the order
Er wusste, dass keinen Sinn hatte, was er tat, aber so lautete der Befehl.
He knew that what he was doing made no sense, but that was the order.
The order came too late.
Der Befehl den die Soldaten erhalten haben lautet"kämpft um zu töten".
The order the soldiers received was, “Fight to kill.”
— House of Flying Daggers (2004)
Der Befehl kommt vom Oberbefehlshaber.
The order comes from the commander-in-chief.
— The Flowers of War (2011)