RECONSIDERATION OF “GHETTO SOLUTION” Ghettos were small to begin with and became overcrowded quickly –Living conditions became appalling Nazi leaders in Poland began to criticize “ghetto solution” –Forced upper-echelon to reconsider policy and consider other options –Not concerned about living conditions but worried about security and administrative problems

DECISION TO KILL I At some point in 1941 discussion of mass killings began to be seriously discussed –Around the time of Nazi invasion of Russia German High Command issued order for army to use “ruthless and energetic measures” against all Jews, Communist Party members, and anti-German resisters encountered during invasion –June 6, 1941

DECISION TO KILL II GORING TO HEYDRICH, July 31, 1941 “In completion of the task which was entrusted to you in the edict dated January 24, 1939, of solving the Jewish question by means of emigration or evacuation in the most convenient way possible, given the present conditions, I herewith charge you with making all necessary preparation with regard to organizational, practical and financial aspects for an overall solution of the Jewish question...I further charge you with submitting to me promptly an overall plan of the preliminary organizational, practical, and financial measures for the execution of the intended final solution of the Jewish question.”

EISATZGRUPPEN “task forces” Attached to the advancing German army in Russia Job was to kill all Jews and Communist Party members that fell into their hands or were captured by army Employed mass shootings of captured victims at first

BABI YAR (NEAR KIEV) SEPTEMBER ,000 JEWS KILLED WITHIN 24 HOURS

BABI YAR II

BABI YAR III

OPERATION EUTHANASIA Generals complained shootings slowed down troops Eichmann recommended carbon monoxide Gassing victims had already been used in Operation Euthanasia –Purify “master race” by eliminating the chronically ill, physically handicapped, and mentally disabled Over 70,000 helpless people had been gassed to death Set technological precedent that would be used on Jews

DEATH CAMPS Decision made to gas Jews in stationary vernichtungslager (annihilation camps) First camp was Chelmno in Poland –Began December 8, 1941 Second camp was Belzec –Operational in February 1942 Four more camps opened in 1942 –Sobibor, Auschwitz, Majdanek, and Treblinka

WANNSEE CONFERENCE Convened by Heydrich in Berlin suburb where the SS had its headquarters Some historians see it as the final phase of the decision- making process that led to the Final Solution Basic purpose was to coordinate mass murder of European Jews –Not a decision-making meeting but one to work out logistical, administrative, and technical problems of a policy that had already been implemented