Synopsis
From the mid-1300's most Jews were living in
a segment of eastern European territory known as the "Pale of
the Settlement." By the 1900's there were about 7 million Jews living in this area that was also known to be bounded by Germany. Anti-semitism was occurring in Poland. Jews were not acknowledged as citizens/Poles. However, Nazi Germans became defined as a race.
The Nazis invaded Poland in September 1, 1939 and devastated the presence of Jews in Poland. After the invasion, Heinrich Himmler was elected to strengthen the Germans so he created a task forces within the SS, the Einsatzgruppen, and they were placed under the leadership of Reinhard Heydrich. Heydrich decided to take measures to limit the amount of Jews and the Einsatzgruppen became known as mobile killing units commanded to eliminate political enemies. The mobile killing units were estimated to have silenced and buried 1.4 million lives before the end of the war in 1945.
The Nazis invaded Poland in September 1, 1939 and devastated the presence of Jews in Poland. After the invasion, Heinrich Himmler was elected to strengthen the Germans so he created a task forces within the SS, the Einsatzgruppen, and they were placed under the leadership of Reinhard Heydrich. Heydrich decided to take measures to limit the amount of Jews and the Einsatzgruppen became known as mobile killing units commanded to eliminate political enemies. The mobile killing units were estimated to have silenced and buried 1.4 million lives before the end of the war in 1945.
Einsatzgruppen: Mobile Killing UnitsEinsatzgruppen was a squad made up of German SS and Police Personnel. Their task was to eliminate anyone perceived to be political enemies. The Einsatzgruppen murdered thousands of of residents of institutions for the mentally and physically disabled. The murder of millions was thought to be one of the first steps of "The solution" which was a Nazi program to murder all European Jews.
During an invasion of the Soviet Union in June 1941, Einsatzgruppen trailed the German Army into Soviet territory. Through the support of local civilians and police, Einsatzgruppen was able to carry out mass murder. Soon, new methods of murder were carried out by the Einsatzgruppen and Jews were deported and taken directly from their homes and towns or from ghettos and were transported to killing camps. Einsatzgruppen would walk into a Jewish community and murder on a large scale. The German army provided for the Einsatzgruppen by giving supplies, transportation, housing and sometimes manpower. At first the Einsatzgruppen targeted mainly Jewish men but by late summer 1941 the mobile killing units massacred Jewish men, women, and children regardless of age or sex and they were buried in large graves. Sometimes the Jews were literally forced to dig their own grave and strip themselves of clothes and belongings before standing or lying down in the whole they dug for themselves, waiting to be shot. |
Although shooting victims was a very common technique for eliminating Jews, Heinrich Himmler, the leader of Einsatsgruppen noticed that the shooting of thousands was taking a psychological toll on his men so he came up with new ways to dispose of Jews. The gas van was made to provide such a way of killing Jews. The gas van was a gas chamber surmounted on a cargo truck which let off carbon monoxide into the chamber where the Jews were held to kill them. Gas vans made an appearance first on the eastern front in late fall of 1941 and were quickly mass produced to be used as mobile killing units along with guns.
Following the German Army into the Soviet Union, the Einsatzgruppen was composed of four battalion sized groups named Einsatzgruppe. Each EInsatzgruppe fanned out in a certain area to carry out the massacre of Jews all across the country. They received much support from the Germans and Axis soldiers along with local collaborators and other SS units.
By Spring of 1943, the Einsatzgruppen murdered over a million Soviet Jews, political commissars, partisans,, Roma, and disabled people.
Following the German Army into the Soviet Union, the Einsatzgruppen was composed of four battalion sized groups named Einsatzgruppe. Each EInsatzgruppe fanned out in a certain area to carry out the massacre of Jews all across the country. They received much support from the Germans and Axis soldiers along with local collaborators and other SS units.
By Spring of 1943, the Einsatzgruppen murdered over a million Soviet Jews, political commissars, partisans,, Roma, and disabled people.