Operational Situation Report USSR No. 156
The Chief of the Security Police and the SD Berlin, January
16, 1942
65 copies
51st copy
Einsatzgruppe A
Location: Krasnogvardeisk
Situation of Security Police work
Arrests
The following were arrested:
41 Communist officials or members of Communist organizations
11 escaped prisoners of war
1 person for insulting the German Reich
1 person for manipulating Jewish property
1 person based on information in the secret file
2 persons for the purpose of examination of personal data
1 Politruk, and
3 Russian prisoners of war were transferred to the camp from the Stalag
[prisoner of war camp] for instigating rebellion.
13 foreigner (Russians and Poles) who had entered Latvia after June 17, 1940
were interned.
In the course of the action against the illegal Communist organization in
Riga, the number of arrested persons has risen to 115. A hand-grenade was
found in the possession of one of the arrested people and secured. No
special events were recorded during the inquiries. The action is not yet
concluded.
On December 1, 1941, a Russian pilot who had made a forced landing was
arrested 40 km from Modohn. He had been ordered to pick out a suitable
landing site for [partisan] parachutists. Another partisan was arrested by
the Auxiliary Police in Daugavpils.
Shootings
During the period covered by this report, the following were shot by order
of a summary court:
in Libau.........................20 Communists
.......................................1 Jew
in Modohn....................28 Communists
in Yakobstadt.................1 Communist
totaling.........................50 persons
The total to date in the area of Einsatzkommando 2 comes to 33,970.
On November 30, 1941, 10,600 Jews were shot in Riga. The action was led by
the Higher SS and Police Chief. One officer and 20 men of Einsatzkommando
took part.
Libau
In the period November 29 to December 4, 1941, 18 formerly active members of
a Communist organization were arrested in the local district. At present,
there are 469 political prisoners in the prisons of Libau, of these, 219 in
the concentration camp.
Because of political agitation at their place of work, three released
Ukrainian prisoners of war were arrested. The Ukrainians work in closed work
units. The arrested persons sang Communist songs and gave inciting speeches.
A rumor is spread among the population that the Americans together with the
Swedes are preparing to land troops on the coast of Kurland [Latvia]. This
is to occur before Christmas. The rumor obviously stems from Jewish
quarters. According to some information, it is assumed that the workers
refuse to work for this reason. It is explained that it makes no sense to
earn money which will probably be valueless in a short time.
The pamphlet "Latvia" No. 1 has again appeared in the district of Libau. The
pamphlet was sent from Riga by mail to the dairy cooperative in Ezere.
Einsatzgruppe C
Location: Kiev
The Jewish question in Kharkov
At the moment discussions are being conducted with a view to the most
thorough registration of the Jews. According to experience gained so far,
the lines between the saboteurs and the partisans are mainly being kept open
by the Jewish segment of the population of Kharkov. The registration of all
Jews would seem to indicate a considerable contribution to the solution of
the partisan problem in this area. In agreement with the authorized Army HQ
(1) and the Field Kommandatur, preliminary steps to a major action against
the Jews are to be taken by SK 4a, as soon as arrangements for the
accommodation of the Kommando has been made.
Activity of Teilkommando SK 4a in Poltava
On November 17, 1941, Teilkommando SK 4a took over the arrangements of the
proceedings left behind by SK 4b. Future cooperation with the Security
Service, Secret Military Police, Field Gendarmerie, the German police and
local Kommando was outlined in a meeting with militia organized in Poltava.
In this context the so-called political department of the Poltavian
Ukrainian militia was dissolved. In the period ending November 20, 1941,
quite a number of arrested Communists were interrogated and most of them
were shot.
A major Jewish action took place on November 23, 1941, after the Jewish
population, on the previous day, had been requested by means of posters to
assemble. In all, 1,538 Jews were shot. Their clothing was handed over to
the mayor of Poltava who gave special priority to ethnic Germans when
distributing it.
Activity of Teilkommando SK 4a in Lubny
On November 18, 1941, the Teilkommando of SK 4a at Lubny took over the
evaluation of the NKVD files left behind by the Vorkommando as well as the
handling of current correspondence.
Together with the Ukrainian militia set up in Lubny, it was possible, with
the aid of the acquired files, to arrest a considerable number of NKVD
agents and several leading Communists. 34 agents and Communists, and 73 Jews
were shot.
The total number of people shot by Sonderkommando 4a as of November 30,
1941, was 59,018.
Einsatzkommando 5 has, up to December 7, 1941, shot 36,147 people. Of this
number, during the period November 23 through 30, 1941.
64 political functionaries
46 saboteurs and looters
2,615 Jews
were shot. During the period December 1 through 7, 1941, EK 5 shot
60 political functionaries
47 saboteurs
1,417 Jews.
SK 4b had to limit its activity again to work in the places that it passed
through during the march toward Kramaetorskya. According to the information
gathered so far, active partisan activity has to be counted upon in the new
location. While communist elements appear to exist in respectable numbers,
it could generally be noted that the Jews living in towns occupied by SK 4b
in the environs of Kramaetorskya is estimated to be no more than 1,500.
During the search for suspicious elements, the
mayor of Kremenchug, Vershovsky, was arrested and shot. He frequently
managed to carry out his duties in gross defiance of German orders and
wishes that were well known to him. In his order of September 28, 1941, he
succeeded in sabotaging the handling of the Jewish problem by having a great
number of Jews baptized in order to remove them from German control.
Einsatzkommando 6
During the period November 24 through 30, 1941, EK 6 carried out 274
shootings. This figure includes:
19 political functionaries
29 saboteurs and looters and
226 Jews
Up to November 12, 1941, EK 6 shot 800 of a total of 1160 mentally deficient
patients of the Igrin mental hospital near Dniepropetrovsk.
Einsatzgruppe D
Location: Simferopol
On November 23, 1941, towards 16:00 hours, partisans shot at an army convoy,
9 km north-west of Alushta, on its way to Yalta with guns and
grenade-throwers. The Army suffered the following casualties: eight dead and
six wounded. In addition, three trucks were so badly damaged that they had
to be towed away. In reprisal 32 Communists and 30 Jews from Bium-Lambat and
Alushta were shot on November 21, 1941.
Sources: NARA Translations by Hermann Feuer
Copyright: H.E.A.R.T 2008 |