Einsatzgruppen (German for "task forces",^[1] "deployment groups";^[2] singular Einsatzgruppe; official full name Einsatzgruppen der Sicherheitspolizei und des SD) were Schutzstaffel (SS) paramilitary death squads of Nazi Germany that were responsible for mass killings, primarily by shooting, during World War II. The Einsatzgruppen had a leading role in the implementation of the Final Solution of the Jewish question (Die Endlösung der Judenfrage) in territories conquered by Nazi Germany.

Under the direction of Reichsführer-SS Heinrich Himmler and the supervision of SS-Obergruppenführer Reinhard Heydrich, the Einsatzgruppen operated in territories occupied by the German armed forces following the invasion of Poland in September 1939 and Operation Barbarossa (the invasion of the Soviet Union) in June 1941. Historian Raul Hilberg estimates that between 1941 and 1945 the Einsatzgruppen and related agencies and foreign auxiliary personnel killed more than two million people, including 1.3 million Jews.^[3] The total number of Jews murdered during the Holocaust is estimated at 5.5 to six million people.^[4]

After the close of the World War II, 24 senior leaders of the Einsatzgruppen were prosecuted in the Einsatzgruppen Trial in 1947–48, charged with crimes against humanity and war crimes. Fourteen death sentences and two life sentences were among the judgements. Four additional Einsatzgruppe leaders were later tried and executed by other nations.^[5]

Invasion of Poland

Seven Einsatzgruppen of battalion strength operated in Poland. Each was subdivided into four Einsatzkommandos of company strength.^[6]

Einsatzgruppe I, commanded by SS-Standartenführer Bruno Streckenbach, acted with 14th Army
Einsatzgruppe II, SS-Obersturmbannführer Emanuel Schäfer, acted with 10th Army
Einsatzgruppe III, SS-Obersturmbannführer und Regierungsrat Dr. Herbert Fischer, acted with 8th Army
Einsatzgruppe IV, SS-Brigadeführer Lothar Beutel, acted with 4th Army
Einsatzgruppe V, SS-Standartenfürer Ernst Damzog, acted with 3rd Army
Einsatzgruppe VI, SS-Oberführer Erich Naumann, acted in Wielkopolska
Einsatzgruppe VII, SS-Obergruppenführer Udo von Woyrsch and SS-Gruppenführer Otto Rasch, acted in Upper Silesia and Cieszyn Silesia^[6]

Invasion of the Soviet Union and other countries

Organisation
Einsatzgruppe	Leader	Subgroups
Einsatzgruppe A (Baltic states)^[7]	SS-Brigadeführer Dr. Franz Walter Stahlecker (until 23 March 1942)	Sonderkommandos 1a and 1b (German for special forces; not to be confused with the Sonderkommandos in the concentration camps) Einsatzkommandos 2 and 3. Attached to Army Group North
Einsatzgruppe B (Belarus)^[7]	SS-Brigadeführer Arthur Nebe (until October 1941)	Sonderkommandos 7a and 7b Einsatzkommandos 8 and 9 A special force under Dr. Franz Six in case Moscow was captured. Attached to Army Group Center
Einsatzgruppe C (Northern and central Ukraine)^[7]	SS-Gruppenführer Dr. Otto Rasch (until October 1941)	Sonderkommandos 4a and 4b (Sonderkommando 4 a was commanded by Paul Blobel) Einsatzkommandos 5 and 6. Attached to Army Group South
Einsatzgruppe D (Bessarabia, Southern Ukraine, Crimea, and Caucasus)^[7]	SS-Gruppenführer Prof. Otto Ohlendorf (until June 1942)	Sonderkommandos 10a and 10b Einsatzkommandos 11a, 11b, and 12. Attached to 11th Army
Einsatzgruppe E (Croatia)^[8]	SS-Obersturmbannführer Ludwig Teichmann, SS-Standartenführer Günther Herrmann, SS-Standartenführer Wilhelm Fuchs	Five Einsatzkommandos located in Vinkovci, Sarajevo, Banja Luka, Knin, and Zagreb
Einsatzgruppe F (Army Group South)^[9]
Einsatzgruppe G (Romania, Hungary, Ukraine)^[8]	SS-Standartenführer Dr. Josef Kreuzer	Einsatzkommandos 11 and 12
Einsatzgruppe H (Slovakia)^[10]	SS-Obersturmbannführer Josef Witiska [fr; de; sv]	Einsatzkommandos 13 and 14, formed in Brno 31 August 1944 as part of the German invasion of Slovakia concurrent with the Slovak National Uprising
Einsatzgruppe K (with 5th Panzer Army in the Ardennes offensive)^[11]	SS-Oberführer Dr. Emanuel Schäfer
Einsatzgruppe L (with 6th Panzer Army in the Ardennes offensive)^[11]	SS-Standartenführer Dr. Ludwig Hahn
Einsatzgruppe Griechenland (Greece)^[12]	SS-Sturmbannführer Dr. Ludwig Hahn
Einsatzgruppe Iltis (Carinthia (Slovenia))^[13]	SS-Standartenführer Paul Blobel
Einsatzkommando Luxemburg (Luxembourg)^[9]
Einsatzgruppe Norwegen (Norway)^[14]	SS-Oberführer Dr. Franz Walter Stahlecker
Einsatzgruppe Serbien (Yugoslavia)^[15]	SS-Standartenführer Wilhelm Fuchs, SS-Gruppenführer August Meysner
Einsatzgruppe for Special Purposes (eastern Poland)^[7]	SS-Brigadeführer und Generalmajor der Polizei Karl Eberhard Schöngarth
Einsatzkommando Tilsit (Lithuania, Poland)^[16]
Einsatzgruppe Tunis (Tunis)^[17]	SS-Obersturmbannführer Walter Rauff
Proposed Einsatzgruppe (Middle East)^[18]	SS-Obersturmbannführer Walter Rauff	Proposed Einsatzgruppe Egypt – planned for Jews resident in the Middle East, including Mandatory Palestine. Never organised.
Proposed Einsatzgruppe (United Kingdom)^[19]	SS-Standartenführer Dr. Franz Six	Proposed. Six Einsatzkommandos would have been located in London, Manchester, Birmingham, Bristol, Liverpool, and either Edinburgh or Glasgow. These death squads would have been charged with the elimination of civilian resistance members and Jews in the United Kingdom. Due to the cancellation of the planned invasion of Britain (Operation Sealion), the units never saw active service.

References

Bibliography

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