Mobile Killing Squads (Graphic Content)

The First Jews were not killed in the gas chambers. About two of the six million Jews did not even make it to the camps; others didn’t even make it to the ghettos.

Einsatzgruppen-Mobile Killing squads

Hitler and the Nazis invaded the Soviet Union on June 22nd, 1941. Following closely behind was the mobile squads. They mostly operated in the same fashion throughout Eastern Europe. (Eastern Europe refers to anything east of The Third Reich, which is Germany, Austria, Luxembourg, parts of Czechoslovak, and parts of Western Poland.) Most Jews killed by the Einsatzgruppen did not live in a ghetto, or merely stayed for two to six weeks in “destructive ghettos.” The men were taken to dig their own graves or Eastern Europeans were used for this task. Some times, pre-dug pits, like anti-tank pits from the war, were used or even wells if they could fit. Almost always, men were taken to the its first because if the woman were taken first the men would be more likely to resist. The Jews were either shot and buried where they fell or were “sardine packed,” meaning they laid down tightly to one another and were shot in the back of the head or neck. This was more time consuming but it saved bullets and space.

(A Young Jewish Boy about to be killed while his family lies dead in front of him)


Experiments were done to kill the Jews more efficiently. Hand grenades were used to in few instances but this was messy and took more of an emotional toll on the murderers. In other cases, entire villages were buried alive. Occasionally, Jews were trapped in a building and burned alive. To save bullets, children were often bonneted. Some times, rocks were used to smash the victims’ heads. This was another way to try and save bullets. Some women were raped prior to being killed.

Sometimes, selections were made prior to the killings. Others, everyone was murdered regardless of gender or age. Not all murderers were SS or SD members. Although most were, some were ethnic Germans (citizens of German blood living in another country) or local collaborators. One famous Pogrom by non-Germans during the Holocaust was the Jedwabne pogrom. The Poles turned on their neighbors and burned them alive. They tried to blame it on the Germans but it was later proven that the act was committed and initiated by Poles.

There are survivors of the mobile killing squads. One Jewish woman managed to escape out the burning building and survived the Holocaust. I once watched a video of a survivor telling of how when she was seven, she was not shot but was buried and managed to use plant roots to climb out of the grave. One exceptional story is of a five year old Jewish Belorussian boy whose mother warned them that they were going to be killed. Wanting to live, he escaped but watched his mother and two younger siblings murder. He was them saved by Latvian and German Nazis.

The Mascot By Alez Kurzem Story of the Jewish boy hidden by Nazis