Nero Decree
Adolf Hitler issued the Nero Decree on 19 March, 1945 near the end of World War II.The purpose of the Nero Decree was to destroy existing transport and communication facilities, industrial establishments and supply depots which the Allied forces could possibly use to their advantage. The decree was in vain. The German Minister of Armaments, Albert Speer, refused to carry out the order, and surrendered peacefully when the war ended on 7 May 1945, just 49 days later.