On March 19, 1945, faced with the advance of Allied forces into the heart of Germany, Adolf Hitler issued the Nero Decree. Evoking the specter of the burning of ancient Rome, traditionally attributed to the emperor’s will, Hitler’s document mandated the destruction of infrastructure and production facilities to prevent them from falling into enemy hands, who, even if victorious, would face, in Hitler’s words, “only scorched earth.” Hitler justified this decision as a military necessity, but his intention was also to punish the German people, who in his eyes were responsible for their failure to win the war: there was to be no future for the Germans after the end of National Socialism. Armaments Minister Albert Speer, whose memorandum critical of this decision had been ignored by Hitler, although aware of the possible personal consequences, nevertheless refused to obey the Fuhrer’s directives, and worked with the Wehrmacht to block the plans for the systematic destruction of what remained of the German state.
