On 30 October, the 21st Army Group notified Supreme Headquarters that a captured German document indicated that the code name Talisman was compromised, so on 11 November, the new code name Eclipse was substituted and planning continued under the new name.68
Eclipse was different than its predecessors in that its objectives were broadened to encompass not only the primary disarmament and control of the German forces, but paramilitary organizations and the police as well. It specified, for example, that operations in Europe included “operations in Germany until control there is taken over from the Supreme Commander by the Tripartite Military Government or by US and British Commanders” while retaining the definition of surrender from Talisman.69 It further explained that operations would most likely take place in two phases. The first would involve advancing to secure “especially important strategic areas deep within Germany, including Berlin” and the second would, in part, involve deploying forces to secure additional strategic areas and “carry out the disarmament and disposal of enemy forces in Germany.”70
The plan provided guidance to the several Allied army groups and air forces as to their respective responsibilities in both phases, among which were the primary disarmament and masking of enemy forces in contact with Allied forces; the flanking of the Allied axis of advance; the controlled concentration of enemy forces in areas selected by the Allies; the arrest and detention of individuals on the black list; and the seizure and control of German war matériel. Eclipse accepted that it was unlikely that the Nazi regime would be overthrown by internal forces and postulated that there would be neither a collapse of the German armed forces nor unconditional surrender until Germany had suffered “a further major defeat” that would enable the Allies to penetrate the homeland. The plan briefly outlined conditions expected in Germany following its collapse and indicated that while there might be some resistance and sabotage, these instances would be isolated. The possibility of civil war, however, was not discounted.71
Between 28 September and 13 December 1944, progress reports indicated that a study entitled Disposal of the German Military Caste had been circulated to planners and that Memo 9 (army disarmament) and the Operation ‘Eclipse’ Appreciation and Outline Plan had been approved and issued. They also reported that the handbook had been approved by the chief of staff and was in publication.72 Also in preparation was the first draft of a memo suggesting priorities for the destruction of war structures in Germany and the first draft of Eclipse Memo 17 (disbandment of the German armed forces). In addition, the final draft of Memo 10 (air force disarmament) had been approved by the planning staff. Nonetheless, and despite General Smith’s request, of the total seventeen Eclipse memoranda, only ten had been issued by late January 1945.
The Eclipse Memoranda
Operation Eclipse was spelled out in the Appreciation and Outline Plan and in seventeen memoranda, five of which speak directly to the issues of disarming, demobilizing, and disbanding the German armed forces.73
Eclipse Memorandum No. 1, “Instrument of Surrender, Surrender Order and Sanctions,” was issued in November 1944 but revised in April 1945. It was a lengthy, detailed memorandum that contained a short series of opening paragraphs that laid out what would take place in the event of (1) a formal surrender, with or without an EAC-agreed Instrument of Surrender (in which case special orders to the German High Command had been prepared by SHAEF and were appended to the memo as Appendix A), or (2) no formal surrender, and the sanctions that would be imposed if resistance to either form of surrender were encountered.74
The main elements of this memorandum were included in five additional appendices:
Appendix B: Supreme Commander Special Orders to the German High Command (OKW) of common concern to all three services or the direct concern of OKW only.
Appendix C: Special Orders to the German High Command (OKH) relating to Land Forces.
Appendix D: Special Orders to the German High Command (OKM) relating to Naval Forces.
Appendix E: Special Orders to the German High Command (OKL) relating to Air Forces.
Appendix F: Measures which may be taken to enforce the terms of surrender or in the event of no surrender to compel the enemy to comply with the Laws of War.
Part I of Appendix B was quite all-inclusive and held the OKW responsible for carrying out the orders of the Allied representatives and for ensuring that the commanding officers of all units of the German armed forces and their subordinates were notified that they would be held personally responsible for carrying out orders of the supreme commander in their areas of responsibility. It also established timelines for when the Allies were to be given information regarding the locations of the German High Command and all its departments and branches, as well as the locations of all experimental or research facilities, underground installations of all kinds, and missile launching sites.
Part II of this appendix was devoted to the control, maintenance and disarmament of the armed forces and made the OKW responsible for its immediate and total disarmament. It provided initial guidance regarding the maintenance and guarding of war matériel, specifying that none was to be destroyed without prior orders from the Allied representatives, that all land minefields were to be clearly marked, and that mines and obstacles on roads, railroads, waterways, and ports were to be removed immediately. It also ordered the removal and destruction of all booby traps, demolition charges, and concealed explosives.75 The remaining parts dealt with Allied POWs and civilian internees, telecommunications, merchant shipping and ports, and so on and contained four annexes, one of which was a list of war matériel to be withdrawn from the Germans while a second contained a list of war matériel to be retained.
The first parts of appendices C through E mirrored Part I of Appendix B by requiring each individual German armed service to provide information as to their order of battle and the locations of their units, weapon systems, ships, and so on within a specific period of time. Part II followed a similar pattern, specific to each particular service. For example, the naval appendix stated that all ships and submarines at sea were to report their positions and head for the nearest German or Allied port, breech blocks were to be removed from all guns, and all torpedo tubes were to be unloaded. Aircraft were to be grounded and immobilized by methods described in the air force appendix and removed from runways, and their guns were to be unloaded and bombs removed. German field and home armies’ armaments were to be placed in dumps as directed by appropriate Allied representatives and various classes of war matériel (armored vehicles, artillery, small arms, ammunition, etc.) were to be laid out in stacks or parks within each dump. All other war matériel (in factories, dumps, depots, etc.) was to be maintained but remain where it was located. War matériel in transit, in the absence of orders to the contrary, would be allowed to proceed to its destination, where it would then be placed in dumps or depots.
Of the five appendices to this memorandum, only three were relevant to all German commanders, requiring them to immediately inventory all war matériel of any kind in any location within their area of responsibility. These lists were to be prepared in quadruplicate and completed within two months following the cessation of hostilities. Standardized forms were attached to the memorandum to be used for the inventory. Lastly, German authorities were responsible for handing over and delivering in good condition any war matériel that was requested by the Allies and would remain responsible
