Text: English     The Stroop Report: The Warsaw Ghetto Is No More
		Copy Warsaw, 20 April 1943. Journal No. 516/43 secret. . (Daily reports) . SS Service Teletype message From: The SS and Police Fuehrer in the District of Warsaw Ref. NO.: I ab/St/Gr-16 07 Re: Ghetto Operation. To: The Higher SS and Police Fuehrer East, Cracow Progress of Ghetto Operation on 19 April 1943: Closing of Ghetto commenced 0300 hrs. At 0600 order to Waffen-SS (strength: 16/850) to comb out the remainder of the Ghetto. Hardly had the units fallen in, strong concerted fire-concentration by the Jews and bandits. The tank used in this action and the two heavy armored cars pelted with Molotov cocktails (incendiary bottles). Tank twice set on fire. Owing to this enemy counterattack, we had at first to take the units back. Losses in first attack: 12 men (6 SS-men, 6 Trawniki-men). About 800 hrs. second attack by the units, under the command of the undersigned. Although the counterattack was reported, this time we succeeded in combing out the blocks of buildings according to plan. We caused the enemy to retire from the roofs and elevated prepared positions into the cellars or dug-outs and sewers. During this combing-out we caught only about 200 Jews. Immediately afterwards raiding parties were directed to dug-outs known to us with the order to pull out the Jews and to destroy the dug-outs. About 380 Jews captured. We found out that the Jews had taken to the sewers. Sewers were completely inundated, to make staying there impossible. About 1730 hrs. we encountered very strong resistance from one block of buildings including machine-gun fire. A special raiding party invaded that block and defeated the enemy, but could not catch the resisters. The Jews and criminals resisted from base to base, and escaped at the last moment across lofts or through subterranean passages. About 2030 hrs. the external barricade was reinforced. All units were withdrawn from the Ghetto and dismissed to their barracks. Reinforcement of the barricade by 250 Waffen-SS men. Continuation of operation on 20 April 1943. Units at my disposal: SS-Panzer-Gren. Res. Batl. 6/400 SS-Cav. Res. Batl. 10/450 Police 6/165 Security Service 2/48 Trawniki-men 1/150 .
		Text: English     The Stroop Report: The Warsaw Ghetto Is No More     Last modified: October 10, 1998 Copyright © 1998 The Mazal Library and The Holocaust History Project. All rights reserved. Technical/administrative contact: webmaster@holocaust-history.org Find a typo? Let us know.