Alfred Jodl
1946 June 20, Front side - Note card with Alfred Jodl signature from the Palace of Justice in Nuremberg, Germany.
Tan note card with cursive signature and printed handwriting in German using black ink.
Name/Title
Alfred JodlEntry/Object ID
2026.7.8Scope and Content
1946 June 20, note card with Alfred Jodl signature from the Palace of Justice in Nuremberg, Germany.Context
The Chief of the Operations Staff of the Oberkommando der Wehrmacht, Alfred Jodl was a dedicated military commander to the Nazi party. Notable Axis operations such as the invasion of Denmark and Norway were headed by Alfred Jodl. Additionally, Jodl signed orders for soldiers to shoot and kill Allied commandos and political commissars. As a highly decorated military commander, Jodl earned some respect from Adolf Hitler and was not afraid to speak up to him. Yet, testimony from June 3, 1946, relays Jodl ensuring Hitler only knew him by last name and that he was from Bavaria. However, Jodl providing this account to avoid further prosecution is a possibility. In his early career, Jodl served on the Western Front in World War I for two years before being wounded in action. He was awarded an Iron Cross 2nd Class medal and became a Generaloberst, the second highest rank in the Imperial German Army. After the end of the first World War, Jodl continued as a soldier with the Reichswehr during the interwar government, the Weimar Republic. Just before the start of World War II, Jodl met Adolf Hitler who appointed him as commander of artillery in the 44th division. After the fall of the Nazi regime, Jodl signed the German Instrument of Surrender on May 7, 1945. He was then arrested and put on trial at the Palace of Justice in Nuremberg, Germany. He was tried on multiple accounts including wars of aggression and crimes against humanity. During the trial he was exposed for mass executions of Soviet prisoners of war (POW), to which he explained he only ordered Nazi soldiers to shoot POWs who did not want to walk, not those who were simply unable. Jodl pleaded not guilty to the charged accounts. However, the atrocities committed by Jodl and the Nazi military were unmistakable and Jodl was sentenced to death by hanging. Moments before his execution, Jodl stated, “I salute you, my eternal Germany.” Jodl was executed on October 16, 1946.Collection
Nazi Party SignaturesCategory
Note
Philatelic Material