodl claimed the only prisoners shot were "not those that could not, but those that did not want to walk".{{sfn|Crowe|2013|p=87}} |
Jodl was arrested, along with the rest of the [[Flensburg Government]] of Dönitz, by British troops on 23 May 1945 and transferred to [[Camp Ashcan]] and later put before the International Military Tribunal at the [[Nuremberg trials]]. He was accused of [[conspiracy (crime)|conspiracy]] to commit [[crime against peace|crimes against peace]]; planning, initiating and waging [[war of aggression|wars of aggression]], [[war crime]]s and [[crimes against humanity]]. The principal charges against him related to his signature of the Commando Order and the Commissar Order, both of which ordered that certain classes of prisoners of war were to be summarily executed upon capture. When confronted with the 1941 mass shootings of [[German atrocities committed against Soviet prisoners of war|Soviet POWs]], Jodl claimed the only prisoners shot were "not those that could not, but those that did not want to walk".{{sfn|Crowe|2013|p=87}} |
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Additional charges at his trial included unlawful deportation and abetting execution. Presented as evidence was his signature on an order that transferred Danish citizens, including Jews, to [[Nazi concentration camps]]. Although he denied his role in this activity of the regime, the court sustained his complicity based on the evidence it had examined, with the French judge, [[Henri Donnedieu de Vabres]], dissenting. |
Additional charges at his trial included unlawful deportation and abetting execution. Presented as evidence was his signature on an order that transferred Danish citizens, including Jews, to [[Nazi concentration camps]]. Although he denied his role in this activity of the regime, the court sustained his complicity based on the evidence it had examined, with the French judge, [[Henri Donnedieu de Vabres]], dissenting. |
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⚫ |
His wife Luise attached herself to her husband's |
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⚫ |
Jodl pleaded not guilty "before God, before history and my people". Found guilty on all four charges, he was hanged at Nuremberg Prison on 16 October 1946.{{sfn|UMKC}}{{better source|date=December 2020}} Jodl's last words were reportedly " |
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[[Image:Dead alfredjodl.jpg|thumb|Jodl's body after his execution, 16 October 1946]] |
[[Image:Dead alfredjodl.jpg|thumb|Jodl's body after his execution, 16 October 1946]] |
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⚫ | His wife Luise attached herself to her husband's defence team.{{sfn|tercer-reich.com|2011}}{{better source|date=December 2020}} Subsequently, interviewed by [[Gitta Sereny]], researching her biography of [[Albert Speer]], Luise alleged that in many instances the Allied prosecution made charges against Jodl based on documents that they refused to share with the defence. Jodl nevertheless proved that some of the charges made against him were untrue, such as the charge that he had helped Hitler gain control of Germany in 1933.{{sfn|Sereny|1995|p=578}} |
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⚫ | Jodl pleaded not guilty "before God, before history and my people". Found guilty on all four charges, he was hanged at Nuremberg Prison on 16 October 1946.{{sfn|UMKC}}{{better source|date=December 2020}} Jodl's last words were reportedly "I salute you, my eternal Germany" ({{lang|de|"Ich grüße Dich, mein ewiges Deutschland"|italics=unset}}).{{sfn|Maser|2005|pp=349–350}} |
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His remains, like those of the other nine executed men and [[Hermann Göring]] (who had |
His remains, like those of the other nine executed men and [[Hermann Göring]] (who had killed himself prior to his scheduled execution), were cremated at [[Ostfriedhof (Munich)|Ostfriedhof]] and the ashes were scattered in the [[Wenzbach]], a small tributary of the River [[Isar]]{{sfn|Darnstädt|2005|p=128}}{{sfn|Manvell|Fraenkel|2011|p=393}}{{sfn|Overy|2001|p=205}} to prevent the establishment of a permanent burial site which might be enshrined by [[Neo-Nazism|Neo-Nazis]]. A cross commemorating him was later added to the family grave on the [[Frauenchiemsee]] in Bavaria. In 2018, the local council ordered the cross to be removed;{{sfn|Passauer Neue Pressee|2018}} however, in March 2019, a Munich Court upheld Jodl's relatives' right to maintain the family grave, while noting the family's willingness to remove his name.{{sfn|Der Spiegel|2019}}{{sfn|Bayerische Staatkanzlei|2019|loc=§ 40}} |
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==Posthumous legal action== |
==Posthumous legal action== |
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* [[Iron Cross]] (1914) 2nd Class (20 November 1914) and 1st Class (3 May 1918){{sfn|Thomas|1997|p=328}} |
* [[Iron Cross]] (1914) 2nd Class (20 November 1914) and 1st Class (3 May 1918){{sfn|Thomas|1997|p=328}} |
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* [[Clasp to the Iron Cross]] (1939) 2nd Class (30 September 1939) and 1st Class (23 December 1939){{sfn|Thomas|1997|p=328}} |
* [[Clasp to the Iron Cross]] (1939) 2nd Class (30 September 1939) and 1st Class (23 December 1939){{sfn|Thomas|1997|p=328}} |
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* [[Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross |
* [[Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross]] on 6 May 1945 as ''[[Generaloberst]]'' and ''Chef des Wehrmachtführungsstabes im OKW''{{sfn|Scherzer|2007|p=146}} |
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** Knight's Cross on 6 May 1945 as ''[[Generaloberst]]'' and ''Chef des Wehrmachtführungsstabes im OKW''{{sfn|Scherzer|2007|p=146}} |
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** Oak leaves on 10 May 1945. The award was unlawfully presented on 10 May 1945.{{sfn|Scherzer|2007|p=146}} |
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==References== |
==References== |
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[[Category:German people convicted of the international crime of aggression]] |
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[[Category:Holocaust perpetrators]] |
[[Category:Holocaust perpetrators]] |
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[[Category:Military personnel from the Kingdom of Bavaria]] |
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[[Category:Military personnel from Würzburg]] |
[[Category:Military personnel from Würzburg]] |
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[[Category:People executed by the International Military Tribunal in Nuremberg]] |
[[Category:People executed by the International Military Tribunal in Nuremberg]] |
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[[Category:People executed for crimes against humanity]] |
[[Category:People executed for crimes against humanity]] |
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[[Category:People |
[[Category:People wounded in the 20 July plot]] |
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[[Category:Recipients of the clasp to the Iron Cross, 1st class]] |
[[Category:Recipients of the clasp to the Iron Cross, 1st class]] |
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[[Category:Recipients of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves]] |
[[Category:Recipients of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves]] |
Alfred Jodl
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![]()
Jodl in 1940
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Chief of the Operations Staff of the Wehrmacht High Command | |
In office 1 September 1939 – 13 May 1945 | |
Deputy | Walter Warlimont |
Chief of the Wehrmacht High Command | |
In office 13 May 1945 – 23 May 1945 | |
Preceded by | Wilhelm Keitel |
Succeeded by | Office abolished |
Personal details | |
Born | Alfred Josef Ferdinand Jodl (1890-05-10)10 May 1890 Würzburg, Bavaria, German Empire |
Died | 16 October 1946(1946-10-16) (aged 56) Nuremberg Prison, Nuremberg, Bavaria, Allied-occupied Germany |
Cause of death | Execution by hanging |
Spouses | Irma Gräfin von Bullion[1]
(m. 1913; died 1944)Luise von Benda[2]
(m. 1945) |
Relations | Ferdinand Jodl (brother) |
Signature | ![]() |
Military service | |
Allegiance | ![]() ![]() ![]() |
Branch/service | ![]() ![]() ![]() |
Years of service | 1910–1945 |
Rank | Generaloberst |
Battles/wars | World War I
World War II |
Awards | Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross |
Criminal conviction | |
Criminal status | Executed |
Conviction(s) | Conspiracy to commit crimes against peace Crimes of aggression War crimes Crimes against humanity |
Trial | Nuremberg trials |
Criminal penalty | Death |
|
Alfred Josef Ferdinand Jodl (German: [ˈjoːdl̩] ⓘ; 10 May 1890 – 16 October 1946) was a German Generaloberst who served as the Chief of the Operations Staff of the Oberkommando der Wehrmacht – the German Armed Forces High Command – throughout World War II.
After the war, Jodl was indicted on charges of conspiracy to commit crimes against peace, planning, initiating and waging wars of aggression, war crimes, and crimes against humanity at the Allied-organized Nuremberg trials. The principal charges against him related to his signing of the criminal Commando and Commissar Orders. Found guilty on all charges, he was sentenced to death and executed in Nuremberg in 1946.
Alfred Jodl was educated at a military cadet school in Munich, from which he graduated in 1910. Ferdinand Jodl, who also became an army general, was his younger brother. He was the nephew of philosopher and psychologist Friedrich Jodl at the University of Vienna.[3] Jodl was raised Roman Catholic but rejected the faith later in life.[4]
From 1914 to 1916, he served with a battery unit[further explanation needed] on the Western Front, being awarded the Iron Cross 2nd Class for gallantry in November 1914, and for being wounded in action. In 1917, he served briefly on the Eastern Front before returning to the West as a staff officer. In 1918, he was awarded the Iron Cross 1st Class for gallantry in action. After the defeat of the German Empire in 1918, he continued his career as a professional soldier with the much-reduced German Army (Reichswehr).[5] Jodl married twice: in 1913 and (after becoming a widower) in 1944.[6]
![]() |
This section needs expansion. You can help by adding to it. (December 2020)
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Jodl's appointment as a major in the operations branch of the Truppenamt ('Troop Office') in the Army High Command in the last years of the Weimar Republic put him under the command of General Ludwig Beck.[citation needed] In September 1939, Jodl first met Adolf Hitler. During the build-up to the Second World War, Jodl was nominally assigned as commander of the 44th Division from October 1938 to August 1939 after the Anschluss.
He was chosen by Hitler to be Chief of the Operations Staff of the newly formed Oberkommando der Wehrmacht (OKW) on 23 August 1939, just prior to the German invasion of Poland.[7] Jodl acted as chief of staff during the invasion of Denmark and Norway. Following the Fall of France, Jodl was optimistic of Germany's success over Britain, writing on 30 June 1940 that "The final German victory over England is now only a question of time."[8]
Jodl signed the Commissar Order of 6 June 1941 (in which Soviet political commissars were to be shot) and the Commando Order of 28 October 1942 (in which Allied commandos, including properly uniformed soldiers as well as combatants wearing civilian clothes, such as Maquis and partisans, were to be executed immediately without trial if captured behind German lines).
Jodl spent most of the war at the Wolf's Lair, Hitler's forward command post in East Prussia. On 1 February 1944, he was promoted to the rank of Generaloberst (Colonel general). He was among those slightly injured during the 20 July plot of 1944 against Hitler, during which he suffered a concussion.[9][better source needed]
On 6 May 1945, Jodl was awarded the Knight's Cross of the Iron CrossbyGrand admiral Karl Dönitz, who had succeeded Hitler on 30 April 1945 as head of Germany and its armed forces.[10]
Following regional surrenders of German forces in Europe, Jodl was sent by Dönitz to respond to the demand for "immediate, simultaneous and unconditional surrender on all fronts."[11] Jodl signed the German Instrument of Surrender on 7 May 1945 in Reims on behalf of the OKW.[12] The surrender to all the Allies was concluded on 8 May in Berlin. On 13 May, on the arrest of Generalfeldmarschall Wilhelm Keitel, Jodl succeeded him as Chief of OKW.[13]
Jodl was arrested, along with the rest of the Flensburg Government of Dönitz, by British troops on 23 May 1945 and transferred to Camp Ashcan and later put before the International Military Tribunal at the Nuremberg trials. He was accused of conspiracy to commit crimes against peace; planning, initiating and waging wars of aggression, war crimes and crimes against humanity. The principal charges against him related to his signature of the Commando Order and the Commissar Order, both of which ordered that certain classes of prisoners of war were to be summarily executed upon capture. When confronted with the 1941 mass shootings of Soviet POWs, Jodl claimed the only prisoners shot were "not those that could not, but those that did not want to walk".[14]
Additional charges at his trial included unlawful deportation and abetting execution. Presented as evidence was his signature on an order that transferred Danish citizens, including Jews, to Nazi concentration camps. Although he denied his role in this activity of the regime, the court sustained his complicity based on the evidence it had examined, with the French judge, Henri Donnedieu de Vabres, dissenting.
His wife Luise attached herself to her husband's defence team.[15][better source needed] Subsequently, interviewed by Gitta Sereny, researching her biography of Albert Speer, Luise alleged that in many instances the Allied prosecution made charges against Jodl based on documents that they refused to share with the defence. Jodl nevertheless proved that some of the charges made against him were untrue, such as the charge that he had helped Hitler gain control of Germany in 1933.[16]
Jodl pleaded not guilty "before God, before history and my people". Found guilty on all four charges, he was hanged at Nuremberg Prison on 16 October 1946.[17][better source needed] Jodl's last words were reportedly "I salute you, my eternal Germany" ("Ich grüße Dich, mein ewiges Deutschland").[18]
His remains, like those of the other nine executed men and Hermann Göring (who had killed himself prior to his scheduled execution), were cremated at Ostfriedhof and the ashes were scattered in the Wenzbach, a small tributary of the River Isar[19][20][21] to prevent the establishment of a permanent burial site which might be enshrined by Neo-Nazis. A cross commemorating him was later added to the family grave on the Frauenchiemsee in Bavaria. In 2018, the local council ordered the cross to be removed;[22] however, in March 2019, a Munich Court upheld Jodl's relatives' right to maintain the family grave, while noting the family's willingness to remove his name.[23][24]
On 28 February 1953, after his widow Luise sued to reclaim her pension and his estate, a West German denazification court posthumously declared Jodl not guilty of breaking international law, based on Henri Donnedieu de Vabres's 1949 disapproval of Jodl's conviction.[25][26] This not guilty declaration was revoked by the Minister of Political Liberation for Bavaria on 3 September 1953, following objections from the United States; the consequences of the acquittal on Jodl's estate were, however, maintained.[27]
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Preceded by | Chief of the Oberkommando der Wehrmacht 13 May 1945 – 23 May 1945 |
Succeeded by
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Chief of the OKH General Staff 13 May 1945 – 23 May 1945 |
Chiefs of the German General Staff of the Wehrmacht
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Chiefs of general staff of the Army |
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Chiefs of the general staff of the Luftwaffe |
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Chiefs of the general staff of the Kriegsmarine |
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Major defendants at the Nuremberg trials
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Sentenced to death |
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Imprisoned (terms) |
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Acquitted |
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No decision |
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Wounded |
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Killed |
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International |
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National |
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People |
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Other |
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