From the moment Germany invaded the Soviet Union, the extermination of European Jewry began. Initially, these operations were carried out by mobile killing squads consisting of special units (Einsatzgruppen), German police detachments, and local collaborators who were in close contact with the German army (Wehrmacht). These units accompanied the army, officially with the aim of destroying opponents of the regime – primarily leaders of the Communist Party. In reality, it became clear in the first few weeks that these forces were involved in the mass extermination of the Jewish male population under the pretext of actions against partisans. Soon, the killing of women and children also began. In essence, this was the systematic extermination of the Jewish communities of Poland, the Soviet Union, Yugoslavia, Romania, Slovakia, and others.
The killings were carried out as follows: immediately after the Germans captured a new territory, the local Jewish population was gathered in a specific place, such as a synagogue, prison, or cemetery. The Jews were then driven to a pre-prepared place of execution, which could be a natural ravine, a specially dug ditch, or existing pits, such as anti-tank ditches or fuel storage pits. These places were mainly located near Jewish residential areas. People were brought there on foot or by car.
The victims were often forced to undress and then driven to pits where they were shot. Even in the last moments of their lives, they were subjected to constant abuse. Some of them were kept at “assembly points” without food or water for many hours. On the way to the place of execution, they were often beaten by their neighbors, who tried to take the valuables that the Jews were carrying with them. At the sites of mass killings, the abuse of naked men, women, and children continued. In some cases, the victims were forced to dig their own graves. After being shot, many victims died painful deaths from their wounds. Some were buried alive.
Tens of thousands of German soldiers, as well as collaborators of various nationalities, took an active part in the killings. Many of them helped round up Jews and drive them to the sites of mass killings. Moreover, local residents and soldiers from various units often came specifically to watch the mass killings, which sometimes lasted several days.
Starting in the fall of 1943, as the Allied front line advanced, the Germans attempted to cover up the traces of the mass murders. Prisoners, mainly Jews, were forced to dig up the graves and burn the remains of the bodies. When the work of concealing the evidence was completed, they, in turn, were also killed. In a number of cases, some prisoners managed to escape, and their testimonies testify to the scale of the killings and the cruelty of the Nazis.
Among the most notorious sites of mass murder, which became graves for tens of thousands of people, are the Ninth Fort, a fortress near Kaunas where approximately 50,000 Lithuanian and German Jews were killed; Ponary, a recreation area near Vilnius, where approximately 70,000 Lithuanian Jews were herded; Babi Yar, a dry riverbed on the outskirts of Kiev, where 100,000 people, mainly Jews, Soviet prisoners of war, and Gypsies, were killed. In addition to these well-known and duly commemorated sites, there are countless smaller sites where hundreds of thousands of people were killed. In total, more than 2 million Jews died in mass shooting sites.
