german task forces deployment groups singular official und des paramilitary death squads nazi germany responsible mass killings primarily shooting world war involved murder cultural elite poland integral role implementation called final solution jewish question die der territories conquered nazi_germany people killed civilians beginning swiftly progressing soviet political jews eastern_europe direction supervision operated territories occupied german armed forces following invasion poland september invasion soviet_union june worked hand hand eastern carry operations ranging murder people operations lasted days massacre jews killed days massacre killed days shooting ordered nazi leader adolf_hitler provided logistical support operations estimates related auxiliary troops killed million people including million jews total number jews murdered holocaust estimated million people close world war senior leaders prosecuted charged crimes humanity war crimes fourteen death sentences life sentences handed additional leaders later tried executed nations formed direction operated world war origins hoc formed secure government buildings documents following austria march originally units stationed october military action turned necessary assigned government papers police documents secured government buildings questioned senior civil servants arrested czech communists german citizens september overall command drive remove undesirable elements german population september december took action programme systematic murder physically mentally handicapped psychiatric hospital patients undertaken nazi regime action mainly took place continued end war initially victims shot gas chambers use spring response und adolf hitler plan invade poland formed travel wake german armies membership point drawn police placed command chose leaders task forces called educated people military experience previously members paramilitary groups numbering men point mission forceful polish people elimination groups clearly identified polish national identity members clergy teachers members nobility stated hitler polish leaders polish leaders exist killed harsh sounds lists people killed drawn early performed murders support paramilitary group consisting ethnic germans living poland members order police shot civilians polish campaign approximately civilians killed end addition leaders polish society killed jews prostitutes people mentally ill psychiatric patients poland initially killed shooting spring gas widely battalion strength operated poland subdivided company strength commanded acted 14th army acted 10th army iii und acted 8th army acted acted acted vii acted formally command army received orders directly acted independently army senior army officers glad leave actions task forces killings violated rules warfare set geneva conventions hitler decreed army tolerate offer logistical support possible army commanders complained looting committed members little effect example sent memorandum complaint hitler atrocities hitler dismissed concerns relieved post continued serve army received promotion field marshal final task poland round remaining jews concentrate major cities good railway connections intention eventually remove jews poland point final destination determined drove tens thousands jews eastward soviet controlled territory march lead planned invasion soviet_union hitler dictated guidelines special spheres directive sub specified given special tasks direct orders carry independently directive intended prevent friction upcoming offensive hitler specified criminal acts civilians members upcoming campaign prosecuted military courts speech leading generals march hitler described envisioned war soviet_union general army chief staff described speech struggle scathing evaluation equals communism immense future danger fight finish accept shall beat enemy thirty years shall confront communist foe don war preserve enemy struggle russia communist personnel criminals treated struggle differ west east means future general record mention jews german historian argued hitler frequent contemporary statements coming war generals understood hitler destruction soviet_union comprising destruction jewish population genocide described special tasks executive measures victims described having shot trying escape verbally passed order kill soviet jews commanders reorganised trained spring general successfully completed negotiations operation german_army allow implementation special tasks following agreement april field marshal von ordered began german_army commanders immediately identify register jews occupied areas soviet_union fully operate meetings held june outlined leaders regime intention reduce population soviet_union million people direct killing considered racially inferior remainder food life organisation starting initially created numbering men comprise total force attached centre south assigned operated eastern poland starting july control headed later successor gave mandate secure offices papers soviet state communist_party higher soviet state encourage jewish populations men recruited operational control area operations general wagner agreed line areas operate army command army provided necessary logistical support acted orders supplied security forces needed basis local police leaders led officers included recruits augmented volunteers local auxiliary police force supplemented reserve battalion support personnel drivers radio operators average formations larger better armed heavy machine gun detachments enabled carry operations capability death squad followed assigned army group advanced soviet_union course operations commanders received assistance activities ranged murder targeted groups individuals named carefully prepared lists joint city wide operations lasted days battalion reinforced local auxiliary police brigades wrote historian thin cutting edge german units involved political racial mass murder leaders highly educated example seventeen leaders held doctorate degrees commanded holders held double doctorate additional created additional territory conquered operated croatia commanders lastly unit subdivided located worked operated romania hungary ukraine commanded assigned slovakia worked alongside 5th 6th armies offensive previously command greece included operated border austria yugoslavia norway commanded yugoslavia august lithuania poland commanded killings soviet_union invasion soviet_union june main assignment kill civilians poland time targets specifically included soviet communist_party jews letter dated july communicated police leaders execute senior middle ranking officials senior middle ranking members central provincial district committees communist_party radical communist_party members people jews party government posts open ended instructions given execute radical elements assassins etc instructed spontaneously initiated occupants conquered territories quietly encouraged july announced jews regarded partisans gave order male jews ages shot july ordered kill prisoners war plus prisoners war georgia jews unlike germany laws defined jewish jewish grandparents defined jewish jewish case person practised religion irrelevant unit assigned people mentally ill common practice shoot hostages invasion began germans pursued fleeing leaving security vacuum reports surfaced soviet guerrilla activity area local jews immediately suspected collaboration ordered officers anti jewish newly occupied territories orchestrated broke lithuania ukraine weeks led deaths jews end taken place claiming victims commander reported superiors mid october residents spontaneously starting secret assistance germans required similar noted russia ukraine east travelled likely residents prompted killing jewish neighbours main took mass early days war initially targets adult jewish men august net widened include women children elderly entire jewish population initially legality given charges read arson sabotage black refusal work example victims killed firing squad method proved slow began victims larger groups shot inside mass graves prepared started use automatic weapons survivors killed pistol shot word got jews fled ukraine cent jews ran away seen leader beneficial save regime costs victims east areas invasion successful insufficient forces immediately kill jews conquered territories situation report september noted jews members apparatus suggested total elimination negative impact economy food supply nazis began round victims concentration camps rural districts rendered free jews jewish councils set major cities forced labour gangs established use jews slave labour totally eliminated goal postponed public terror tactic local population report dated october described hanging suspected partisan activity near male residents aged camp screened screening produced seventeen people identified partisans communists members group hanged local residents assembled watch rest shot largest mass shooting took place september northwest city ukraine fallen germans september perpetrators included company attached members ukrainian auxiliary police jews told report certain street corner september shot word areas reached assembly point near train station assumed deported people showed rendezvous point large numbers laden possessions food journey marched miles north west city centre victims encountered barbed wire barrier numerous ukrainian police german troops thirty people time told leave possessions escorted narrow lined soldiers clubs tried escape beaten soon victims reached open area forced strip people forced lie rows bodies victims shot head neck members execution squads murders continued days claiming total victims sand bodies sides bring material member later testified days later people alive corpses spent days helping smooth millions taken victims possessions clothing taken away destined german citizens troops shot jews end october killings baltic states operated soviet occupied baltic states estonia lithuania according reports killed people months following invasion jews communists people mental illnesses partisans poles armenian reported killed june november entering lithuania june released criminals local jail encouraged join underway june jews killed streets nearby open pits ditches particularly active called death dealer young man murdered jews garage large crowd killing applause occasionally play lithuanian national anthem resuming killings advanced lithuania actively recruited local nationalists groups july members movement joined early july killed jews nationalist supporters undertook campaign arson july commander appointed head men university students killed jews july months men kill half jewish population local officials auxiliary police played key role rounding groups helped killing units quickly identify jews consisting auxiliary police organised germans recruited police officers members university students assisted murder jewish citizens similar units created provided manpower holocaust eastern_europe creation units lithuania attacks changed spontaneous mob violence systematic extensive local help attempt systematically jews area historian wrote roughly jews fell german hands survived western jews sent lived liberation highest percentage europe late settled headquarters grew mobile faced problems small size germans relied increasingly similar groups perform jews extensive enthusiastic collaboration attributed factors russian revolution experienced political culture violence period soviet rule profoundly traumatic residents baltic states areas poland population imposed soviet rule existing familiar structures society destroyed notes survived sense society seeking communism result time german invasion come regime socially acceptable behaviour people simply transferred allegiance german regime arrived collaborated soviet regime sought divert attention naming jews collaborators killing november dissatisfied pace intended jews germany area assigned perpetrators massacre selected site kilometres southeast near railway station russian prisoners war prepare site digging pits bury victims organised men including members german men guards participated mass killings civilians troops supplemented including members city police battalion police guards able bodied jews spared execution slave labour exploited thousand men relocated area women temporarily housed prison later moved separate nearby work uniforms rail line decided victims travel foot execution ground trucks buses arranged carry children elderly victims told relocated advised bring kilograms possessions day executions november began perpetrators assembling victims victims moved columns thousand people execution ground walked men went line shooting people pace tried run away rest columns neared prepared execution site victims driven metres road forest possessions abandoned seized victims split groups taken deeper forest near pits ordered strip victims driven prepared trenches lie shot head neck members bodyguard jews killed pits day thousand jews berlin arrived train second day operation december remaining jews killed way thousand killed streets city way site bringing total deaths day people organising massacre promoted leader second sweep immediately follow example systematically killing jews areas commanders exception opinion fall impossible kill entire jewish population soviet_union sweep thought killings stop report dated september advised germans better skilled jews labourers shooting areas poor weather lack transportation led jews points west interval passed round summer fall american historian called second sweep started december lasted summer interval surviving jews forced murdered jews area shifted operations assist february reduced city jewish population course days local collaborators provided extra manpower needed perform wrote baltic states germans killed jews quickly local help points ratio ukraine rural areas proportion meant ukrainian jews killed fellow commanded german officers germans second wave soviet_union met armed resistance areas chance success poor weapons typically primitive home communications impossible cities way create unified strategy leadership supported resistance fear residents mass break outs attempted survival forest nearly impossible lack food fact tracked killed transition time found killing methods inefficient costly troops kill victims quickly troops found difficult impossible perform perpetrators suffered physical mental health problems turned drink possible leaders genocide historian notes attempt collective act individual responsibility framing way psychologically sufficient feel guilt notes categories potential perpetrators eager participate right start participated spite moral ordered significant minority refused men spontaneously excessively brutal killing methods zeal task commander particularly noted excess ordered man eager participate brutal perform executions visit august witnessed mass execution hand concluded shooting jews men november arrangements men suffering ill health having participated executions provided rest mental health care decided transition victims especially women children ordered recruitment native assist murders gas previously kill mental patients began service main gas popular removing dead bodies van burying horrible ordeal prisoners assigned task spare men trauma early mass killings camps carbon produced diesel engines similar method gas early september experiments begun based gas plans total jewish population europe million people conference held january worked death rest killed implementation final solution jewish question german der permanent killing centres nazi camps replaced mobile death squads primary method mass killing remained active work fighting partisans particularly fall february realised germany likely lose war ordered formation special task force unit assignment visit mass graves eastern bodies burn attempt cover genocide task remained unfinished end war mass graves remain unmarked begun push german forces eastern_europe retreated alongside late personnel folded combat units transferred permanent death camps estimates related agencies killed million people including million jews total number jews murdered war estimated million people plans middle_east britain according research german historians created kill half million jews living jews egypt standing athens prepared palestine german forces arrived lead unit given small staff men needed help local residents complete assignment members planned enlist collaborators local population perform killings german leadership iraqi prime minister jerusalem played roles engaging radio propaganda preparing recruit volunteers raising arab german battalion follow middle_east commander promised operation corps assignments agreement signed july groups promised logistical support serve command group left greece plans set aside allied victory battle operation sea lion german plan invasion united_kingdom launched scheduled follow invasion force britain provided list called die special search list known black book war people immediately imprisoned list included churchill members cabinet prominent journalists authors members government exile report kept official records provided detailed reports superiors report filed commander december superior head covers activities lithuania month period july november report provides daily running total people vast majority jews report documents exact date place number victims breakdown categories jews communists criminals women shot beginning initially fewer numbers men children included tally starting mid august people murdered august report military justification killings people killed solely jews total report lists executions different locations wrote state today goal solving jewish problem lithuania reached jews lithuania apart working jews families february report increased total number victims giving breakdown men women children victims non jewish escaped capture allies war ended lived report discovered march arrested charged committed suicide june prison awaiting trial crimes involvement killings took place knowledge support german_army east october field marshal drafted order read eastern known read important objective campaign jewish system complete destruction sources power influence european civilization eastern theatre soldier man fighting accordance rules art war ruthless standard bearer national conception reason soldier learn fully appreciate necessity severe retribution species field marshal von army group south expressed complete agreement order sent circular generals command urging release versions impress troops need jews general order troops november stated jewish system sent letter commanding officer complaining unfair keeping murdered jews instead sharing army trivial complaint army worked closely effectively july reported armed forces surprisingly welcome hostility jews september reported relations german_army excellent month wrote operating relations commanded general close south worked closely massacre ukrainian jews killing jews massacre german historian thinks probable jews killed native population july people home germany idea committed british historian noted forbidden photographs killings common men pictures send loved ones felt suggested widespread approval tried justify considerable involvement anti partisan operations racist attacks wrote excuse states german generals claimed necessary anti partisan response lying maintained slaughter million civilians reasons racist ideology justified trial close world war senior leaders prosecuted held united_states military authority men charged crimes humanity war crimes membership declared criminal organization fourteen death sentences life sentences executions carried june rest reduced lesser sentences additional leaders later tried executed nations leaders including claimed trial received order requiring murder soviet jews date evidence found order issued german prosecutor noted order given post war courts able convict leaders mass murder established committed mass murder orders convicted perpetrators mass murder received sentences including capital punishment existence early comprehensive order created use defence theory widely accepted historians notes orders received leaders especially ordered carry criminal activities vague terminology specific meaning members regime leaders given need severe firm jews viewed potential enemies dealt british historian sir argues hitler apocalyptic remarks necessity war mercy forces interpreted commanders permission encouragement engage extreme violence commander use discretion far prepared perpetrators nazi war crimes charged returned civilian life charged members war crimes time went difficult obtain witnesses grew older likely able offer valuable testimony funding trials inadequate governments 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