Einsatzgruppen
German Mobile Killing Squads
Fast Facts
- The Einsatzgruppen closely followed the German army, racing behind them to capture and kill any Jews or Polish civilians who might oppose Hitler or his plan to enslave Jews and Polish.
- They were well-trained killers, having received operational training on how to gather masses and kill large groups of civilians.
- There were four Einsatzgruppen, all of which were formed by Reinhard Heydrich, the leader of the SD.
- Each had around 500-900 men who were devoted to the Nazis.
- They were divided into smaller special task forces of 100-150 experienced killers each, which were also then subdivided.
- The Einsatzgruppen were also very educated men; 3 out of 4 had PhD degrees and were qualified to use the title “Doctor”.
- The officers in Einsatzgruppen were mainly from Waffen-SS, the SD, and the security police.
- Ukrainians and men from the 3 Baltic states would be used as extra fighters, to serve in the Einsatzgruppen if needed.
- Many scholars believe this was the first major step of the “Final Solution” of Germany.
- The German army provided logistical support to the Einsatzgruppen, including supplies, transport, housing, and etc.
- The Einsatzgruppen had no regard for age or gender and they killed men,women, and children alike.
- During the invasion of the Soviet Union, the Einsatzgruppen followed the German army into Soviet territory and murdered people there too.
- They killed by going straight to the Jews' home communities and massacring them.
- The Jews dug their own graves before being shot, and were unarmed.
- Later on, however, mass murder seemed to be mentally and financially burdensome to the killers and the Nazi Party, and so gas chambers and other methods were created.
- The gas chambers, however, were not portable and even more inefficient, so a portable version, the gas chamber, was invented.
Works Cited
Vishok Jonnalagadda
Salamone
GT ELA 8-5
12 November 2015
Works Cited
"Einsatzgruppen (Mobile Killing Units)." United States Holocaust Memorial Museum. United States Holocaust Memorial Council, 18 Aug. 2015. Web. 11 Dec. 2015.
" .” Einsatzgruppen Www.HolocaustResearchProject.org. Holocaust Research n.d. Web. 11 Dec. 2015.
Feldman, George. Understanding the Holocaust. Vol. 1. London: UXL, n.d. Print.
Mobile Killing Squads-Photograph. Digital image. United States Holocaust. N.p., n.d. Web. 10 Dec. 2015.