By: Nick Maritato

 Einsatzgruppen was formed as a special task force.  Their mission was to arrest political enemies of Germany.  Later, when the “ Final Solution” was put into place, the Einstazgruppen became a group of professional killers.

 Reinhardt Heydrich: First commander to order the immediate execution of Jews on sight.  Heinrich Himmler: Ordered troops to kill all insurgents; anyone who they thought endangered German life or property.

 Einsatzgruppen operated behind the Eastern Front.  The countries of Poland, Russia and East Prussia made up the Eastern Front.  All throughout the Eastern Front massacres were common.

 Men, women and children were killed.  People were stripped naked and required to hand over all valuables.  They were then instructed to dig a ditch which would become their grave.  Then, one by one, the people would be shot in the head and fall into their grave.  By the end of the war, troops had mobile gas vans which they could use to kill instead of shooting their victims in the head.

 Einsatzgruppen were made up of SS, Gastapo, and volunteers from the German army.  Many troops suffered horrible psychological effects from the killings they participated in.  Some went crazy and ended up in asylums; others took their own lives!  Many of the officers in charge were prosecuted in the infamous Nurnberg Trials.

 In three years,Einsatzgruppen members had killed over 1.5 million Jews, gypsies, and political leaders.  Approximately only 2995 of the troops were involved in the killings.  That means each member of the Einsatzgruppen killed approximately 507 people each!

Resnick, Abraham. The Holocaust. San Diego, CA: Lucent, Print. Rice, Earle. The Final Solution. San Diego, CA: Lucent, Print. An Introduction to the Einsatzgruppen." The Holocaust History Project Homepage. Web. 07 Feb