| “The principal task of the Einsatzgruppen was the annihilation of Jews, gypsies, and political commissars.” A quote by SS General Erich von dem Bach Zelewski. |
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| The Einsatzgruppen first appeared in Czechoslovakia some time after May, 1939. They were under the order to “secure” political life. The group was essentially disbanded after a period of time. With the invasion of Poland the Einsatzgruppen was reformed. During the planning of the invasion of the Soviet Union the Einsatzgruppen became truly organized. | ||
| The Einsatzgruppen was formed by Himmler and Heydrich. They operated in areas captured by the German Armies during the Soviet invasion. The ultimate authority for the Einsatzgruppen, which answered directly to Heinrich Himmler and Adolf Hitler, were the SS and Police leaders. | ||
| There was a total of four Einsatzgruppes. (A, B, C, D) Einsatzgruppes A, B, and C went with army groups taking part in the invasion. EInsatzgruppe D was sent to Ukraine without any army group. The main purpose of the Einsatzgruppen was to defend and maintain order in the area behind the frontlines. In order to do so such groups as communists, gypsies, and other unwanted elements would be targeted and exterminated. | ||
| The Einsatzgruppen started eliminating Jews in March, 1941. The initial policy was told to the officers of the Einsatzgruppen. It was called the “Commissar Order.” On June 22, 1941 the Einsatzgruppen along with about 3 million German soldiers invaded the Soviet Union. Up to then their instructions did not include the extermination of all Jews. | ||
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There were about 600 to 1000 men in each Einsatzgruppe. Many of them were support staff. Einsatzgruppen members from the SS, Waffen SS, SD, Sipo, Order Police, and other police units. Many civilians joined the Einsatzgruppen for their hatred of communists not for their sympathy to Germany. | ||
| The Einsatzgruppen received a lot of assistance from German and Axis soldiers, local collaborators, and other SS units. They often drew on local civilian support when carrying out mass murders. They were assisted by other Axis forces some of which included Generals Walther von Reichenau and Erich von Manstein. | |||
| The German Army provided logistical support to the Einsatzgruppen including supplies, transportation, housing, and occasionally manpower. Many of the killing squad members drank lots of alcohol to withstand the physical and psychological stress caused by their inhuman duties. One of the downfalls to the Einsatzgruppen was that it was all too public. The townspeople would watch with both horror and satisfaction. | |||
| Einsatzgruppe A was assigned to the Baltic States. Einsatzgruppe B was assigned to Moscow and surrounding areas. Einsatzgruppe C was assigned to Kiev and surrounding areas. Einsatzgruppe D was assigned to Ukraine. The great majority of executions were aimed at Jewish males. Mainly those in leadership positions and members of the intelligentsia. In late July, 1941 the killing included all Jewish men, women, and children. | |||
| The killings were almost always the same and were handled the same way. There were four steps the Einsatzgruppen followed when killing Jews. The first step was invasion. The Einsatzgruppe would descend on a small community like a black cloud of oncoming death. Step two was the round up of victims. It almost always took place with violence and assault. The victims were mostly loaded onto trucks or marched to the location of the killing. The third step was march to the city limit. This was done to hide the event from too many eyes and for logistical purposes. Step four was the shootings. The shootings were done in firing squad fashion. The victims were forced to disrobe and line up over the huge graves. Most of the men, women, and children murdered by the Einsatzgruppen were Jews. Approximately 1.5 million Jews were murdered by the Einsatzgruppen. A number too big to imagine. |
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In the late summer of 1941 Heinrich Himmler requested that a more convenient mode of killing be developed. The result was the gas van. Gas vans made their first appearance in late fall 1941. The gas van was a mobile gas chamber mounted on the chassis of a cargo truck. The gas chamber used carbon monoxide from the trucks exhaust to kill its victims. Gas vans were eventually utilized along with shooting to kill the victims. | ||
| The Einsatzgruppen issued daily top secret reports that were kept in Berlin. These captured records revealed the cruelty of their deeds. The Einsatzgruppen kept track of their massacres. One of the most infamous records is the Jager Report. The Jager Report includes a detailed list summarizing each massacre totaling 137,346 victims. It states, “We have achieved the goal of solving the Jewish problem in Lithuania.” The Jager Report covered Einsatzgruppe C for over five months in Lithuania. It was written by their commander Karl Jager. | |||
| By the end of 1941 about 500,000 to 800,000 Jews had been killed. That’s about 2,700 to 4,200 Jews per day. The Einsatzgruppen leaders argued that Hitler had declared Germany was fighting a defensive war and they had to follow his orders. The Einsatzgruppen sought to conceal their criminality. Just Einsatzgruppe A had reported that it had killed 118,430 Jews and 3,389 communists. Three of the four leaders of the Einsatzgruppen held PhD’s. Other leaders included an ex pastor and a physician. These would have been considered some of the brightest. In a total war against Bolshevism Einsatzgruppen leaders contended all potential enemies had to be eliminated by every possible means. In practice the Einsatzgruppen had found that most political candidates for liquidation had fled. Victory over the Soviet Union was imminent. | |||
| The Einsatzgruppen were finally seen as insufficient. Even though the program of killing Jews by mass shootings failed as a Final Solution it successfully dealt with the Jewish question. At the Wannsee Conference the Nazi’s decided the Einsatzgruppen were insufficient and they decided to start building death camps. At the end of World War II most of the SS or police leaders who had overseen the Einsatzgruppen simply disappeared or were executed for war crimes. The leaders were charged with crimes against humanity, war crimes, and membership in the SS. This trial was known as the “Einsatzgruppen Trial.” Fourteen death sentences and five life sentences were among the judgments. Although only four of the executions were carried out. | |||
| At the conclusion of World War II senior leaders of the Einsatzgruppen were put before United States occupation courts. Upon conviction of their crimes at Nuremberg Einsatzgruppen leaders showed no remorse. Secret killing squads were a military necessity. The Einsatzgruppen leaders left no doubt they would do it again. The Einsatzgruppen did not officially end until 1952 when Otto Ohlendorf, the last surviving Einsatzgruppen commander, was hanged for more than 90,000 murders under his command. That is the end of the Einsatzgruppen. | |||
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