Einsatzgruppen: Killing Squads In The Holocaust
Einsatzgruppen - Killing Squads
Do you ever stop and think about how many lives were taken in the Holocaust? More than six million Jews lost their lives throughout the course of this traumatic event. Some of us may find it hard to even wrap our brains around a number this large. Try and imagine that each and every digit in that number was a living human being. Now they’re dead. It is my honor to write this paper and educate the reader as much as I know about the horrors of this genocide. One of the most common ways these people were killed was through the Einsatzgruppen. The Einsatzgruppen was a very lethal and dangerous killing group that worked for Hitler himself. Hopefully by the end of this essay you will have a better understanding …show more content…
The Einsatzgruppen is simply the german term for killing squad. They were made up of many small groups with men, specially trained to kill. Each group consisted of about 600-1,000 men. A majority of these men were mostly Nazi SS Soldiers. “The main job of the Einsatzgruppen was the immediate liquidation of Jews.”(www.yadvashen.com) The word “liquidation” is stating that the job of these soldiers was to wipe off as much of the Jewish population as they can. That is why the Einsatzgruppen is ranked one of the most gruesome details of the second world war. “One important member of Einsatzgruppen, Hans Friedrich, said that he had ‘no empathy for any of the Jews he had killed’.”(ww2history.com) Although Adolph Hitler was the leader of all Nazis, he left the Einsatzgruppen under the command of General Reinhard …show more content…
“Victims of the squads were forced to surrender all valuables and remove all clothing.”(www.ushmm.com) The soldiers would humiliate the Jews by marching them naked. Some victims were even raped. Most of the Jews were ordered to dig their own grave. After digging their hole they were shot and thrown into it. These executions normally lasted about three to four hours. Other Jews died by being gassed or slit in the throat. After hearing this information I ask myself how our history has been affected by this horrific event. The answer is that every heart who has heard about the holocaust is touched. Maybe in a sad way, or even an angry way. We must pass these emotions on so that this tragic story is not
Do you ever stop and think about how many lives were taken in the Holocaust? More than six million Jews lost their lives throughout the course of this traumatic event. Some of us may find it hard to even wrap our brains around a number this large. Try and imagine that each and every digit in that number was a living human being. Now they’re dead. It is my honor to write this paper and educate the reader as much as I know about the horrors of this genocide. One of the most common ways these people were killed was through the Einsatzgruppen. The Einsatzgruppen was a very lethal and dangerous killing group that worked for Hitler himself. Hopefully by the end of this essay you will have a better understanding …show more content…
The Einsatzgruppen is simply the german term for killing squad. They were made up of many small groups with men, specially trained to kill. Each group consisted of about 600-1,000 men. A majority of these men were mostly Nazi SS Soldiers. “The main job of the Einsatzgruppen was the immediate liquidation of Jews.”(www.yadvashen.com) The word “liquidation” is stating that the job of these soldiers was to wipe off as much of the Jewish population as they can. That is why the Einsatzgruppen is ranked one of the most gruesome details of the second world war. “One important member of Einsatzgruppen, Hans Friedrich, said that he had ‘no empathy for any of the Jews he had killed’.”(ww2history.com) Although Adolph Hitler was the leader of all Nazis, he left the Einsatzgruppen under the command of General Reinhard …show more content…
“Victims of the squads were forced to surrender all valuables and remove all clothing.”(www.ushmm.com) The soldiers would humiliate the Jews by marching them naked. Some victims were even raped. Most of the Jews were ordered to dig their own grave. After digging their hole they were shot and thrown into it. These executions normally lasted about three to four hours. Other Jews died by being gassed or slit in the throat. After hearing this information I ask myself how our history has been affected by this horrific event. The answer is that every heart who has heard about the holocaust is touched. Maybe in a sad way, or even an angry way. We must pass these emotions on so that this tragic story is not