[1]

[2]
Einsatzgruppen
(Germanfor"
taskforces
",
"deploymentgroups"
singular
Einsatzgruppe
official
fullname
EinsatzgruppenderSicherheitspolizeiunddesSD
)were
Schutzstaffel
(SS)
paramilitary
deathsquads
of
NaziGermany
thatwere
responsibleformasskillings,primarilyby
shooting,during
WorldWarII
.The
Einsatzgruppen
wereinvolvedinthemurderofmuchof
the
intelligentsia
andculturaleliteofPoland,andhadanintegralroleintheimplementationof
the
FinalSolution
ofthe
Jewishquestion
(
DieEndlsungderJudenfrage
)interritoriesconqueredby
NaziGermany.
Almostallofthepeopletheykilledwerecivilians,beginningwiththeintelligentsia
andswiftlyprogressingtoSoviet
politicalcommissars
,
Jews
,and
Gypsies
throughoutEastern
Europe.

Underthedirectionof
ReichsfhrerSS

HeinrichHimmler
andthesupervisionof
SS
Obergruppenfhrer

ReinhardHeydrich
,the
Einsatzgruppen
operatedinterritoriesoccupiedby
the
Germanarmedforces
followingthe
invasionofPoland
inSeptember1939and
Operation
Barbarossa
(theinvasionoftheSovietUnion)inJune1941.
The
Einsatzgruppen
worked
handinhandwiththe
OrpoPoliceBattalions
ontheEasternFronttocarryoutoperationsranging
fromthemurderofafewpeopletooperationswhichlastedovertwoormoredays,suchasthe
massacreat
BabiYar
with33,771Jewskilledintwodays,
andthe
Rumbulamassacre
(withabout
25,000killedintwodaysofshooting).AsorderedbyNazileader
AdolfHitler
,
the
Wehrmacht
cooperatedwiththe
Einsatzgruppen
andprovidedlogisticalsupportfortheir
operations.Historian
RaulHilberg
estimatesthat
between1941and1945the
Einsatzgruppen
and
relatedauxiliarytroopskilledmorethantwomillionpeople,including1.3millionJews.
Thetotal
numberofJewsmurderedduring
theHolocaust
isestimatedat5.5to6millionpeople.
AfterthecloseofWorldWarII,24seniorleadersofthe
Einsatzgruppen
wereprosecutedin
the
EinsatzgruppenTrial
in194748,chargedwith
crimesagainsthumanity
and
warcrimes
.
Fourteendeathsentencesandtwolifesentenceswerehandedout.Four
additional
Einsatzgruppe
leaderswerelatertriedandexecutedbyothernations.

FormationandActionT4
The
Einsatzgruppen
wereformedunderthedirectionofSS
Obergruppenfhrer
ReinhardHeydrich
andoperatedbythe
Schutzstaffel
(SS)beforeandduring
WorldWarII
.[3]
The
Einsatzgruppen
hadits
originsintheadhoc
Einsatzkommando
formedbyHeydrichtosecuregovernmentbuildingsand
[4]
documentsfollowingthe
Anschluss
in
Austria
inMarch1938.
Originallypartof
the
Sicherheitspolizei
(SecurityPoliceSiPo),twounitsof
Einsatzgruppen
werestationedin
the
Sudetenland
inOctober1938.Whenmilitaryactionturnedoutnottobenecessarybecauseof
the
MunichAgreement
,the
Einsatzgruppen
wereassignedtoconfiscategovernmentpapersand
policedocuments.Theyalsosecuredgovernmentbuildings,questionedseniorcivilservants,and
[4]
[5]
arrestedasmanyas10,000CzechcommunistsandGermancitizens.
FromSeptember1939,
the
Reichssicherheitshauptamt
(ReichMainSecurityOfficeRSHA)hadoverallcommandof
the
Einsatzgruppen
.[6]

AspartofthedrivetoremoveundesirableelementsfromtheGermanpopulation,fromSeptemberto
December1939the
Einsatzgruppen
andotherstookpartin
ActionT4
,aprogrammeofsystematic
murderofthephysicallyandmentallyhandicappedandpsychiatrichospitalpatientsundertakenby
theNaziregime.ActionT4mainlytookplacefrom1939to1941,butcontinueduntiltheendofthe

war.Initiallythevictimswereshotbythe
Einsatzgruppen
andothers,but
gaschambers
wereputinto
[7]
usebyspring1940.

InvasionofPoland
Mainarticles:
Intelligenzaktion
and
OperationTannenberg

ExecutionofPolesin
Krnik
,20October1939

Inresponseto
FhrerundReichskanzler

AdolfHitler
'splanto
invadePoland
,Heydrichreformed
[8]
the
Einsatzgruppen
totravelinthewakeoftheGermanarmies
.
Membershipatthispointwas
[9]
drawnfromtheSS,the
Sicherheitsdienst
(SecurityServiceSD),andthepolice.
Heydrichplaced
SS
Obergruppenfhrer

WernerBest
incommand,whochoseleadersforthetaskforcesandtheir
subgroups,called
Einsatzkommandos
,fromamongeducatedpeoplewithmilitaryexperience.Some
hadpreviouslybeenmembersofparamilitarygroupssuchasthe
Freikorps
.[10]

[10]
Numberingsome2,700menatthispoint,
the
Einsatzgruppen
'smissionwastheforceful
depoliticisationofthePolishpeopleandtheeliminationofgroupsmostclearlyidentifiedwithPolish
nationalidentity:theintelligentsia,membersoftheclergy,teachers,andmembersofthe
[9]
[11]
nobility.
AsstatedbyHitler:"...theremustbenoPolishleaderswherePolishleadersexistthey
[12]
mustbekilled,howeverharshthatsounds".
The
SonderfahndungsbuchPolen
listsofpeopleto
[9]
bekilledhadbeendrawnupbytheSSasearlyasMay1939.
The
Einsatzgruppen
performed
thesemurderswiththesupportofthe
VolksdeutscherSelbstschutz
,aparamilitarygroupconsisting
[13]
ofethnicGermanslivinginPoland.MembersoftheSS,the
Wehrmacht
,and
the
Ordnungspolizei
(OrderPoliceOrpo)alsoshotciviliansduringthePolish
[14]
campaign.
Approximately65,000civilianswerekilledbytheendof1939.Inadditiontoleadersof
Polishsociety,theykilledJews,prostitutes,
Romanipeople
,andthementallyill.Psychiatricpatients
[15]
[16]
inPolandwereinitiallykilledbyshooting,butbyspring1941
gasvans
werewidelyused.

Seven
Einsatzgruppen
ofbattalionstrengthoperatedinPoland.Eachwassubdividedinto
[17]
four
Einsatzkommandos
ofcompanystrength.

Einsatzgruppe
I,commandedbySS
Standartenfhrer

BrunoStreckenbach
,actedwith
14th
Army

Einsatzgruppe
II,SS
Obersturmbannfhrer

EmanuelSchfer
,actedwith
10thArmy

Einsatzgruppe
III,SS
ObersturmbannfhrerundRegierungsrat
Dr.HerbertFischer,acted
with
8thArmy

Einsatzgruppe
IV,SS
Brigadefhrer

LotharBeutel
,actedwith
4thArmy

Einsatzgruppe
V,SS
Standartenfrer

ErnstDamzog
,actedwith
3rdArmy

Einsatzgruppe
VI,SS
Oberfhrer

ErichNaumann
,actedin
Wielkopolska

Einsatzgruppe
VII,SS
Obergruppenfhrer

UdovonWoyrsch
andSS
Gruppenfhrer

Otto
[17]
Rasch
,actedin
UpperSilesia
and
CieszynSilesia

Thoughtheywereformallyunderthecommandofthearmy,the
Einsatzgruppen
receivedtheir
[18]
[19]
ordersdirectlyfromHeydrichandforthemostpartactedindependentlyofthearmy.
Manysenior
armyofficerswereonlytoogladtoleavethesegenocidalactionstothetaskforces,asthekillings
violatedtherulesofwarfareassetdowninthe
GenevaConventions
.However,Hitlerhaddecreed
thatthearmywouldhavetotolerateandevenofferlogisticalsupporttothe
Einsatzgruppen
whenit
wastacticallypossibletodoso.Somearmycommanderscomplainedaboutunauthorisedshootings,
looting,andrapescommittedbymembersofthe
Einsatzgruppen
andthe
Volksdeutscher
[20]
Selbstschutz
,tolittleeffect.
Forexample,when
Generaloberst

JohannesBlaskowitz
senta
memorandumofcomplainttoHitlerabouttheatrocities,Hitlerdismissedhisconcernsas"childish",
andBlaskowitzwasrelievedofhispostinMay1940.Hecontinuedtoserveinthearmybutnever
receivedpromotionto
fieldmarshal
.[21]

Thefinaltaskofthe
Einsatzgruppen
inPolandwastorounduptheremainingJewsandconcentrate
themin
ghettos
withinmajorcitieswithgoodrailwayconnections.Theintentionwastoeventually
removealltheJewsfromPoland,butatthispointtheirfinaldestinationhadnotyetbeen
[22]
[23]
determined.
Together,theWehrmachtandthe
Einsatzgruppen
alsodrovetensofthousandsof
Jewseastwardinto
Sovietcontrolledterritory
.[14]