The Einsatzgruppen were special SS mobile formations tasked with carrying out the mass murder of Jews, communist functionaries, and others deemed unfit to live by the Nazis.
Execution of Poles in October, 1939
How the Einsatzgruppen moved into Russia in the wake of the advancing Wehrmacht
They were first seen in action in Austria and the annexed parts of Czechoslovakia in 1938, as German forces occupied all (in the case of Austria) or certain regions (in the case of Czechoslovakia) of these countries in relatively peaceful annexations to the Reich.
The total strength of the Einsatzgruppen during the Polish campaign, was approximately 2,700 men. Their prime role was the arrest of the politically unreliable, confiscation of weapons, police intelligence and actions against Jews.
Shooting Jews in Kovno, 1942
From 1 September to 25 October 1939, over 500 towns and villages were burned and over 16,000 people were executed by the Einsatzgruppen.
VIDEO: THE KILLINGS
Far more infamous were the Einsatzgruppen which were formed in the spring of 1941 for the campaign against Russia. Adolf Hitler issued an order that the Security Police and Security Services would assist the army in combating resistance behind the front lines.
The Einsatzgruppen commanders were carefully selected by Heydrich from the best educated and most fanatical Nazis.
The image on this page just below movie EINSATZGRUPPEN:PART 1 is a screen shot straight out of the movie Schindler's List. The scene is 1h:25m into the movie. The guy with the gun is Ralph Fiennes.
-- Steve Blackwell
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Three of the four commanders held a doctorate, whilst one was a double PhD; Dr Franz Walter Stahlecker ( Einsatzgruppe A), Dr. Dr Otto Rasch ( C), Dr Otto Ohlendorf (D). Einsatzgruppe B was commanded by Artur Nebe, then head of the Criminal Police (Kripo).
The Einsatzgruppen’s general method of execution was shooting, although some gas vans were used. The victims were ordered to report to a central location, or were rounded up in organised man-hunts, often using local militia. Usually they were taken to remote spots and shot.
Very precise records of the Einsatzgruppen activities were maintained. The Commanders in the field were required to send regular operational reports to Heydrich in Berlin. Many of these reports have survived, and were used at War Crimes trials at Nürnberg.
The Einsatzgruppen commanders and officers were tried at Nürnberg and elsewhere. Seven were executed, including Blobel, Ohlendorf, Naumann and Schöngarth, but whilst over 50 Einsatzgruppen officers were brought to trial, the sentences they received were frequently lenient in comparison to the severity of their crimes.
Text Source: holocaustresearchproject.org
Killing in Latvia
Shooting the communists in Russia
Communists again
SS-SD unit Somewhere in Russia
Another day at the office?
Poland 1939
This is how the death squads moved
Poland
Lubny, Soviet Union. October 1941.
Execution of Jews in Dubossary September 14, 1941
Killing of Jews in Ivangorod. The mother tries to shelter her child as she is being shot
Execution of Poles by German Einsatzkomanndo October 1939
Personal card of Paul Blobel. He was one of the chief officers of Einsatzgruppen
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EINSATZGRUPPEN: Nazi Exterminators
Further reading on Einsatzgruppen
Warning: Richard Rhodes's "Masters of Death" is one of the most horrific books you're ever likely to read. It details very completely the history of the roving death squads who followed Adolf Hitler's armies into the conquered territories of the Soviet Union and unleashed the opening salvos of what would later become known as The Holocaust. Many people today think of The Holocaust in terms of Auschwitz and the other death camps. What tends to be forgotten is that the Eisatzgruppen units that started the mass killings of Jews racked up a death toll at least as high as those of the camps. And in most instances, the murders by these minions were even less humane, if that's possible.
