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 History and Facts of the Einsatzgruppen or Nazi Death Squads

Facts about the Holocaust by bullets

Einsatzgruppen: Nazi Death Squads

Atrocities committed by German mobile killing units during WW2
Einsatzgruppen

Einsatzgruppen: facts and history

Even before the construction of infamous extermination camps like Auschwitz-Birkenau and Sobibor, Nazi Germany had already initiated the systematic genocide of the 'enemies' of the Reich targetting mostly Jews and Roma and Sinti. The mass murder campaign began in tandem with the German invasion of the Soviet Union (Operation Barbarossa) in June 1941. Following closely behind the Wehrmacht troops were the notorious Einsatzgruppen, four mobile SS death squads tasked with policing and security in occupied territories. These units played a crucial role in the early phase of the Holocaust (also called 'Holocaust by bullets'), carrying out mass shootings, pogroms and other atrocities against Jewish communities across Eastern Europe.

Formation and Purpose

The Einsatzgruppen, notorious Nazi paramilitary death squads, were formed during the tumultuous period of Nazi expansion and annexation between 1938 and 1939. Spearheaded by Reichsführer-SS Heinrich Himmler, a key figure in the Nazi regime and the SS organization, these units were driven by a fanatical adherence to Nazi ideology and racial purity.

A crucial figure in the establishment of the Einsatzgruppen was SS-Obergruppenführer Reinhard Heydrich. As head of the Reich Main Security Office (RSHA), Heydrich was responsible for coordinating the Nazi security apparatus. Known for his ruthlessness and efficiency, Heydrich played a pivotal role in organizing and directing the operations of these deadly squads.


Anschluss of Austria

The Anschluss of Austria in March 1938 marked a significant milestone, serving as a prelude to the subsequent formation of the Einsatzgruppen. This move allowed the Nazis to solidify their control and influence, laying the groundwork for the dark operations to come.

Czech Annexation

Despite Hitler's assurances at Munich, in March 1939, Germany violated the agreement and occupied Czechoslovakia. That became the catalyst for the full mobilization of the Einsatzgruppen. With the directive of SS-Obergruppenführer Reinhard Heydrich, chief of the Reichs Sicherheits Haupt Amt (RSHA), the first Einsatzgruppen were established. Operating under the administration of the SS (Schutzstaffel), their initial purpose was multifaceted: to occupy newly acquired territories, gather crucial intelligence, and eliminate perceived threats to the Nazi regime.

From Occupation to Annihilation

As the dark clouds of World War II gathered, the objectives of the Einsatzgruppen underwent a chilling transformation. With the invasion of Poland on September 1st, 1939, their orders shifted from occupation and intelligence to the gruesome task of mass execution. Polish leaders, scholars, clergy, educators, and nobility found themselves targeted for ruthless elimination.

However, it was during Operation Barbarossa, the invasion of the Soviet Union in 1941, that the Einsatzgruppen reached a sinister pinnacle. Sent to Russia, they unleashed a reign of terror on "undesirables," including Jews, Roma (Eastern European Gypsies), communist leaders, and Russian officers. The scope of their operations escalated dramatically, leaving an indelible mark of horror on history.

The SS formed the Einsaztgruppen in the Soviet Union
The Einsatzgruppen were special paramilitary units established by the SS (Schutzstaffel) to carry out mass killings and other acts of violence against perceived enemies of Nazi Germany.

Orders given to the Einsatzgruppen

The orders provided to the Einsatzgruppen were deliberately vague, allowing them considerable discretion to interpret and eliminate the "Enemies of the Reich" in whatever manner they saw fit. This flexibility gave them the freedom to employ ruthless tactics and instill fear to accomplish their dark objectives.

Copyright US Holocaust Memorial Museum Collection.
Interview with Frima

Frima and her family were confined to a ghetto by the Nazis. Her father was forced to work as an interpreter, and he later died. Frima, her mother, and sister escaped a German mobile killing unit massacre by pretending not to be Jews. However, they were later discovered and jailed. Frima's mother devised another escape plan.

She had Frima's sister smuggled to Romania, while Frima wandered in search of safekeeping. Eventually, Frima's mother was able to arrange for her to be smuggled to Romania as well. The family was reunited in Romania, where they were liberated.

Leadership and Organization

SS-Brigadeführer Bruno Streckenbach (February 7, 1902 - October 28, 1977) was responsible for recruiting and training the Einsatzgruppen members. These units were readied for deployment on the Eastern Front, undergoing preparation at the Border Police School in Pretzsch on the Elbe, situated approximately 150 kilometers southwest of Berlin in Germany.

Given the limited capacity of the training camp, some personnel were accommodated in nearby towns. Beyond conventional military instruction, the men received comprehensive lectures covering diverse subjects. These ranged from understanding the "Russian mentality" to insights into partisan warfare, and precautions against prevailing diseases in the region.

In June, the leaders of the Einsatzgruppen received personal guidance from Reinhard Heydrich regarding their forthcoming responsibilities on the Eastern Front. However, the precise details of these instructions remain undisclosed.

Who were the men of the Einsatzgruppen?

The Einsatzgruppen, totaling around 3.000 personnel, were comprised mainly of young members from the Sicherheitspolizei (Sipo), Sicherheitsdienst (SD), Ordnungspolizei (Orpo), primarily drawn from working-class backgrounds. Additionally, selected members of the Waffen SS were also involved in these units. In a letter dated July 2, 1941, addressed to the Higher SS and Police Leaders (HSSPFs) in the Eastern occupied territories, Reinhard Heydrich clarified the categories of individuals earmarked for execution by the Einsatzgruppen. The targets included:
  • All officials associated with the Comintern and professional communist politicians.
  • Communist Party officials at both national and local levels, spanning senior, mid-level, and radical members.
  • People's Commissars.
  • Individuals of Jewish descent within the Communist Party, civil service, and other radical factions like saboteurs, propagandists, snipers, murderers, and provocateurs.
The directive stipulated immediate execution without trial. Heydrich further instructed the Einsatzgruppen leaders to discreetly encourage the local population of the Soviet Union to instigate pogroms against the Jewish community. Additionally, the HSSPFs were directed to extend necessary assistance to the local population in facilitating these pogroms.

Who were the leaders of the Einsatzgruppen?

The Einsatzgruppen and Einsatzkommandos were led by meticulously selected, highly educated officers from the inner circle of Reinhard Heydrich. Chosen not only for their leadership skills but also for their deep indoctrination into Nazi racial ideology, many of these individuals held advanced academic degrees, including doctorates, and possessed extensive expertise in areas such as race theory and criminal law. These leaders played a sinister dual role, not only orchestrating the logistical aspects of mass killings but also serving as conduits for propagating the extremist beliefs of the Nazi regime. Their strategic manipulation aimed to instill a chilling commitment to the brutal objectives of the Einsatzgruppen among their personnel, even those who might not have been inherently predisposed to such heinous acts.

To carry out their reprehensible operations, the Einsatzgruppen collaborated closely with uniformed volunteers sourced from local police forces in the Baltic states. This collaboration underscored the calculated coordination between ideological masterminds and willing local participants, culminating in the efficient and horrifying execution of their sinister agenda.

Did the Einsatzgruppen have enough manpower?

Despite commanding an auxiliary force of 10.000 police officers and 33.000 local collaborators, the Einsatzgruppen still lacked the manpower to carry out the complete extermination of Jews across Eastern Europe. As a result, other SS units and branches of the German military were mobilized to assist in the genocide. Key participants included:

Various SS Brigades, operating behind the frontlines to support mass executions.
The Fegelein Cavalry Division, led by Hermann Fegelein, was active in clearing operations in the marshes of Polesia.
The Arājs Kommando, a notorious death squad led by Latvian Nazi collaborator Viktors Arājs and made up of ethnic Latvian volunteers.
The Wiking Division, which carried out massacres across Ukraine.
Reserve Police Battalions, which played a central role in roundups and shootings of Jews.
The SS Sturmbrigade Dirlewanger, a unit comprised of convicted criminals, notorious for its extreme cruelty and led by Oskar Dirlewanger a known psychopath and child molester.
Even the Wehrmacht (German army) and the Kriegsmarine (Navy) participated in the extermination operations, providing support or engaging directly in killing actions.

Movement of the Einsatzgruppen (1941-1942)

Click on the map to enlarge

The map above illustrates the movement of the Einsatzgruppen A, B, C, and D from June 1941 to November 1942. These mobile units tracked alongside the advancing German Wehrmacht into the Soviet Union under Operation Barbarossa.

Psychological impact of executing innocent people

Surprisingly, members of the Einsatzgruppen experienced battle fatigue, mental anguish and severe alcoholism due to the mass shootings of innocent men, women and children. In 1941, during a trip to Russia, SS Reichsführer Heinrich Himmler discovered this psychological toll and tasked Arthur Nebe of Einsatzgruppe B to find less stressful methods of killing.

A plan was formed to develop more efficient and emotionally detached ways of mass killing. On October 13th, 1941, Heinrich Himmler instructed SS and Police Leader Odilo Globočnik in Lublin to initiate the construction of the first extermination camp at Bełżec in occupied Poland.

Commanding officers of the Einsatzgruppen

Commanding officers of the Einsatzgruppen until 1941
SS-Brigadeführer Dr. Franz W. Stahlecker
SS-Brigadeführer Dr. Franz W. Stahlecker
Einsatzgruppe A consisted of an estimated 990 men
It was composed of personnel from the Gestapo, the Sicherheitsdienst (SD), the Kriminalpolizei (Criminal Police), the Ordnungspolizei (Regular Police), and the Waffen-SS.

Death
Franz. W. Stahlecker was killed on 22 March 1942 in a battle with Soviet partisans near Krasnogvardeysk, Soviet Union.
SS-Brigadeführer Arthur Nebe
SS-Brigadeführer Arthur Nebe
Einsatzgruppe B consisted of an estimated 650 men
It was composed of personnel from the Gestapo, the Sicherheitsdienst (SD), the Kriminalpolizei (Criminal Police), the Ordnungspolizei (Regular Police), and the Waffen-SS.

Death

Around mid October 1941, due to mental problems and asking for a transfer, Nebe returns to Berlin to take up his work for the RSHA. He is later arrested and hanged for plotting against Hitler.
SS-Gruppenführer Dr. Dr. Otto Rasch
SS-Gruppenführer Dr. Dr. Otto Rasch
Einsatzgruppe C consisted of an estimated 700 men
It was composed of personnel from the Gestapo, the Sicherheitsdienst (SD), the Kriminalpolizei (Criminal Police), the Ordnungspolizei (Regular Police), and the Waffen-SS.

Death

Rasch was indicted at the Einsatzgruppen trial at the end of September 1947 but discontinued on 5 February 1948 because he had Parkinson's disease. He died later that year on 1 November in Wehrstedt, Lower Saxony.
SS-Gruppenführer Dr. Otto Ohlendorf
SS-Gruppenführer Dr. Otto Ohlendorf
Einsatzgruppe D consisted of an estimated 500 men
It was composed of personnel from the Gestapo, the Sicherheitsdienst (SD), the Kriminalpolizei (Criminal Police), the Ordnungspolizei (Regular Police), and the Waffen-SS.

Death

Ohlendorf was convicted of crimes against humanity and spent three years in detention before being hanged at the Landsberg Prison in Bavaria on 7 June 1951
Commanding officers of the Einsatzgruppen after 1941
SS-Brigadeführer Heinz Jost
SS-Brigadeführer Heinz Jost
Einsatzgruppe A consisted of an estimated 990men
It was composed of personnel from the Gestapo, the Sicherheitsdienst (SD), the Kriminalpolizei (Criminal Police), the Ordnungspolizei (Regular Police), and the Waffen-SS.

Death
In 1951, Jost was released from Landsberg Prison. He then worked in Düsseldorf as a real estate agent. He died in 1964 at Bensheim.
SS-Brigadeführer Erich Naumann
SS-Brigadeführer Erich Naumann
Einsatzgruppe B consisted of an estimated 650 men
It was composed of personnel from the Gestapo, the Sicherheitsdienst (SD), the Kriminalpolizei (Criminal Police), the Ordnungspolizei (Regular Police), and the Waffen-SS.

Death

Found guilty of war crimes, crimes against humanity and belonging to illegal organizations, namely the SS and the SD. Naumann was sentenced to death and hanged shortly after midnight on 7 June 1951.
SS-Gruppenführer Dr. Max Thomas
SS-Gruppenführer Dr. Max Thomas
Einsatzgruppe C consisted of an estimated 700 men
It was composed of personnel from the Gestapo, the Sicherheitsdienst (SD), the Kriminalpolizei (Criminal Police), the Ordnungspolizei (Regular Police), and the Waffen-SS.

Death

After the war on December 6, 1945, he attempted suicide and died from the attempt in the Luitpold Hospital in Würzburg.
SS-Brigadeführer Walther Bierkamp
SS-Brigadeführer Walther Bierkamp
Einsatzgruppe D consisted of an estimated 500 men

It was composed of personnel from the Gestapo, the Sicherheitsdienst (SD), the Kriminalpolizei (Criminal Police), the Ordnungspolizei (Regular Police), and the Waffen-SS.

Death

Bierkamp returned to his post in Stuttgart until the city’s liberation in mid-April 1945. He was then stationed in Hamburg until Germany's surrender on May 8. On May 15, 1945, Bierkamp died by suicide in Scharbeutz.

Structure and Organization of the Einsatzgruppen

Hierarchy of the Sonderkommandos and Einsatzkommandos
Einsatzgruppen A
136.421 people executed
Einsatzgruppe A was assigned to Army Group North under Field Marshal Wilhelm von Leeb and operated throughout the Baltic states up to Leningrad. It was composed of the following units:
  • Sonderkommando 1a
    Commanded by Martin Sandberger
    replaced by Bernhard Baatz.
  • Sonderkommando 1b
    Commanded by Erich Ehrlinger
    later replaced by Walter Hoffmann and later by Eduard Strauch.
  • Einsatzkommando 2
    Commanded by Rudolf Batz
    replaced by Eduard Strauch and later Rudolf Lange.
  • Einsatzkommando 3
    Commanded by Karl Jäger
    replaced by Wilhelm Fuchs and later by Hans-Joachim Böhme.
Einsatzgruppen B
134.298 people executed
Einsatzgruppe B was assigned to Von Bock's Army Group Mitte, had its headquarters in Smolensk and operated in Belarus, from Belarus to Moscow.  It was composed of the following units:
  • Sonderkommando 7a
    Commanded by Walter Blume
    replaced by Eugen Steimle later by Kurt Matschke and later by Albert Rapp and Helmut Looss and Gerhard Bast.
  • Sonderkommando 7b
    Commanded by Günter Rausch
    replaced by Adolf Ott and later by Josef Auinger and Karl-Georg Rabe.
  • Sonderkommando 7c
    Commanded by Wilhelm Bock
    replaced by Ernst Schmücker and later by Wilhelm Blühm and ans Eckhardt
  • Einsatzkommando 8
    Commanded by Otto Bradfisch
    replaced by Heinz Richter, then by Erich Isselhorst and later by Hans-Gerhard Schindhelm and Alfred Rendörffer.
  • Einsatzkommando 9
    Commanded by Alfred Filbert
    replaced by Oswald Schäfer later by Wihelm Wiebens and by  Dr. Friedrich Buchardt and Werner Kämpf.
  • Vorkommando Moskau
    Commanded by Franz Six
    replaced by Woldemar Klingelhöfer and later by Dr. Erich Körting and Dr. Friedrich Buchardt and by Friedrich-Wilhelm Bock .
Einsatzgruppen C
118.341 people executed
Einsatzgruppe C, assigned to von Rundstedt's Heeresgruppe Süd had its headquarters in Kiev and operated in the northern and central part of Ukraine. It was composed of the following units:
  • Sonderkommando 4a
    Commanded by Paul Blobel
    replaced by Erwin Weinmann, then Eugen Steimle and later by Friedrich Schmidt and Theodor Christensen.
  • Sonderkommando 4b
    Commanded by Günter Hermann
    replaced by Fritz Braune, then by Dr. Walter Hänsch, and later by Walter Hänsch and August Meier, Friedrich Suhr and Waldemar Krause.
  • Einsatzkommando 5
    Commanded by Erwin Schulz
    replaced by August Meier.
  • Einsatzkommando 6
    Commanded by Dr. Erhard Kröger
    replaced by Robert Möhr later by Mohret Ernst Bilberstein and later by Friedrich Suhr.
Einsatzgruppen D
91.728 people executed
Einsatzgruppe D, assigned to the 11th Army, had its headquarters in Sevastopol and operated in Moldavia, southern Ukraine, the Crimea and the Caucasus. It was composed of the following units:
  • Sonderkommando 10a
    Commanded by Heinz Seetzen
    replaced by Dr. Kurt Christmann.
  • Sonderkommando 10b
    Commanded by Aloïs Persterer
    replaced by Eduard Jedamzik.
  • Einsatzkommando 11a
    Commanded by Paul Zapp
    replaced by Dr. Gerhard Bast and later by Werner Hersmann.
  • Einsatzkommando 11b
    Commanded by Hans Unglaube
    replaced by Bruno Müller and later by Werner Braune and Paul Schulz.
  • Einsatzkommando 12
    Commanded by Gustav Nosske
    replaced by Erich Müller and later by Günther Herrmann.

Number of people executed by the different Einsatzgruppen

 Einsatzgruppen major operations were aimed mainly against the Jews

Einsatzgruppen's major operations

Pogroms, massacres and atrocities committed in 1941

Kaunas Pogrom, Lithuania 27 june 1941.
Kaunas Pogrom, Lithuania
25 – 29 June 1941
Around 4.000 Jews murdered in public beatings, street killings and mass executions. The most notorious event, known as the Lietūkis Garage Massacre, took place at the former NKVD garage in Kaunas, nationalized as the Lietūkis garage. On 27 June, several dozen Jewish men allegedly linked to the NKV were publicly tortured and executed in front of a crowd of Lithuanian men, women, and children.
Liepāja massacre, Latvia that happened on 29 – 30 June 1941.
Liepāja Massacres, Latvia
29 – 30 June 1941
The Liepāja massacres were a series of mass executions, many public or semi-public, in and near the city of Liepāja, on the west coast of Latvia. About 5.000 of the 5.700 Jews trapped in Liepāja were shot by the Einsatzgruppen  1a, Ordnungspolizei, Arajs Kommando, Latvian Auxiliary Police, Wehrmacht and the Kriegsmarine.
Public killing or Pogrom in Riga, Latvia on 4 July, 1941.
Riga Pogrom, Latvia
4 July 1941
Having entered the town, German Einsatzgruppe A initiated a pogrom with the participation of Latvian units. Ca. 400 Jews were murdered and all synagogues were burned down.
The Ponary Forest Massacre took place from July 1941 to August 1944
Ponary Forest Massacre
July to September 1941
After the German occupation of Vilna, Lithuania on June 24, 1941 (now Vilnius). In the following weeks, Einsatzgruppen, aided by Lithuanian collaborators, began systematically murdering the Jewish population. They were taken to the Ponary Forest (Paneriai), southwest of the city, and executed in mass graves. Killings continued which resulted in 75.000 people, mostly Jews, having been murdered.
Lubny Massacre, Ukraine
16 October 1941
On October 16, 1941, more than a thousand Jewish residents of Lubny, a town in what is now Ukraine, were forced to gather in an open field under the pretense of “resettlement.” Instead, they were brutally massacred by Nazi Einsatzgruppen.
Kaunas massacre at Fort IX happend on October 29, 1941.
Kaunas Massacre
October to November 1941
Mass executions were carried out at Fort IX by members of Einsatzkommando 3, under orders from Karl Jäger and Helmut Rauca. They murdered 9.200 Jews, 2.007 men, 2.920 women, and 4.273 children in a single day. About 27.000 Jews assembled, while Lithuanian partisans searched homes for anyone in hiding.
The first Rumbula Massacre happened on November 30, 1941.
Rumbula Massacre, Riga, Latvia
30 November - 8 December 1941
±25.000 Jews murdered over two days: 13.000 on 30 November (including 1.000 Jews from Berlin). 10.000 on 8 December and approximately 1.000 killed en route or in the streets. Victims marched, stripped and shot into pits prepared by POWs. 1.500 Jews spared temporarily for slave labor.
    What is a Pogrom?

    The word pogrom comes from Russian, meaning "to wreak havoc" or "to destroy violently." Historically, it refers to brutal attacks, often mob violence, carried out by non-Jewish communities against Jewish populations, particularly in the Russian Empire and parts of Eastern Europe.

    Operational 'success'

    Reinhard Heydrich's instructions were successful. In the first few weeks of Operation Barbarossa, there were over 40 pogroms in which thousands of Jews were murdered.

    These pogroms helped to create a climate of fear and terror among the Jewish population, making it easier for the Einsatzgruppen to carry out their mass killings.

    Mass shootings and massacres of innocent civilians

    The Einsatzgruppen or Nazi mobile killing squads carried out some of the most horrific war crimes in Eastern Europe during World War II. Alongside auxiliaries and collaborators, they orchestrated mass shooting massacres that claimed the lives of nearly 2 million Jews.

    Unlike the industrialized killing in concentration camps, the Einsatzgruppen’s atrocities were carried out face-to-face, leaving behind haunting evidence of one of the darkest chapters in human history. Understanding these mass shootings is essential to grasp the full scope of the Holocaust and the devastating impact of Nazi genocide across occupied territories.


    Murder by gassing in the Soviet Union

    A dark milestone in the Holocaust

    Between 1941 and 1942, SS-Standartenführer Walter Rauff played a key role in developing and deploying one of the Nazi regime’s most chilling tools of mass murder: the gas van. These mobile gas chambers were designed to kill victims through carbon monoxide poisoning and marked an early shift from mass shootings to more "efficient," industrialized methods of extermination. The first known use of gas vans occurred at the Chełmno extermination camp in occupied Poland.

    Over time, these vehicles became a central method of execution, responsible for the deaths of an estimated 700.000 people. Victims, most often Jews, but also Roma (commonly referred to at the time as "Gypsies"), people with disabilities, and others labeled “undesirable”, were told they were being relocated or transported for labor. Instead, they were loaded into sealed compartments in the vans. Once the doors were shut, exhaust fumes from the engine were pumped inside, killing those trapped within minutes.

    Although often associated with Nazi atrocities, the concept of the gas van was not originally their invention. In 1936, Soviet secret police (NKVD) reportedly used a similar method on a small scale. Isay Berg, a senior NKVD official, is said to have overseen the conversion of vans used to execute prisoners in Moscow. However, while the Soviets kept their use limited and secret, the Nazis refined, expanded, and industrialized the process to an unprecedented scale.

    The use of gas vans represents a terrifying moment in history when technology and bureaucracy were merged to commit systematic, state-sponsored murder. These mobile death chambers were direct precursors to the fixed gas chambers later used at Auschwitz, Sobibor, Treblinka, and other extermination camps. They serve as grim symbols of the cold, calculated machinery behind the Holocaust, and a warning of how quickly cruelty can be scaled when ideology, innovation, and indifference collide.

    SS-Standartenführer Walter Rauff
    19 juni 1906 - 14 mei 1984
    Responsible for the development of the gas vans
      The Nazi  gas vans or mobile gas chambers
      Gruesome gas vans
      Nazi mobile gas chambers
      Similar gas vans such as this one, were provided to the Einsatzgruppen.
         Destroyed Magirus-Deutz Found at Chełmno camp
        Destroyed Magirus-Deutz
        Found at Chełmno camp

        Victims were locked inside, and the lethal fumes were used to kill them.

          The Einsatzgruppen facilitated the 'Holocaust by Bullets' in Eastern Europe during Operation Barbarossa.
          In this picture, members of Einsatzgruppe D are carrying out a mass shooting of Jews.
          This took place near the Soviet city of Dubossary, September 14, 1941.

          The einsatzgruppen in numbers

          3000
          was the number of personel of the Einsatzgruppen

          Added with ± 43.000 auxiliary forces (mostly police) and locals

          2000000
          were mudered by the Einsatzgruppen

          Around 1.5 million and possibly over 2 million people died due to mass shootings or in gas vans

          700000
          by asphyxiation with carbon monoxide in gassing vans

          Gassing was considered and proved to be more economical and less aggravating for the SS.

          600
          in Eastern Europe were completely annihilated

          These villages were wiped off the map by the Einsatzgruppen.

          Exposed: Photographic evidence of Einsatzgruppen crimes

          Caution: Parental guidance is advised if your under age of 18!

          Haunting images depict the grim reality of the crimes committed by the Einsatzgruppen, mobile killing squads formed by Nazi Germany during World War II. In this images, uniformed members of the Einsatzgruppen are shown carrying out mass executions of innocent civilians, including men, women and children. 

          Ivangorod in 1942
          Einsatzgruppen murder Jews in near Kiev, Ukraine,
          An innocent mother protecting her child are being murdered by a member of the Einsatzgruppe near Ivanhorod in Ukraine. The photo was mailed from the Eastern Front to Germany and intercepted at a Warsaw post office by a member of the Polish resistance collecting documentation on Nazi war crimes.
          A group of civilians, likely Jews moments before execution.
          Šiauliai, Lithuania, in July 1941
          A firing squad of Einsaztgruppen men is aiming at the group.
          A group of civilians, likely Jews, as Einsatzgruppen primarily targeted Jewish communities, are seen standing at the edge of a trench, moments before execution.
          The condemned men were forced to dig their own graves before being killed.
          July 1941, in Šiauliai, Lithuania
          The execution process often extended over several days
          A subunit of Einsatzgruppe A carried out executions in Nazi-occupied Soviet territory. The condemned men were forced to dig their own graves before being killed.
          Jewish women and children are forced to undress before being executed
          Liepaja, Latvia
          Local auxiliaries gather Jewish children
          Jewish women and children are forced to undress before being executed by the Einsatzgruppen and local auxiliaries
          Innocent-men-are-being-murdered-at-point-blank-range-einsatzgruppen
          Kovno, Lithuania, 1942
          Einsatzgruppen and their auxiliaries commit murder
          Innocent men are being murdered at point blank range by the einsatzgruppen and their auxiliaries
          Mass execution of Soviet civilians, 1941
          Zhitomir, September 19, 1941
          Mass execution of Soviet civilians

          Men from an unidentified unit execute a group of Soviet civilians kneeling by the side of a mass grave

          Prisoners-were-forced-to-dig-their-own-graves-execution-of-Jews-around-1941
          Ponary forrest, Vilnius, 1941
          Digging a trench in which they were later buried
          Nazi killing squads and Lithuanian auxiliaires executed around 75.000 Jews from Vilna in the Ponary forest in the summer of 1941

          The Einsatzgruppen Trials

          Justice for the Nazi crimes and atrocities

          Following World War II, the Einsatzgruppen trials were held to bring to justice the leaders and members of the notorious Nazi death squads known as the Einsatzgruppen. Their trial was 'Case #9' of in total 12 other trials against the perpetrators of the Nazi regime.

          Conducted between September 29, 1947 and April 10, 1948 in Nuremberg, Germany, these trials were part of the broader Subsequent Nuremberg Trials organized by the United States. A total of 24 Einsatzgruppen leaders and key personnel were charged with war crimes, crimes against humanity and membership in a criminal organization.

          The trials resulted in multiple convictions, with sentences ranging from imprisonment to death. They played a crucial role in exposing the brutal realities of the Holocaust and established important legal precedents for prosecuting crimes against humanity. The Einsatzgruppen trials stand as a powerful reminder of the need for accountability and the pursuit of justice in the face of mass atrocities.

          Defendant Otto Ohlendorf formally pleads "not guilty".

          Defendant Otto Ohlendorf (standing behind the microphone) formally pleads "not guilty".

          Chief prosecutor Benjamin Berell Ferencz

          Benjamin Ferencz (March 11, 1920 – April 7, 2023) was honorably discharged on Christmas 1945 from the U.S. Army as a sergeant. Soon after returning to New York, he was recruited to join Telford Taylor’s legal team as a prosecutor, with the simulated rank of colonel for the Subsequent Nuremberg Trials.

          In early 1946, while examining documents near Berlin’s Tempelhof Airport, Ferencz uncovered detailed reports of the Einsatzgruppen’s mass murder of over one million people starting in June 1941. He flew to Nuremberg, demanding these crimes be prosecuted.

          Despite initial hesitation due to limited resources, Taylor appointed Ferencz Chief prosecutor of the Einsatzgruppen Trial, his first major case at the age of 27. All 24 indicted defendants were convicted; 13 received death sentences, with four executions carried out, among the last on German soil.

          Chief Prosecutor Benjamin Ferencz during the Einsatzgruppen Trial of the Subsequent Nuremberg Proceedings. 

          Chief Prosecutor Benjamin Ferencz during the Einsatzgruppen Trial (Case #9) of the Subsequent Nuremberg Proceedings. 

          Perpetrators and their sentences

          Heinz Jost

          Heinz Jost

          Commander of Einsatzgruppe A
          Life imprisonment
          Commuted to 10 years
          Released in December 1951
          Died in 1964
          Erich Naumann

          Erich Naumann

          Commander of Einsatzgruppe B
          Death by hanging
          Executed on June 7, 1951
          Otto Rasch

          Dr. Dr. Otto Rasch

          Commander of Einsatzgruppe C

          Case dropped
          Removed from trial for medical reasons
          Died on November 1, 1948

          Otto Ohlendorf

          Otto Ohlendorf

          Commander of Einsatzgruppe D
          Death by hanging
          Executed on June 7, 1951
          Willy Seibert

          Willy Seibert

          Deputy Commander Einsatzgruppen D
          Death by hanging
          Commuted to 15 years
          Released on May 14, 1954
          Died in 1976
          Heinz Schubert

          Heinz Schubert

          Adjutant to Ohlendorf
          Death by hanging
          Commuted to 10 years
          Released in December 1951
          Died in 1987
          Waldemar Klingelhöfer

          Waldemar Klingelhöfer

          Einsatzgruppe B
          Death by hanging
          Commuted to life imprisonment
          Released in December 1956
          Died in 1977
          Eugen Steimle

          Eugen Steimle

          Einsatzgruppe B & C
          Death by hanging
          Commuted to 20 years
          Released in June 1954
          Died in 1987
          Paul Blobel

          Paul Blobel

          Commander of Sonderkommando 4a
          Death by hanging
          Executed on June 7, 1951
          Waldemar von Radetzky

          Waldemar von Radetzky

          Deputy commander Sonderkommando 4a
          20 years in prison
          Released
          Died in 1990
          Walter Haensch

          Walter Haensch

          Commander of Sonderkommando 4b
          Death by hanging
          Commuted to 15 years
          Released in August 1955
          Died in 1994
          Walter Blume

          Walter Blume

          Commander of Sonderkommando 7a
          Death by hanging
          Commuted to 25 years
          Released in March 1955
          Died in 1974
          Adolf Ott

          Adolf Ott

          Commander of Sonderkommando 7b
          Death by hanging
          Commuted to life imprisonment
          Released on May 9, 1958
          Died in 1973
          Werner Braune

          Werner Braune

          Commander of Sonderkommando 11b
          Death bu hanging
          Executed on June 7, 1951
          Lothar Fendler

          Lothar Fendler

          Sonderkommando 4b
          10 years in prison
          Commuted to 8 years
          Released in March 1951
          Died in 1983
          Felix Rühl

          Felix Rühl

          Sonderkommando 10b
          10 years in prison
          Released
          Died in 1982
          Martin Sandberger

          Martin Sandberger

          Commander of Einsatzkommando 1a

          Death by hanging
          Commuted to life imprisonment
          Released on May 9, 1958
          Died in 2010

          Eduard Strauch

          Eduard Strauch

          Commander of Einsatzkommando 2

          Death by hanging
          Handed over to Belgian authorities
          Received another death sentence
          Died prior to execution on 11 September 1955

          Andreas Biberstein

          Ernst Biberstein

          Commander of Einsatzkommando 6
          Death by hanging
          Commuted to life imprisonment
          Released on May 9, 1958
          Died in 1986
          Erwin Schultz

          Erwin Schultz

          Commander of Einsatzkommando 12
          20 years in prison
          Commuted to 15 years
          Released on January 9, 1954
          Died in 1981
          Gustav Noske

          Gustav Noske

          Commander of Einsatzkommando 12

          Life imprisonment
          Commuted to 10 years
          Released in December 1951
          Died in 1986

          Matthias Graf

          Matthias Graf

          Einsatzkommando 6
          Time served
          From end of war to trial date
          Emil Haussmann

          Emil Haussmann

          Einsatzkommando 12
          Committed suicide before the
          arraignment on July 31, 1947
          Franz Six

          Franz Six

          Planned Einsatzgruppe occupation roles
          20 years in prison
          Commuted to 10 years
          Released in October 1952
          Died in 1975

          Limited justice after the Einsatzgruppen trial

          Of the 14 death sentences handed down during the Einsatzgruppen Trial, only four were ultimately carried out, including the executions of Otto Ohlendorf, Paul Blobel, Werner Braune, and Erich Naumann.

          During the 1950s, amid shifting political priorities in the early Cold War, many of the remaining sentences were commuted or reduced, allowing several convicted war criminals to eventually walk free. These men were not minor figures, they commanded mobile killing units responsible for the mass murder of tens of thousands, including the systematic extermination of entire Jewish communities across Eastern Europe. Despite the scale of their crimes, full justice was never served.
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