The Einsatzgruppen (Einsatzgruppen) carried out mass shootings of Polish citizens after the occupation of Poland. The Einsatzgruppen (Einsatzgruppen) were special SS troops who were tasked with massacring Jews, Communists, and other people who had no reason to live by the Nazis. Nazi German forces occupied Austria and certain Czechoslovakian areas in annexation. The Einsatzgruppen were the first to carry out mass killings in the annexed parts of Austria and Czechoslovakia.
For the Polish campaign of 1939, the Chief of State Security formed six major Einsatzgruppen. Five of the units were attached to the invading German forces, while another was designated for duty in the Poznan area. During the Polish campaign, the Einsatzgruppen's strength reached about 2,700 men. From September 1 to October 25, 1939, more than 500 towns and villages were burned and about 16,000 people were executed by the Einsatzgruppen.
Notoriously, the Einsatzgruppen had been formed in the spring of 1941 for the Russian campaign. The security police and security forces were ordered to assist the Germans in fighting the Allied forces behind the front lines. The commanders of the Einzatzgruppen were carefully selected from the most educated and most zealous Nazis; three of the four commanders had earned doctorates.
The usual method of execution for the Einsatzgruppen was by firing squad. Other methods used were gas trucks. Typically, they were taken to a remote location and shot. When carrying out executions by firing squad, the Germans frequently used existing ravines, sand pits, quarries, or abandoned Russian anti-tank ditches, and the Germans had their victims dig their own graves. Very accurate records were kept of the activities of the Einsatzgruppen. Many of the commander's reports survived and were brought before the war crimes tribunal in Nuremberg.
The Einsatzgruppen was disbanded by 1944. The Einzatzgruppen D was an exception, and was disbanded in July 1943. Over the years, its deadly activities claimed the lives of some 700,000 people or more. Einsatzgruppen commanders and officers were put on trial in Nuremberg and elsewhere, and seven were executed. more than 50 Einsatzgruppen officers were put on trial. More than 50 Einsatzgruppen officers were tried and the sentences they received were light in punishment compared to the gravity of the crimes.
