The Einsatzgruppen leaders themselves were highly educated Nazi careerists, some with doctorates and law degrees. One was a Protestant pastor and theologian. Another had two PhDs. All were personally selected by Reinhard Heydrich, head of Reich Security under Heinrich Himmler, both for their level of education and their degree of fanaticism. The Einsatzgruppen Kommando groups worked with the German Order Police, local militia groups and collaborators as they cut a large swath across the Baltic States, Eastern Poland, the Ukraine and Soviet Union. Victims would be rounded up with the help of locals, ordered to report to a central location like a town square, marched or driven to remote sites, and, having been forced to undress, shot over ravines, cliffs, ditches, sand pits, quarries or graves they were at times made to dig themselves. All the while family and friends stood by - naked themselves - waiting for their turn to come.
Interviews conducted by French Catholic priest Father Patrick Desbois with surviving witnesses - veritably neighbors of the murdered Jews - enabled him to piece together aspects of the infrastructure of execution that facilitated the murder of Jews by the Einsatzkommandos (see In Broad Daylight). While there were variations in details from community to community, Father Desbois is painfully clear that the systematic murder of Jews depended on auxiliary and local police on one hand, but importantly on the conscription and active participation of local neighbors for jobs such as grave digging, providing transport, filling the gravesite after an “Aktion,” provision of food and drink for the executioners, and even witnessing the unfolding events.
The Einsatzgruppen were ultimately responsible for the murder of more than 1.5-1.7 million Jews throughout German-occupied Baltic countries, Eastern Poland, the Ukraine and Soviet Union. Father Desbois’ evocative phrase “Holocaust by bullets” draws our attention not only to the means and methods of the mass murder of Jews, but as well to the unbearable truth of an extensive landscape of unmarked mass graves, shrouded in silence, concealing a dark history. There were more Jews murdered by the Einsatzgruppen squads and their minions than perished in Auschwitz, notwithstanding that Auschwitz has become a veritable metonym for the Holocaust.
--Michael D. Bulmash, K1966
Browse the Bulmash Family Holocaust Collection.
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Envelope from Rovno, Ukraine
2014.1.266
Front: Green envelope with four postage stamps of Adolf Hitler in various colors. Includes four black and two purple hand stamps, a line of writing in purple pencil and a red and white sticker.Back: A black hand stamp.
Information Provided by Michael D. Bulmash:
Cover to Berlin with handstamp of Reichskommissariat of the Ukraine. Rovno (Rivne) fell to the Germans in June 1941 and was turned into a regional civilian administrative capital in Volhynia. Erich Koch was the Hitler-appointed Reichskommisar whose mission was to exploit the region - its resources and people - for German ends.
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Letter from Wilhelm Kube (1887-1943)
2015.2.168ab
Front: White paper with printed return address in upper left corner and date written on upper right.Back: Continuation of letter in black ink with printed text.
Information Provided by Michael D. Bulmash:
Letter dated December 20, 1942 to a young girl stating in part: "May 1943 will be filled with a strong fighting spirit... in Adolf Hitler's movement.... we will fight until the final victory against the Bolsheviks... Then the era of youth will come." Kube was the Generalkommissar of Belorussia where his ruthless administration oversaw the extermination of the large Jewish population. In October 1941, Kube vehemently protested the "unauthorized" murder of Jews by Einsatzgruppen squads. Ironically, he himself participated in a Minsk ghetto atrocity wherein a group of children were seized and thrown into sand pits to die. Kube, accompanied by several of SS officers, approached the screaming children and threw handfuls of sweets. The children perished in the pits. Kube was assassinated by a partisan bomb placed under his bed in 1943.
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Ordnungspolizei: auf den Rollbahnen des Ostens
2012.1.544
Book with a black and white photograph of a soldier in a tank as the cover. Titled, "Ordnungspolizei" by Hans Richter. Interior includes German text and black and white photographs.
Information Provided by Michael D. Bulmash:
Translated as Order Police on Battle Route of the East, this pamphlet documents the activities of the SS militarized Police in the East in 1941, with photographs of the SS police in action in Russia taking on paratroopers, guerillas, and civilians. Prominent as well are photos of the removal of Jews and their possessions, as well as forced entry of their synagogues.
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Letter from Fritz Katzmann (1906-1957)
2015.2.169
Front: Tan paper with "Higher SS and Police Leader" letterhead in upper left corner, and typewritten message. Includes additional writing in pencil, as well as blue and red crayon, and date stamp in green.Back: Continuation of typewritten message, and signature in blue from Fritz Katzmann with his name printed in pencil beneath.
Information Provided by Michael D. Bulmash:
Typed letter signed by Katzmann on "Higher SS and Police Leader" letterhead. Danzig, January 3, 1943. Sent to Maximilian von Herff, Chief of SS Personnel Main Office. Katzmann reports on an SS-Standartfuhrer named Alfons Graf regarding the latter's promotion. Katzmann was an SS-Gruppenfuhrer and police leader who perpetrated genocide in Danzig, Lvov (Lemberg), and Galicia. He took part in the assassinations of the Night of the Long Knives. After the invasion of Poland, he established the Radom Ghetto. With the advent of Operation Barbarossa, he was transferred to Lvov, and was promoted to Brigadier General. He ordered the murder of approximately 60,000 Jewish men, women and children. In 1941, 80,000 Jews were relocated to the Ghetto he established in Lvov. A kindergarten had been set up for children who were all secretly murdered. In Galicia he ordered transports from Lvov to the Belzec extermination center. By the end of 1942, only 40,000 Jews remained in the Lvov Ghetto. In January 1943, another 15,000 Jews were murdered including members of the Judenrat. By the end of June 1943, after the liquidation of another 140,000 Jews and yet another promotion, Katzmann was able to declare that Galicia was Judenfrei. Transferred to Danzig, he was responsible for the liquidation of the Stutthof concentration camp and its sub-camps. After Germany surrendered on May 8, 1945, Katzmann disappeared, escaping prosecution for his crimes and living until 1957 in Darmstadt, apparently without having communicated his existence to his wife and five children.
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German Soldier Feldpost Letter Written to his Family in Munich Accompanied by Photo of Arrested Jews
2019.2.86abc
a: Green envelope addressed to "Paul Gruber," gray, torn postage stamp of Hitler in upper right corner. b: Two- sided, typed letter, front includes "Reichshof/Krakau 18.June 1943" in upper right side. Back includes "II" in the center at the top of the page. c: Black and white photo of a soldier standing in front of a large group of people standing in three lines with their arms up.
Information Provided by Michael D. Bulmash:
The soldier, Sergeant Oskar Gruber, writes that he has just arrived in Krakow, and that he is currently being accommodated at a reserve hospital in a protected area, and that the zone is happily “free of Jews” (Judenfrei). Referring to a photo accompanying the letter, he reports that the last “pest” has been expelled. He hopes for his family’s sake that the British and Americans will leave them (his family) alone. He references his experience in Russia seeing many thousands dying there and that he is happy just to have survived. He goes on to say that what the Fuhrer (Hitler) has described about Jews is “far too harmless,” and that as far as he and his comrades are concerned, “the Jew is the most miserable (race) on this earth…when everything is over, and when we emerge victorious from this war, then the world will understand everything about this uncultivated race.” On the reverse of the photo is a note “Jews 17.6, please keep safe, Oskar.”
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Envelope from the SS and Politzeifuehrer Weissruthenien (Belarus)
2012.1.281
Green envelope with handwritten address to Herr and Frau Klotz with return address from F. Glager on back.
Information Provided by Michael D. Bulmash: Handstamped envelope from the SS and Politzeifuehrer Weissruthenien (Belarus) to Breslau. This office was renamed from Sonderkommando 1B, Part of the Einsatzgruppe A operating in Russia.
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11th SS Volunteer Panzergrenadier Division Nordland Feldpost Letter Sent to Family Member (Mother)
2019.2.110ab
a: Blue Envelope with two circular ink stamps, one black, one purple with handwriting on front: "Frau Elise Müller". b: Brown letter handwritten in black with drawing of a man in uniform holding a bouquet of flowers.
Information Provided by Michael D. Bulmash:
The author of this letter is a member of a Norwegian Voluntary Unit in the German army during WWII: 15 kompanie SS-Panzer Grenadier Rgt. “NORGE,” a Waffen-SS division of Scandinavian volunteers which fought on the Eastern front during WWII.
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Envelope from Der Sicherheitspolitzei (Riga, Latvia)
2012.1.282
Brown envelope with handwritten address to the Generalpostkommissar in Riga.
Information Provided by Michael D. Bulmash: Handstamped envelope from Der Sicherheitspolitzei, Belarus to Riga, Latvia. This office was renamed from Sonderkommando 1B, part of the Einsatzgruppe A operating in Russia.
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Office of Chief of Counsel for War Crimes Affidavit
2012.1.528ab
Tan page with typewritten information regarding SS-Officers Otto Ohlendorf and Heinz Hermann Schubert. Titled, "Office of Chief of Counsel for War Crimes."
Information Provided by Michael D. Bulmash:
Affidavit by Heinz Schubert, adjutant of Otto Ohlendorf, in charge of Einsatzgruppe D, regarding execution of Russians and Jews near Simferopol between October 1941 and June 1942. Schubert was "to see that the execution place was hidden," valuables collected discretely, etc.
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Office of Chief of Counsel for War Crimes Document
2012.1.527a-c
Tan documents with typewritten information regarding German camps in Russia. Titled, "Office of Chief of Counsel for War Crimes."
Information Provided by Michael D. Bulmash:
Documents relating to Einsatzgruppen and their respective Einsatzkommandos regarding singling out Soviet Russians from prisoner camps in the General Government; specifically, protocols for executions being discrete and not arousing suspicion; how inmates are to be separated into those considered "suspicious" and those who may be useful for labor. "Undesirables" who are to be executed include: Communist Party Functionaries, Jews, Political Commissars, and members of the intelligentsia.
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Men Assembled in Preparation for Execution
2015.2.9a
Front: Greyed black and white photograph of cold, underdressed men huddled together in a group. Barracks in the background.
Information Provided by Michael D. Bulmash: An especially rare and graphic candid photograph with deckled edges. A large group of men, herded together, almost all bearded, clearly not dressed for the cold weather and a few bare-footed, facing forward. Various barracks-like structures lie several hundred yards behind them. Such photos were strictly forbidden by the Nazis, yet clearly taken by one of them.
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Aftermath of Execution
2015.2.9b
Greyed black and white photograph of a mass grave. Dead bodies in the ground, a line of soldiers in dark colors stand above it. Barracks in the background.
Information Provided by Michael D. Bulmash: An especially rare and graphic candid photograph with deckled edges. Fifteen soldiers in greatcoats are marching along the edge of a pit as an officer looks down upon the bodies of the newly-killed prisoners and as another soldier in the pit appears to administer a coup de grace to a dying man with an uplifted arm. Such photos were strictly forbidden by the Nazis, yet clearly taken by one of them.
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Polizei Soldbuch
2014.1.296
Cover: Green cover with eagle and Swastika in a reef. Title 'Soldbuch zugleich Perfonalausweis.' within black border. Green binding on left side. Interior: 36 pages with numerous stamps and handwriting throughout.
Information Provided by Michael D. Bulmash:
Soldbuch for member of regiment South Police Battalion 314, one Leo Markert, a Revierober Wachtmeister of the Schutzpolizei with awards including the anti-partisan badge in silver and close combat clasp in silver containing an attached foldout detailing engagements by date and place. Anti-partisan is a euphemism for Jews. Picture removed, probably to conceal identity. Entries as well for postwar internment in a British POW camp. Many engagements occurred in Ukraine in all probability as a part of Einsatzgruppen activities.
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Real Photo Polish Postcards of Nazi Atrocities
2012.1.100a
Black and white photograph of Nazis shooting a group of people with printed postcard lines and caption on back.
Information Provided by Michael D. Bulmash: German firing squad shooting civilians in the woods near Bochnia.
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Real Photo Polish Postcards of Nazi Atrocities
2012.1.100b
Black and white photograph of Nazis undressing corpses with printed postcard lines and caption on back.
Information Provided by Michael D. Bulmash: Post-execution photo of civilians undressing and burying bodies under watchful eyes of Germans.
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Real Photo Polish Postcards of Nazi Atrocities
2012.1.100c
Black and white photograph of Nazis filming a group of children with printed postcard lines and caption on back.
Information Provided by Michael D. Bulmash: Germans filming female victims.
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Real Photo Polish Postcards of Nazi Atrocities
2012.1.100d
Black and white photograph of Nazis watching naked Jews with printed postcard lines and caption on back.
Information Provided by Michael D. Bulmash:
Jews – men and a young boy - stripped naked, hovering over a pit awaiting execution.
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Real Photo Polish Postcards of Nazi Atrocities
2012.1.100e
Black and white photograph of a line of corpses with printed postcard lines and caption on back.
Information Provided by Michael D. Bulmash:
Krakow: murdered Jews post-execution.
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Real Photo Polish Postcards of Nazi Atrocities
2012.1.100f
Black and white photograph of Jews being herded by soldiers with printed postcard lines and caption on back.
Information Provided by Michael D. Bulmash: Jews being removed from Rzeszow, either being sent to ghetto or deported.
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Real Photo Polish Postcards of Nazi Atrocities
2012.1.100g
Black and white photograph of a Jewish man on his knees with Nazi soldiers nearby with printed postcard lines and caption on back.
Information Provided by Michael D. Bulmash:
Old Jewish man, dressed in prayer garb, being made to dance while Germans enjoy his humiliation.
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Real Photo Polish Postcards of Nazi Atrocities
2012.1.100h
Black and white photograph of a group of people carrying their belongings with printed postcard lines and caption on back.
Information Provided by Michael D. Bulmash: Jews packing belongings for trip to the ghetto in Grodno.
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Real Photo Polish Postcards of Nazi Atrocities
2012.1.100i
Black and white photograph of Jewish men standing and on their knees wearing armbands with printed postcard lines and caption on back.
Information Provided by Michael D. Bulmash:
Jewish men, with armbands, forced to humiliate themselves playing leapfrog to the delight of Germans. Jewish onlookers.
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Real Photo Polish Postcards of Nazi Atrocities
2012.1.100j
Black and white photograph of children lined up with printed postcard lines and caption on back.
Information Provided by Michael D. Bulmash: Children in Lodz ghetto, under the watchful eye of their elders, being loaded on trains for transport to death camps.
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Testimony Signed by Karl Hermann Frank
2012.1.376
White paper with printed and handwritten German. Includes three signatures on the bottom right including one from Karl Hermann Frank.
Information Provided by Michael D. Bulmash: Karl Hermann Frank (1898-1946) was SS Obergruppenfuhrer and a prominent Sudeten German Nazi official in Czechoslovakia serving under Reich protector Reinhard Heydrich until the latter's assassination. Frank was instrumental in implementing Hitler's orders of revenge, which included the destruction of the Czech villages of Lidice and Lezaky, the murder of their male inhabitants, and the deportation of women and young adults to concentration camps. Frank was executed in 1946. Document signed twice by Frank, adding his title as deputy Gauleiter and his SS number, in which he swears: "I am German, of Aryan lineage..." he attests that he is not a Freemason nor member of any secret society, and vows his allegiance to the state.
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Erich von dem Bach-Zelewski
2012.1.393
Black and white photograph of a man in glasses in Nazi uniform.
Information Provided by Michael D. Bulmash:
Erich von dem Bach-Zelewski was highly regarded by Hitler for his brutality and improvisational skills. As SS general and general of the Waffen-SS assigned to the Russian front, Bach-Zelewski was a leader of the Einsatzgruppen, and was thus responsible for many atrocities on the eastern front in which he took a personal part. In October 1941, after 35,000 people had been executed in Riga, he proudly wrote "there is not a Jew left in Estonia." He actively participated in massacres of Jews in Minsk and Mogilev in Russia. Bach-Zelewski claimed to have told Himmler that the firing squads were having a deleterious effect on the assassins, after which Himmler consulted about other methods to murder Jews, leading to the focus on gas as a more industrial solution to the Jewish problem.