Ask the Chatbot Games & Quizzes History & Society Science & Tech Biographies Animals & Nature Geography & Travel Arts & Culture ProCon Money Videos
Night and Fog Decree
Introduction References & Edit History Related Topics
Quick Facts
German:
Nacht-und-Nebel-Erlass
See all related content
Britannica AI Icon
Adding us as a Preferred Source tells Google you trust our content, so our articles show up more often in your Google Search, Discover feed, and AI Overviews.
verifiedCite
While every effort has been made to follow citation style rules, there may be some discrepancies. Please refer to the appropriate style manual or other sources if you have any questions.
Select Citation Style
Feedback
Corrections? Updates? Omissions? Let us know if you have suggestions to improve this article (requires login).
Thank you for your feedback

Our editors will review what you’ve submitted and determine whether to revise the article.

External Websites

Night and Fog Decree

European history
Also known as: Keitel Order, Nacht-und-Nebel-Erlass
Written and fact-checked by
Britannica Editors
Encyclopaedia Britannica's editors oversee subject areas in which they have extensive knowledge, whether from years of experience gained by working on that content or via study for an advanced degree....
Britannica Editors
History

Night and Fog Decree, secret order issued by Adolf Hitler on December 7, 1941, under which “persons endangering German security” in the German-occupied territories of western Europe were to be arrested and either shot or spirited away under cover of “night and fog” (that is, clandestinely) to concentration camps. Also known as the Keitel Order, the decree was signed by Wilhelm Keitel, chief of staff of the German army (Wehrmacht), and was issued in response to the increased activity of the Resistance in France. The German minister of justice established special courts to deal with these cases. Some 7,000 persons are known to have been sent to concentration camps as a result of this decree.