Holocaust Education & Archive Research Team

 

Einsatzgrϋppen


 

Einsatzgruppen Operational Situational Reports 

[ OSR's #8 - #195 ]

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Operational Situation Report USSR No. 119


 

The Chief of the Security Police and the SD Berlin,
 

October 20, 1941

50 copies
------------------
36th copy


Einsatzgruppe C

Location: Kiev

Security Police measures

According to observations made by Einsatzkommando 5, the last few weeks a large number of Jews from the near and far have gathered in Uman. The population of Uman before the outbreak of the war was about 55,000; about 10,000 of these were Jews. In spite of large departures of Jews originally living in Uman after the outbreak of the war, due to [new] migration, the number has been reported at about 8,000.

A good intelligence net was discovered among the Jews of Uman. Information about the events at the front and behind was passed by the Jews not only to their coreligionists, but also to the Ukrainian population. They received very quickly information about actions against Jews in the vicinity A two-day action was agreed upon in order to combat this source of danger in Uman.

 

On September 21, 1941, contrary to the plan, excesses were perpetrated against the Jews by members of the militia with participation of numerous German soldiers. During these events, Jewish apartments were completely demolished and robbed of all utensils and valuables. In this action, German soldiers also participated.

 

Spot checks of the apartments of militia members which were undertaken immediately after arrival in Uman of a platoon of Einsatzkommando 5 were without any result. Naturally, the systematic action of Einsatzkommando 5 suffered greatly by these excesses against the Jews in Uman. In particular, a large number of the Jews were now forewarned and escaped from the city.

Besides numerous Jews, many of the Ukrainian officials and activists still living in Uman were warned by the excesses, and only two co-workers of the NKVD were found and liquidated. The results [i.e., damage] of these excesses were cleaned up immediately by Einsatzkommando 5 [shortly] after its arrival. In the remainder [of the action], 1,412 Jews were executed by Einsatzkommando 5 in Uman on September 22 and 23, 1941. The South Armies Group was informed about the part played by the Wehrmacht in the anti-Jewish excesses.

 

13 Ukrainian members of the Communist Party and 35 Jews, among them the village council, who continuously spread rumors about the retreat of German troops, frightening and alarming the population, were shot by Einsatzkommando 5 in Yustunerad on September 19, 1941. Two Ukrainians who asked the population to destroy all machines, to drive off cattle, and to destroy grain supplies, were arrested by the militia in Volodarka and handed over to Einsatzkommando 5 and executed.

 

One of these Ukrainians was a leader of the village council and a party member since 1939. The other was a schoolteacher, candidate for the Party, and agitator from the county economic office. Two more Ukrainians (both candidates for the Party), who actively participated in the destruction of farm-machinery and the driving off of cattle (which took place before the entry of the German troops), were executed in Tychy-Chutor by Einsatzkommando 5 on September 23.

 

One more Ukrainian in the same town, who kept the population under continuous pressure by rumors that the Red troops were likely to return soon, was likewise taken care of On September 14,1941, in Cherepin, the same Einsatzkommando executed two kolkhoz leaders (Ukrainians), and a half-Jew, a member of the Komsomol. After the departure of the Red Army and under threat of the death penalty, they ordered the other kolkhoz workers o destroy machines and grain supplies.

 

'The leader of the village council (Ukrainian) in Shuralivka, who, according to his own testimony, deported 15 persons to Siberia during his time in office, was executed. Furthermore, the former mayor of the town and 13 more male Jews and three Jewesses were finished off. In Tsybulov, where there are 3,000 inhabitants, the Jews comprise about 3% of the population. They were particularly insolent to the Ukrainian population. Therefore, on September 25, 1941, 78 Jews were shot.

 

An action against the Jews was carried out on October 4, 1941, in Pereyaslav by the Vorkommando of Sonderkommando 4a with the aid of reliable Ukrainian men. A total of 537 Jews (men, women and adolescents) were apprehended and liquidated. The Ukrainian population and the Wehrmacht looked upon this action with satisfaction. On October 8, 1941, the town of Yagotin was searched by Sonderkommando 4a for, suspicious elements. In this action 125 Jews were apprehended and liquidated. An action was carried out in Ivankov on September 19, 1941, by Sonderkommando 4a with the aid of the militia, in which 168 persons were apprehended and liquidated.

 

In the same town, a search for Communists took place on September 21, 1941. One woman Communist, the leader of a "secret department," was arrested and executed. On the same day, 29 more Jews were shot. The local military command in Korosten reported that meetings of farmers in surrounding villages were interrupted or dispersed, and the perpetrators are mainly Jews. In the following action by Sonderkommando 4a, a total of 177 Jews were checked and then executed because it was demonstrated conclusively that they caused a series of unbearable disturbances.

 

On September 13,1941, three adolescents aged 13,14 and 17 were apprehended in Radomyshi by Sonderkommando 4a and accused of active espionage. By order of a Russian captain, they were to penetrate the German lines in order to determine the strength and type of troops, their equipment, and their weapons. They reported their observations to the Russian captain stationed in Irpin. On the trip from Vyrna to Dederov, a Gypsy band of 32 persons was stopped by Sonderkommando 4a.

 

During the search of their wagons German pieces of equipment were found. Since this band did not have any [identification] papers, and since they did not have any explanation for the origin of the goods, they were executed. On September 15, 1941, Einsatzkommando 5 performed another action in Boguslav because, according to reliable reports, partisans and parachutists were cared for by Jews. As a result of the execution of 322 Jews and 13 Communist officials, the town is now free of Jews.

 

Also, in Koshevatoye, partisans and parachutists were allegedly sheltered by Jews. Thus, all the Jews of this town were also liquidated by Einsatzkommando 5. Kiev On October 1 and 2, 1941, the men of Kiev who were fit for army service were registered by the city Kommandatur. In order to examine their personal data, etc., the Einsatzkommando 5 put suitable men at the disposal of the interrogators. Thus, a total of 15 persons were arrested, of these one Jewess, one politruk, and 13 members of the Russian army. The Jewess and the politruk were executed after intensive investigation. The 13 Russian soldiers were handed over to the field gendarmery for transfer to a prisoner-of-war camp.


 


 

 

Sources:

 

NARA

Translations by Hermann Feuer

   

 

 

 

Copyright: H.E.A.R.T  2007

     

 

Remember Me  |   Special Thanks   |   Holocaust Links   |   Publications

© 2010  H.E.A.R.T  All Rights Reserved.