The Einsatzgruppen: Operational Situation Report USSR No.10

The Chief of the Security Police and the SD

Berlin,
July 2, 1941

25 copies
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23rd copy

Operational Situation Report USSR No. 10

Einsatzgruppe B ⁽¹⁾

The 17th Army Command has suggested the use first of all of the anti-Jewish and anti-Communist Poles living in the newly-occupied areas for self-cleansing activities.

On July 1, 1941 Chief of Security Police and SD issued the following order to all Einsatzgruppen:

Order No. 2:

Poles residing in the newly-occupied Polish territories may be expected, on the basis of their experiences, to be anti-Communist and also anti-Jewish.

It is obvious that the cleansing activities have to extend first of all to the Bolsheviks and the Jews. As for the Polish intelligensia and others, decisions can be taken later, unless there is a special reason for taking action in individual cases considered to be dangerous.

It is therefore obvious that such Poles need not be included in the cleansing action, especially as they are of great importance as elements to initiate pogroms and for obtaining information. (This depends, of course, on local conditions.)

This policy is to be applied, of course, to all similar cases. Einsatzgruppe staff have arrived on July 1, at 5 am, in Lvov. Office is in the NKVD central building.

Chief of Einsatzgruppe B reports that Ukrainian insurrection movements were bloodily suppressed by the NKVD on June 25, 1941 in Lvov. About 3,000 were shot by NKVD. Prison burning. Hardly 20% of Ukrainian intelligentsia has remained. Some elements of the Bandera-group ⁽²⁾ under the direction of Stechko and Ravlik have organized a militia force and a municipal office. The Einsatzgruppe has created a counterbalance to the Bandera group, a Ukrainian self-policed city administration. Further measures against the Bandera-group, in particular against Bandera himself, are in preparation. They will be carried out as soon as possible.

EK 4a and EK 4b with Einsatzgruppe staff have also arrived in Lvov.

 

Einsatzgruppe C ⁽³⁾

EK 7a

Location: Vilnius

Confiscation of numerous documents in NKVD Building. National Lithuanian activists have established city committees after the German troops marched in. Leader Zakovasius. For the time being, the committee is recognized by the field commandant. Activists strive for independence as in Slovakia. They appear to be ready to make sacrifices. On July 2, 1941, Commander of Einsatzgruppe C and SS-Brigadeführer Nebe, in coordination with Army Group Center initiated the settlement of this matter. According to a suggestion of the Einsatzgruppe leader, Army Group Center issued the following order on June 30, 1941:

"Civilian prisoners have according to our information, been freed by the Army. They are said to be, at least partially, Soviet political prisoners. Mostly criminal convicts, they are said to have freed themselves from another prison. It is requested that the troops be informed that prisoners are not to be freed. On the contrary, prisoners are to be secured by the Army until they are taken over by the officers of the security police. Care should be taken that prisoners do not free themselves under any circumstances."

EK 7a has initiated arrest actions against Communists and Jews. There are about 8,000 Jews in Vilnius. Most of the leading Communists have escaped.

EK 7b still near Pruzhana, will proceed towards Baranovichi.

EK 9 Location: Vilnivs.

On June 30 Vorkommando ordered to Grodno.

After arrival of IX 9, EK 7a is free for Minsk which, according to reports, is heavily damaged.

⁽¹⁾ Renamed on July 11th, Einsatzgruppe C.

⁽²⁾ In original written "Pandora."

⁽³⁾ Renamed on July 11th, Einsatzgruppe B.

(The Einsatzgruppen Reports by Yitzak Arad, Shmuel Krakowski and Shmuel Spector, editors. p. 2-3)

Source: The Nizkor Project