The
Adolf Hitler's directives or
Führer's directives were instructions and strategic plans issued by
Adolf Hitler himself. They covered a wide range of subjects from detailed direction of military units in
World War II to the governance of occupied territories and their populations. Under the
Nazi system, they were binding, to be followed to the letter and superseded any other law. In total, there were 52 directives issued. They should not be confused with the Führer's orders, issued late in the war, which were more precise and low-level and could be written or oral. They were as binding as the more general directives.