Planning for Postwar Germany

Partition of Germany

In the fall of 1943, the Allies formed the European Advisory Commission (EAC), composed of representatives from the United States, United Kingdom, and Soviet Union (France became the fourth member in November 1944). The EAC was created to ensure cooperation between the Allies on nonmilitary problems and dealt mainly with the surrender, occupation and control of Germany and Austria when the war ended.

Among the issues faced was the partition of Germany into zones of occupation by the Allies. Work began on the problem in late 1943 and led to the signing of a protocol on 12 September 1944, detailing the boundaries of what became the British, Soviet, and American occupation zones. (This draft did not specify which country was to be assigned to each area; that issue was resolved in an amendment, which was signed on 14 November 1944.) “Greater Berlin" was divided into three occupation zones as well. The later addition of France to the EAC led to France's inclusion in this process and the four occupation zones that were eventually used.

The document that follows is the first section of the 12 September protocol. Reprinted from U.S. Department of State, Foreign Relations of the United States, Diplomatic Papers: The Conference at Malta and Yalta, 1945 (Washington, D.C.: Government Printing Office: 1955), 118-21.

PROTOCOL

between the Governments of the United States of America, the United Kingdom, and the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics, on the zones of occupation in Germany and the administration of "Greater Berlin".

The Governments of the United States of America, the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, and the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics have reached the following agreement with regard to the execution of Article 11 of the Instrument of Unconditional Surrender of Germany:

1. Germany within her frontiers as they were on the 31st December, 1937, will, for the purposes of occupation, be divided into three zones, one of which will be allotted to each of the three Powers, and a special Berlin area, which will be under joint occupation by the three Powers.

2. The boundaries of the three zones and of the Berlin area, and the allocation of the three zones as between the U.S.A., the U.K. and the U.S.S.R. will be as follows:

Eastern Zone (as shown on the annexed map "A")

The territory of Germany (including the province of East Prussia) situated to the East of a line drawn from the point on Lübeck Bay where the frontiers of

Schleswig-Holstein and Mecklenburg meet, along the western frontier of Mecklenburg to the frontier of the province of Hanover, thence, along the eastern frontier of Hanover, to the frontier of Brunswick; thence along the western frontier of the Prussian province of Saxony to the western frontier of Anhalt; thence along the western frontier of Anhalt; thence along the western frontier of the Prussian province of Saxony and the western frontier of Thuringia to where the latter meets the Bavarian frontier; thence eastwards along the northern frontier of Bavaria to the 1937 Czechoslovakian frontier, will be occupied by armed forces of the U.S.S.R., with the exception of the Berlin area, for which a special system of occupation is provided below.

North-Western Zone (as shown on the annexed map "A")

The territory of Germany situated to the west of the line defined above, and bounded on the south by a line drawn from the point where the western frontier of Thuringia meets the frontier of Bavaria; thence westwards along the southern frontiers of the Prussian provinces of Hessen-Nassau and Rheinprovinz to where the latter meets the frontier of France will be occupied by armed forces of....

South-Western Zone (as shown on the annexed map "A")

All the remaining territory of Western Germany situated to the south of the line defined in the description of the North-Western Zone will be occupied by armed forces of....

The frontiers of States (Länder) and Provinces within Germany, referred to in the foregoing descriptions of the zones, are those which existed after the coming into effect of the decree of 25th June, 1941 (published in the Reichsgesetzblatt, Part I, No. 72, 3rd July, 1941). Berlin Area (as shown on the annexed 4 sheets of map "B")

The Berlin area (by which expression is understood the
territory of "Greater Berlin" as defined by the Law of
the 27th April, 1920) will be jointly occupied by armed
forces of the U.S.A., U.K., and U.S.S.R., assigned by
the respective Commanders-in-Chief. For this purpose
the territory of “Greater Berlin" will be divided into
the following three parts:

North-Eastern part of “Greater Berlin" (districts of
Pankow, Prenzlauerberg, Mitte, Weissensee, Fried-
richshain, Lichtenberg, Treptow, Köpenick) will be
occupied by the forces of the U.S.S.R.:
North-Western part of "Greater Berlin" (districts of
Reinickendorf, Wedding, Tiergarten, Charlotten-

burg, Spandau, Wilmersdorf) will be occupied by the forces of....

Southern part of "Greater Berlin" (districts of Zehlendorf, Steglitz, Schöneberg, Kreuzberg, Tempelhof, Neukölln) will be occupied by the forces of.... The boundaries of districts within "Greater Berlin", referred to in the foregoing description, are those which existed after the coming into effect of the decree published on 27th March, 1938 (Amtsblatt der Reichshauptstadt Berlin No. 13 of 27th March, 1938, page 215).

3. The occupying forces in each of the three zones into which Germany is divided will be under a Commander-inChief designated by the Government of the country whose forces occupy that zone.

4. Each of the three Powers may, at its discretion, include among the forces assigned to occupation duties under the command of its Commander-in-Chief, auxiliary contingents from the forces of any other allied Power which has participated in military operations against Germany.

5. An Inter-Allied Governing Authority (Komendatura) consisting of three Commandants, appointed by their respective Commanders-in-Chief, will be established to direct jointly the administration of the "Greater Berlin" Area.

6. This Protocol has been drawn up in triplicate in the English and Russian languages. Both texts are authentic. The Protocol will come into force on the signature by Germany of the Instrument of Unconditional Surrender.

The above text of the Protocol between the Governments of the United States of America, the United Kingdom and the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics, on the zones of occupation in Germany and the administration of "Greater Berlin" has been prepared and unanimously adopted by the European Advisory Commission at the meeting held on the 12th September, 1944, with the exception of the allocation of the North-Western and South -Western zones of occupation in Germany and the North-Western and Southern parts of "Greater Berlin", which requires further consideration and joint agreement by the Governments of the U.S.A., U.K. and U.S.S.R.

Representative of the Government of the U.S.A. on the European Advisory Commission: JOHN G. WINANT

Representative of the Government of the U.K. on the European Advisory Commission: WILLIAM STRANG

Representative of the Government of the U.S.S.R. on the European Advisory Commission: F. GUSEV

LANCASTER HOUSE, LONDON, S.W.1.

12 September 1944.

Eisenhower Statement on Occupation Policy, 23 September 1944

Once the Allies invaded France, policies to be followed after Germany's surrender became more important. A plan to dismantle the Nazi state and to govern a defeated Germany had been under development by the Allies since 1943. On 18 September 1944 a radio broadcast made to Germany

gave a broad outline of the Allied program for postwar Germany. This was followed by an announcement on 23 September that provided more details about Allied intentions in Germany, including the banning of all Nazi organizations and the abrogation of all discriminatory laws.

Reset from the Christian Science Monitor, 23 September 1944.

LONDON, Sept. 23 (AP)—A strict policy in dealing with occupied Germany, including the capital penalty for any German aiding the Nazis or deliberately misleading Allied troops, was decreed today by Gen. Dwight D. Eisenhower.

A as first step, a ban was placed on the Nazi political and military organizations. All were ordered dissolved, while "German laws involving discrimination on grounds of race, religion, or political opinion are abrogated." said the edict, issued by Supreme Headquarters.

This included laws such as those for "the protection of German blood and honor." The Hitler youth law was banished, along with that which made the swastika and uniforms it graced state-protected property.

Meanwhile, the British press expressed dissatisfaction with the progress made by the Allied War Crimes Commission in preparing cases against Hitler and other top-ranking Nazis. A hitch was said to have developed over how they would be tried— whether they should be taken before a military court or dealt with on a political basis.

Type of Trial at Issue

The London News Chronicle and Daily Mail, declaring the names of Hitler, Goeb

bels, Göring, and Himmler have not yet been placed on the list of 350 criminals already drafted, said the reason may be that the Allies have not decided how they would be tried.

General Eisenhower's statement, which amplified a radiocast to the German people Sept. 18, ordered Nazi Party administrative officers to remain at their posts until all funds, records, equipment, and property are surrendered.

At the same time, it outlined steps for the installation of orderly processes by the Allied Military Government.

These were listed as the main objectives of the AMG in Germany: To promote the safety and health of the occupying troops, to eliminate Naziism, to maintain public order, to establish suitable civil government in a form sufficient to support military operations, to apprehend war criminals, and to control transfers of certain property of Germany.

Allied Controls

The Allies will take over mails, telephone, telegraph, and radio systems. Germans must surrender firearms and wireless-transmitting equipment.

Travel will be permitted only at the discretion of military authorities.