Einsatzgruppen
Origins
The Einsatzgruppen were paramilitary units composed of German SS and police personnel. Under the command of the Reich Main Security Office (RSHA), they were responsible for mass murder, primarily by shooting, during World War II. The Einsatzgruppen had a pivotal role in the implementation of the so-called "Final Solution to the Jewish Question" in territories conquered by Nazi Germany.
Formation and Structure
The Einsatzgruppen were formed under the direction of Heinrich Himmler, the head of the SS, and Reinhard Heydrich, the chief of the RSHA. The units were composed of men from the SS, the Security Police (Sicherheitspolizei), and the SD (Sicherheitsdienst). The Einsatzgruppen were divided into four main groups designated A, B, C, and D, each consisting of 500 to 1,000 men.
Operations
The Einsatzgruppen followed the German army into the Soviet Union in June 1941, where they began a series of mass murder operations. They targeted Jews, Romani people, and officials of the Soviet state and the Communist Party. The Einsatzgruppen also murdered thousands of residents of institutions for the mentally and physically disabled.
Methods of Mass Murder
The victims of the Einsatzgruppen were typically shot and their bodies dumped into mass graves. Sometimes the victims were made to dig their own graves before being shot. The Einsatzgruppen also used gas vans, a form of mobile gas chamber, in their operations.
Impact and Legacy
The Einsatzgruppen murdered more than a million people in the territories of the Soviet Union, including hundreds of thousands of Jews. Their actions were a significant part of the Holocaust. After the war, many members of the Einsatzgruppen were prosecuted for war crimes in the Nuremberg Trials.