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would see to it that such occurrences would not be repeated. On order
of the commander in chief I issued this order to the German troops.
Q.
Will you please read one more sentence, General, the second sentence of this
order, to make the connection a little clearer.
A. “In view of the
low value placed on human life in the East, German soldiers may witness scenes
(mass executions, killings of civilian prisoners, Jews, etc. ) which at the
moment, they are unable to prevent, which however, deeply offend the profound
German sense of honor.” |
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* * * *
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5. COOPERATION OF THE GERMAN ARMED FORCES WITH THE EINSATZGRUPPEN AND
THE SD
(SECURITY SERVICE)
a. Introduction |
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In paragraphs 60, 69, and 80 of the indictment all the defendants
were charged with conduct alleged to be criminal in connection with the
extermination policies of the Third Reich, pursuant to which millions of
civilians were slaughtered, and innumerable others were ill-treated, tortured,
and persecuted for political, racial, and religious reasons. It was alleged
that millions of these murders and other crimes in the Eastern Territories
occupied by the Germans were committed by special task forces called,
“Einsatzgruppen,” formed from personnel of the SS, the Security
Service (SD) and other police units. The prosecution claimed that, pursuant to
an agreement made in April 1941, between the Security Service and the army,
these Einsatzgruppen accompanied the German Army into the Eastern Occupied
Territories and operated under army jurisdiction for the purpose of
exterminating elements of the population considered, “inferior”, and,
“politically or racially undesirable.”
It was alleged that four such
Einsatzgruppen, with their subunits, operated in the army group areas and the
rear areas of the East – Einsatzgruppe A in the Baltic region within the
area of Army Group North, Einsatzgruppe B mainly within the area of Army Group
Center, Einsatzgruppe C mainly within the area of Army Group South, and
Einsatzgruppe D mainly within the area of the 11th Army.
Over 20 commanders and officers of the
Einsatzgruppen were tried in Nuernberg in, “the Einsatzgruppen Case”
(see United States vs. Otto Ohlendorf, et al., Case No. 9, vol. IV of this series)
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1237 |
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