The Nizkor Project

Twenty-Fourth Day: Thursday, 20th December, 1945
(Part 5 of 8)


[MAJOR FARR continues]

One of the steps taken by the Reichsfuehrer S.S. to carry out those "special tasks" was the formation and use of so-called "anti-partisan" units. They were discussed by Himmler in his Posen Speech, our Document 1919-PS, at Page 3 of the translation, paragraph 5, Page 57 of the original, last paragraph. I read those two paragraphs in which he discusses the anti-partisan units:

"In the meantime, I have also set up the Chief of the anti- partisan units. Our comrade S.S. Obergruppenfuehrer von dem Bach is Chief of the anti-partisan units. I considered it necessary for the Reichsfuehrer S.S. to be in authoritative command in all these battles, for I am convinced that we are in the best position to take action against this enemy struggle, which is decidedly a political one. Except where units, which had been supplied, and which we had formed for this purpose, were taken from us to fill in gaps at the front, we have been very successful.

It is notable that by setting up this department, we have gained for the S.S. in turn, a division, a corps, an army, and the next step -- which is the High Command of an army or area of a group - - if you wish to call it that."

What the S.S. did with its divisions, corps and army out of which the anti-partisan units were formed, is illustrated in the reports rendered as to the activities of such units. I offer in evidence activity and situation report No. 6 of the Task Forces of the Security Police and S.D. in the U.S.S.R., covering the period from the 1st tothe 31st October, 1941. It is our Document R-102, and will be found in Volume 2 of the document book. It is Exhibit USA 470. The report shows that so-called " anti-partisan " activity was actually nothing but a name for extermination of persons believed politically undesirable and of Jews. The report is a very carefully organised and detailed description of such extermination. Section I describes the stations of the various Task Forces involved, Section II their activities. The latter section

[Page 172]

is divided into parts, each dealing with a different geographical region -- the Baltic area, White Ruthenia, and the Ukraine.

Under each area the report of activities is classified under three headings:

(a) Partisan activity and counteraction;
(b) arrests and execution of Communists and officials; and
(c) Jews. I shall read only a few typical paragraphs, selected almost at random.

First, to show the units involved, I quote the second and third paragraphs of Page 4 of the translation and this also appears on Page 1 of the original:

"The present stations are:

Task Force A: since 7th October, 1941, Krasnogwardeisk.

Task Force B: continues in Smolensk.

Task Force C: since 27th September, 1941, in Kiev.

Task Force D: since 27th September, 1941, in Nikilaiev.

The action and Special Commandos (Einsatz-und-Sonderkommandos) which are attached to the Task Force continue on the march with the advancing troops to the sectors which have been assigned to them."

I shall now read from the section headed "Baltic area" and subsection labelled Jews", beginning with the first paragraph on Page 5 of the translation, Page 8 of the original, second paragraph.
"The male Jews over 16 were executed, with the exception of doctors and the elders. At the present time this action is still in progress. After completion of this action there will remain Only 500 Jewesses and children in the Eastern territory."
I pass now to the section headed "White Ruthenia," the subsection headed, "Partisan activity and counteraction." The paragraph I shall read begins on Page 6, paragraph 5 of the translation, found on Page 11, paragraph 1 of the original. I quote:
"In Wultschina 8 juveniles were arrested as partisans and shot. They were inmates of a children's home. They had collected weapons which they hid in the woods. Upon search the following were found: 3 heavy machine guns, 15 rifles, several thousand rounds of ammunition, several hand grenades, and several packages of poison gas Ebrit.

Arrests and executions of Communists, Officials and Criminals.

A further large part of the activity of the Security Police was devoted to the combating of Communists and criminals. A special Commando in the period covered by this report executed 63 officials, N.K.V.D. agents and agitators."

The subsection on arrests and executions of Communists, officials and criminals in White Ruthenia, ends as follows, and I read from Page 6 of the translation, paragraph 14, Page 12 of the original, paragraph 5:
"The liquidations for the period covered by this report have reached a total Of 37,180 persons."
The final item I shall quote is from the section headed " Ukraine," under the subsection "Jews." It will be found on Page 8 of the translation, paragraph io, Page 18 of the original, next to the last paragraph:
"In Zhitomir 3,145 Jews had to be shot, because from experience they have to be regarded as bearers of Bolshevik propaganda and saboteurs."
This report, the Tribunal will recall, deals with the activities of four Task Forces -- A, B, C and D. The more detailed report of Task Force A up to 15th October, 1941, is our Document L-180. It has already been

[Page 173]

introduced in evidence as Exhibit USA 276 and some paragraphs were read from it. It will be referred to again in the case against the Gestapo. I desire to read only two paragraphs which show the great variety of S.S. components in such a task force.

I might point out to the Court that this elaborately bound report (Major Farr here handed in Document L-180) which the Court has already seen, has a sort of pocket-part supplement, in which appears a break down of the personnel engaged in this action, in graphic form. I shall read the component parts which appear on this chart in a moment. First, I will quote from Page 5 of the translation, fourth paragraph:

THE PRESIDENT: Does that book you just put in refer to the extermination of the Jews in Galicia ?

MAJOR FARR: This is the report of Action Group A, an anti-partisan task force which operated in the Baltic States in 1941.

THE PRESIDENT: It is not L-180 ?

MAJOR FARR: It is L-180.

The passage I will read appears on Page 5 of the translation, paragraph 4, and on Page 12 of the original, first paragraph, I quote:

"This description of the over-all situation showed and shows that the members of the Gestapo (the Secret State Police), Kripo (that is the Criminal Police) and the S.B. (Security Service) who are attached to the Action Group, are active mainly in Lithuania, Latvia, Esthonia, White Ruthenia and, to a smaller part, in front of Leningrad. It shows further that the forces of the uniformed police and the Waffen S.S. are active mainly in front of Leningrad, in order to take measures against the returning population, and this under their own officers. This is so much easier because the task forces in Lithuania, Latvia and Esthonia have at their disposal native police units, as described in enclosure 1, and because so far 150 Latvian reinforcements have been sent to White Ruthenia.

The distribution of the leaders of Security Police and S.D. during the individual phases can be gathered from enclosure 2, the advance and activities of the task force Group and the various task forces from enclosure 3. It should be mentioned that the leaders of the armed S.S. and of the uniformed police, who are on the reserve, have declared their wish to stay with the Security Police and the S.D."

I quote now from enclosure 1a, which was referred to, showing the constitution of the force. This will be found on Page 14 of the translation. It was the graphic chart which I showed the Court a few moments ago, the translation having simply the break down of the components. I quote:

"Total Strength of Task
Force Group A:

Total..................................990

Waffen S.S.........................340........34.4%
Motor-bicycle Riders.......172........17.4%
Administration...................18..........1.8%
Security Service (S.D.).......35..........3.5%
Criminal Police (Kripo).....41..........4.1%
State Police (Gestapo)........89..........9.0%
Auxiliary Police...................87..........8.8%
Order Police.......................133........13.4%
Female Employees.............13..........1.3%
Interpreters..........................51..........5.1%
Teleprinter Operators..........3...........0.3%
Wireless Operators...............8...........0.8%

[Page 174]

The Tribunal will observe that in that list there appears the Waffen S.S., the S.D., Criminal Police, the Gestapo and the Order Police, all of which were part of the S.S. or under S.S. jurisdiction.

One final report of anti-partisan activity may be referred to. It is a report from the General Commissar for White Ruthenia to the Reich Minister for Occupied Eastern territories. It is our Document R-135, which I think is in the Document Book under 1475-PS, two document numbers have been combined. I think you will find it under 1475. That document was introduced into evidence by Major Walsh as Exhibit USA 289 and he read into the record the letter from the Reich Commissar of the Eastern territories, transmitting the report in question. The letter he read appears on Page 1 of the translation. I desire to read a paragraph or two from the report itself, which is found on Page 3 of the translation. It deals with the results of the police operation "Cottbus." I quote the first paragraph:

"S.S. Brigadefuehrer, Major General of Police von Gottberg reports that the operation 'Cottbus ' had the following result during the period mentioned:
Enemy dead.....................................................4,500
Dead suspected of belonging to bands........5,000
German dead.........................................................59"
I think it is unnecessary to continue further with the list. I skip to the fourth paragraph of the report:
"The figures mentioned above indicate that again a heavy destruction of the population must be expected. If only 492 rifles are taken from 4,500 enemy dead, this discrepancy shows that among these enemy dead were numerous peasants from the country. The battalion Dirlewanger especially has a reputation for destroying many human lives. Among the 5,000 people suspected of belonging to bands, there were numerous women and children.

By order of the Chief of anti-partisan units, S.S. Obergruppenfuehrer von dem Bach, units of the Armed Forces have also participated in the operation."

This is as far as I will quote.

The Tribunal will recall that S.S. Obergruppenfuehrer von dem Bach was referred to in the Posen speech by Himmler as "our comrade " whom he had placed in charge of anti-partisan activity.

The activities I have just dealt with were joint activities, in which the - the "Waffen S.S." and S.S. Police Regiments, Gestapo, Order Police, were all involved. But these units were also used individually, to carry out tasks of such a nature.


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