The Einsatzgruppen (Mobile Killing Squads)

In 1941, the Germans broke their treaty of non-aggression with Stalin and invaded the USSR. Mobile killing
squads known as the “Einsatzgruppen” followed the German army as it advanced into Soviet territory. Their
job was to kill anyone believed to be an enemy of the Nazis. This included Jews and Roma (gypsies). Also
killed were the physically and mentally disabled.

The Einsatzgruppen, led by Heinrich Himmler, were usually men from the SS. They consisted of
approximately 1000 men who were attached to each of the army groups invading Russia. On 2 July 1941,
they were ordered by Reinhard Heydrich (Himmler’s second in command) to execute any Jewish “prisoners
of war”. By mid-August 1941, approximately 50,000 Russian Jews had been executed under these orders.

While these early executions of Jews tended to be limited to men, by late July in 1941 orders were given that
all Russian Jews were to be killed, including women and children. Many other groups were considered
‘undesirable’ were also rounded up. This mostly consisted of Roma (gypsies), Soviet prisoners of war and
political opponents. Most were killed by firing squad and then buried in mass graves. Sometimes this
involved marching them to the execution site where trenches had been prepared. Other times the victims
had to dig their own graves. After the victims had handed over their valuables and undressed, they were
shot. By late July, the numbers of Einsatzgruppen were increased and by the end of 1941, there were over
60,000 Einsatzgruppen members in Soviet territory.

Heinrich Himmler wanted to find another method for killing the captives that would not involve his men
having to shoot them. Late in 1941, the “gas van” was introduced. This was a truck in which victims were
placed in the back and the truck’s exhaust was used to gas those inside. Some historians consider this to be
the first application of the Final Solution. By mid-1943, it is estimated that the Einsatzgruppen had killed
more than one million Soviet Jews.

The Einsatzgruppen, however, found the gas-van method too slow for killing the number of Jews they
captured. The Nazi response was the establishment of special concentration camps or killing centres
equipped with purpose-built gas chambers.

Source 1: The Einsatzgruppen executing Jews (Unknown location, c.1941)

1
 Source 2: Part of a report sent by Einsatzgruppen commander Jager -
Outlining the details of their work and announcing a job completed

Date Location Number of deaths Total deaths

Total carried
forward – 99,804
12/9/41 City of Wilna 993 Jews, 1,670 Jewesses, 771 Jewish children 3,434
17/9/41 City of Wilna 337 Jews, 687 Jewesses, 247 Jewish children and 1,271
4 Lithuanian communists
20/9/41 Nemencing 128 Jews, 176 Jewesses, 99 Jewish children 403
22/9/41 Novo-Wilejka 468 Jews, 495 Jewesses, 196 Jewish children 1,159
24/9/41 Riess 512 Jews, 744 Jewesses, 511 Jewish children 1,767
25/9/41 Jahiunai 215 Jews, 229 Jewesses, 131 Jewish children 575
27/9/41 Eysisky 989 Jews, 1,636 Jewesses, 821 Jewish children 3,446
30/9/41 Trakai 366 Jews, 483 Jewesses, 597 Jewish children 1,446
4/10/41 City of Wilna 432 Jews, 1,115 Jewesses, 436 Jewish children 1,983
6/10/41 Semiliski 213 Jews, 359 Jewesses, 390 Jewish children 962
9/10/41 Svenciany 1,169 Jews, 1,840 Jewesses, 717 Jewish children 3,726
16/10/41 City of Wilna 382 Jews, 507 Jewesses, 257 Jewish children 1,146
21/10/41 City of Wilna 718 Jews, 1,063 Jewesses, 586 Jewish children 2,367
25/10/41 City of Wilna 1,776 Jewesses, 812 Jewish children 2,578
27/10/41 City of Wilna 946 Jews, 184 Jewesses, 73 Jewish children 1,203
30/10/41 City of Wilna 382 Jews, 789 Jewesses, 362 Jewish children 1,553
6/11/41 City of Wilna 340 Jews, 749 Jewesses, 252 Jewish children 1,341
19/11/41 City of Wilna 76 Jews, 77 Jewesses, 18 Jewish children 171
19/11/41 City of Wilna 6 POW’s (Prisoners of War), 8 Poles 14
20/11/41 City of Wilna 3 POW’s 3
25/11/41 City of Wilna 9 Jews, 46 Jewesses, 8 Jewish children, 1 Pole for 64
possession of arms and other military equipment

EK 3 (Einsatzgruppen Task Force 3) detachment in Minsk from 28/9/41 – 17/10/41:

Pleschnitza Bischolin 620 Jews, 1,285 Jewesses, 1,126 Jewish children and 3,050
Scak Bober Uzda 19 communists 133,346

Prior to EK 3 taking over security police duties, Jews liquidated (killed) by pogroms and executions): 4,000

TOTAL DEATHS: 137,346

Today I can confirm that our objective, to solve the Jewish problem for Lithuania, has been achieved by EK 3 . In
Lithuania there are no more Jews, apart from Jewish workers and their families.
The distance between from the assembly point to the graves was on average 4 to 5 Km.
I consider the Jewish action more or less terminated as far as Einsatzgruppen 3 is concerned. Those working Jews
and Jewesses still available are needed urgently and I can envisage (see) that after the winter this workforce will be
required even more urgently. I am of the view that the sterilisation program of the male worker Jews should be
started immediately so that reproduction is prevented. If despite sterilisation a Jewess becomes pregnanted she will
be liquidated (killed).
(signed) Jager SS-Standartenführer [Nazi Party Special Forces Local Commander]

2
Source 3: A map that accompanied the secret Source 4: A Jewish woman attempting to protect a child with her own
report on the mass murder of Jews by body just before they are fired at by the Einsatzgruppen
Einsatzgruppen A (Ivanhorod, Ukraine, 1942)
(Judenfrei means ‘free of Jews’)

Questions
1) What were the Einsatzgruppen and what was their purpose?
2) Who was Heinrich Himmler? What role did he play in the activities of the Einsatzgruppen?
3) How did the Einsatzgruppen murder their victims? How did they dispose of the human remains?
4) What was a “gas van” and why was it introduced?
5) What was used by the Nazis to eradicate the Jewish people after the “gas van”?
6) Describe what is shown in Source 1, Source 2, Source 3 and Source 4.
7) According to Source 3, how many Jews were killed by the Einsatzgruppen in Minsk?
8) According to Source 2:
A) Where and when were most Jews killed by the Einsatzgruppen?
B) Which country does the information relate to?
C) How many people died on 16 October 1941?
D) How many people were killed in total in Lithuania?
9) Which source is the most AND least useful for a historian studying the Einsatzgruppen? Why?
10) Which source is the most AND least reliable for a historian studying the Einsatzgruppen? Why?