Soviet Jews and Red Army POW’s

International Jew Hitler’s Speech in 1941 “Inspirer of the world coalition against the German people” “Soviet Union was the great servant of Judaism” If Stalin can be seen on the stage in front of the curtain, behind it stand Kaganovich and all the other Jews, who in tens of thousands lead this powerful state

Jewish Populations Heaviest concentration of Jews lived in the Western areas of the USSR 5,000,000 Jewish people in Russia When Russian annexed territory they added to the Jewish population

Nazi S.S. (Schutzstaffel) Started out as a small protection force Grew into a large paramilitary force Waffen SS Translates to protection squadron or defence forces Members chosen on racial quality and loyalty to Hitler Operated in conjunction with the regular army

Einsatzgruppen Mobile SS killing units They followed closely behind the panzers Einszkommandos Task forces The numbers were very small, only about 3000 at the start of the operation The original role was not to kill Jews but to destroy Soviet Political leadership When this was deemed impossible they switched tasks

Initial Stage of the Genocide Young males were targeted Whole communities were not destroyed initially It was not until the end of September that communities were targeted

Second Stage of the Massacre Germans would now kill regardless of gender or age Would go to homes and communities Mass graves During the invasion of the Soviet Union in June 1941, the Einsatzgruppen followed the German army as it advanced deep into Soviet territory. The Einsatzgruppen, often drawing on local civilian and police support, carried out mass-murder operatDuring theinvasion of the Soviet Union in June 1941, the Einsatzgruppen followed the German army as it advanced deep into Soviet territory. The Einsatzgruppen, often drawing on local civilian and police support, carried out mass-murder operations. In contrast to the methods later instituted of deporting Jews from their own towns and cities or from ghetto settings to killing centers, Einsatzgruppen came directly to the home communities of Jews and massacred them.ions. In contrast to the methods later instituted of deporting Jews from their own towns and cities or from ghetto settings to killing centers, Einsatzgruppen came directly to the home communities of Jews and massacred them.

In the community Local informants Collecting points Marched towards the killing sites Often, people being executed had to dig their own graves Which were just massive pits in the ground Shooting was the most common form of killing But soon it was recognized that this had a negative effect on the German soldiers So the Gas Truck was developed

Gas Van The result was the gas van, a mobile gas chamber surmounted on the chassis of a cargo truck which employed carbon monoxide from the truck's exhaust to kill its victims. Gas vans made their first appearance on the eastern front in late fall 1941, and were eventually utilized, along with shooting, to murder Jews and other victims in most areas where the Einsatzgruppen operated.

Babii Iar Massacre September 1941 Kiev 30, 000 Jews were massacred By 1941, the focus and function of the Einsatzgruppen had changed significantly. With the initiation of Operation Barbarossa, Germany's assault on the Soviet Union, the mobile killing units operated over a wide area of Eastern Europe from the Baltic to the Black Sea. There were four main divisions of the Einsatzgruppen -- Groups A, B, C and D. These groups, all under Heydrich's general command, operated just behind the advancing German troops eliminating "undesirables: political "criminals," Polish governmental officials, gypsies and, mostly, Jews. Jews were rounded up in every village, transported to a wooded area, or a ravine (either natural or constructed by Jewish labor). They (men, women and children) were stripped, shot and buried. Sachar provides a description of one of the most brutal mass exterminations — at a ravine named "Babi Yar," near the Ukrainian city of Kiev:Kiev ... contained a Jewish population of 175,000 on the eve of the Nazi invasion of the Soviet Union in 1941. The Nazi forces captured the city in mid-September; within less than a fortnight, on the 29th. and 30th., nearly 34,000 Jews of the ghetto were brought to a suburban ravine known as Babi Yar, near the Jewish Cemetery, where men, women, and children were systematically machine-gunned in a two-day orgy of execution. In subsequent months, most of the remaining population was exterminated.This, the most appalling massacre of the war, is often alluded to as a prime example of utter Jewish helplessness in the face of disaster. But even the few desperate attempts, almost completely futile, to strike back served as a reminder that the difference between resistance and submission depended very largely upon who was in possession of the arms that back up the will to do or die. The Jews in their thousands, with such pathetic belongings as they could carry, were herded into barbed-wire areas at the top of the ravine, guarded by Ukrainian collaborators. There they were stripped of their clothes and beaten, then led in irregular squads down the side of the ravine. The first groups were forced to lie on the ground, face down, and were machine-gunned by the Germans who kept up a steady volley.The riddled bodies were covered with thin layers of earth and the next groups were ordered to lie over them, to be similarly dispatched. To carry out the murder of 34,000 human beings in the space of two days could not assure that all the victims had died. Hence there were a few who survived and, though badly wounded, managed to crawl from under the corpses and seek a hiding place.After the main massacre, the site was converted into a more permanent camp to which thousands of victims from other parts of the Ukraine could be sent for extermination. It became known as the Syrets camp, taking its name from a nearby Kiew neighborhood. Several hundred selected prisoners were quartered there -- carpenters, shoemakers, tailors, and other artisans — to serve the needs of the SS men and the Ukrainian guards. They were usually killed within a few weeks and replaced by others who continued their duties. In charge of the administration and ultimate killing was Paul von Radomski, who seemed to crave a reputation for outdoing his sadist colleagues in other camps.

Dealing with Soviet POW’s “This enemy is made up not of soldiers, but for the most part only of animals” Millions of prisoners of war taken by the Germans throughout the war A quarter of all the USSR’s military deaths came from soldiers who died in captivity

Pre-planned Extermination “War of ideology” Shooting Soviet political commissars on the spot This was in line with Hitler's plan that the war was to completely eradicate communism in Russia

First use of poison gas Gas was used for the first time by the Nazis against Soviet POW’s at Auschwitz in 1941

Conditions for prisoners The German POW regime was extremely brutal and extremely negligent Conditions prevailed in which millions of Soviet captives died Blames lies entirely with the German Army

Capture Most Russians who were captured were already in a weakened state Many were wounded Force marched to camps Stragglers were shot

Transit Camps (Dulags) Soveit prisoners put into an encllosure of barbed wire Told to dig their own shelters

Conditions Food supplies were extremely low Starvation, epidemics and cold killed a high percentage of Russian soldiers Men became part of a forced labour crew By the end of the war only 930,000 survivors were in camps Half of the 2 million were involved in labour for the Germans

Sinister twist Interesting how the Soviets treated their own soldiers Red Army Regulations forbade surrender Stalin’s Order 270, 1941

Infiltration Camps Soviet POW’s were sent to camps after there release Screening was carried out to determine if soldiers were traitors Many men were sent to Gulags or work camps

Treatment of Prisoners back home 1, 550, 000 prisoners were sent to back to their homes They were treated with suspicion Restrictions on where they could live Restriction on the jobs they could have

Apologies After the death of Stalin, apologies were made to the prisoners “removal of their moral oppression of mistrust, the rehabilitation of those who had been illegally condemned, and the end of restriction in relation to former POW’s”