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Martin Cüppers
Nazi policy of extermination in the Soviet Union 1941-1944
Dimension and perpetrators
Prepara&ons• Hitler21.7.1940instruc&ontoWehrmachtcommandersforprepara&onsforwaragainstSovietUnion;planningas"Blitzkrieg“.
• Subsequently,extensivenego&a&onsbetweentheWehrmachtandtheSSinordertoreachbroadagreement.
• AseriesofcriminalordersfromtheWehrmachtmarkthecharacteroftheforthcomingcampaign.– „Kriegsgerichtsbarkeitserlass“,13.5.1941– „RichtlinienüberdasVerhaltenderTruppeinRussland“,19.5.1941
– „RichtlinienzurBehandlungpoli&scherKommissare“,6.6.1941• Inaddi&on,the"HungerPlan"providedthatmany"10millionpeople"woulddieasaresultoftheexploita&onofthecountry,whichwasconsiderednecessaryforwar.
• Racistandan&-Semi&corienta&onwasanintegralpartoftheen&rewarfare.
• Thisalsosystema&callyabolishedthedis&nc&onbetweenmilitaryopera&onsandmurderousoccupa&onpolicy.
Consequences
• 27millionvic&msontheSovietside
• 8,4millionRedArmysoldierskilledincombat• 15millioncivilianskilled
50,000capturedRedArmysoldiersatMilerovoinMay1942withoutfood
ThefateofSovietprisonersofwar
• Atotalofabout5.7millionRedArmysoldiersinGermancap&vityasprisonersofwar.
• 3.3milliondiedun<heendofthewar,i.e.nearly58percent.
• Vic&msofinsufficientsupply,butalsoshoo&ngs,countlessexcesses.
Ø MassmortalityendedwiththefailureoftheGerman"Blitzkrieg"strategyandtheneedforforcedlaborersforthewareconomy.
Oerbke1941,inscripBon„deathcandidate“,
InGermancap&vityasprisonersofwardied:
• DuringWorldWarI-1,434,000Russiansoldiers-5,4%
• DuringWorldWarII-232,000Bri&shandUSsoldiers-3,6%
• DuringWorldWarII-5,700,000RedArmysoldiers-57,9%
VicBmsofthefamineblockadeinLeningrad
Leningrad
• EnclosureofthecitybyHeeresgruppeNordinSeptember1941.
• Atthat&metherewereabout3millionpeopleinthecity.
• Systema&cGermanblockade,preven&onofeverypossiblesupply,preven&onofescapeacempts.
• Dura&onoftheblockadeun&l18.1.1944,almost900days.
Ø Totalnumberofdeathses&matedatabout1millionpeople
Nazistarva&onpolicyandthe"par&sanwarfare"
• Millionsofothervic&msamongtheSovietcivilianpopula&onasaresultofsystema&cfooddepriva&on
• Asaconsequenceofthecon&nuouslyradicalized"par&sanwarfare"– hundredsofvillagesexterminated– hundredsofthousandsofciviliansshottodeath
DeportaBonofcivilianpopulaBonthroughWaffenSS,1943
AunitoftheWaffenSSburnsdownavillage,1943
Murderousforceddisplacement7-12/1943
Nazi"euthanasia",murderoftheRoma
• Atotalofabout17,000pa&entsofpsychiatrichospitalsintheGerman-occupiedterritoriesoftheSovietUnionwereshotorsuffocatedingasvans.
• Ofenatthesame&measthekillingofJewsintheSovietUnion,SSandpoliceunitsmurderedabout30,000Roma.
ShoahintheSovietUnion
• Thousandsofshoo&ngs• Rangefromafewvic&mstotheNazirepor&ngof33,771peopleshotinBabynJar,Kiev
• Totalnumberofvic&ms2.4million
˃ Newresearchandmedia&onapproachesprovidemoredetailedknowledgeofthedimension
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ShooBngsquadofsecuritypoliceandSD
Protagonistsoftheextermina&onpolicy
• 3,000membersofthefour“Einsatzgruppen”,SipoandSD• 194259BataillonsOrderPolice• DivisionsandthreeBrigadesWaffenSS• Wehrmachtwithmul&plesupportandwithunitssuchasthe707.InfantryDivisiondirectlyinvolved.
• ThousandsofofficialswithintheNaziciviladministra&on.• Bytheendof1942,300,000na&vesupportersin„Schutzmannschafen“
Ø Severalhundredthousandpeopledirectlyinvolved
PropagandacallforfemaleSSvolunteers
Women'spar&cipa&on
• In1945,theGestapoheadquartersinBerlinandViennahadreached40%femalestaff.
• Approximately2,400femaleSSvolunteersworkedasstaffandmessagingassistantsintheWaffenSS.
• Approximately10,000womenworkedinthecivilianadministra&onoftheGermanoccupiedSovietUnion.
• Thousandsofwivesaccompaniedtheirhusbands.totheGerman-occupiedEast.
SS-Stubaf.GustavLombard,SScavalryregiment1:
• “The‘Entjudung’(De-Jewifica&on’)ofthespaceallocatedtothesquadronspar&cularlyextendstothevillagesofChomsk,Motol,Telechany,SwietaWolkaandHancewicze.”
SS-Stubaf.FranzMagill,SScavalryregiment2
• “Drivingwomenandchildrenintotheswampsdidnothavethesuccessitwassupposedtohave,becausetheswampswerenotsodeepthattheycouldsinkin.Aferadepthof1metre,inmostcases,onecametofirmground(probablysand),sothatsinkingwasnotpossible.”
• Stubaf.FranzMagill:MurderofmenandboysØ Redeployment
• Stubaf.Lombard:"Entjudung"ofhisopera&onalareaØ AwardIronCross,promo&on
Ø GenesisoftheHolocaustasasystemoftrialanderror.Thus,themostradicalsolu&onwasachievedthroughasystemofrecogni&onandrejec&on.
Ø WithinafewweeksSSEinsatzgruppen,policebacalionsandlocalcollaboratorstookoverthemurderousprac&ce;theShoahintheSovietUnionhadbecomeareality.
• InBialystokbyPB309on27.6.1941murderof2,000Jews,predominantlymen.
• Beginningof8/1941inPinskabout11,000vic&ms,menandboys.
• 26-28August1941HSSPFFriedrichJeckelninKamenez-Podolsk23,000vic&ms.
• 29-30.9.1941Sk4aunderPaulBobelinBabynJar33,771vic&ms.
Ø Bri&shintercep&onspecialistsrealizedGerman"compete"forhighestmurderrates
Hitler25.10.1941toHimmlerundHeydrich:
• Repe&&onofhisprophecyfromJanuary1939and:
• "Don'ttellmewecan'tsendthemintothemud!Whocaresaboutourpeople?It'sgoodtobeprecededbythehorrorofextermina&ngtheJews.TryingtocreateaJewishstatewillbeafailure.Wewillrewritehistoryfromtheracepointofview."
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