| |
arms and legs down the road toward
the train. Again and again the cries Open the door! Open the door!
echoed through the ghetto." (2992-PS.) |
| Despite the immunity guaranteed his Jewish
workers by Commissioner Beck, seven of them were seized and taken to the
collecting point. Graebe's narrative continues |
| |
"I went to the collecting point to
save these seven men. I saw dozens of corpses of all ages and both sexes in the
streets I had to walk along. The doors of the houses stood open, windows were
smashed. Pieces of clothing, shoes, stockings, jackets, caps, hats, coats,
etc., were lying in the street. At the corner of the house lay a baby, less
than a year old with his skull crushed. Blood and brains were spattered over
the house wall and covered the area immediately around the child. The child was
dressed only in a little skirt. The commander, SS Major Puetz, was walking up
and down a row of about 80-100 male Jews who were crouching on the ground. He
had a heavy dog whip in his hand. I walked up to him, showed him the written
permit of Stabsleiter Beck and demanded the seven men whom I recognized among
those who were crouching on the ground. Dr. Puetz was very furious about Beck's
concession and nothing could persuade him to release the seven men. He made a
motion with his hand encircling the square and said that anyone who was once
here would not get away. Although he was very angry with Beck, he ordered me to
take the people from 5 Bahnhofstrasse out of Revue, by 8 o'clock at the latest.
When I left Dr. Puetz, I noticed a Ukrainian farm cart, with two horses. Dead
people with stiff limbs were lying on the cart, legs and arms projected over
the side boards. The cart was making for the freight train. I took the
remaining 74 Jews who had been locked in the house to Sdolbunov."
(2992-PS.) |
5,000 Jews were massacred in this pogrom.
Special Kommando 7 which, as heretofore indicated, had shot the 27 Jews
on the streets of Vitebsk, announced in its report |
| |
"The Ruthenian part of the
population has approved of this. Large-scale execution of Jews will follow
immediately." (NO-2954. ) |
| The active cooperation of the action units
with the accomplishment of pogroms is evidenced by one report where the Sipo
and SD want some of the credit for the murders committed. |
| |
"As a result of the pogroms carried
out by the Lithuanians, who were nevertheless substantially assisted by Sipo
and SD, 3,800 Jews in Kovno and 1,200 in the smaller town were eliminated."
(2273-PS.) |
| In some areas special groups were set up.
|
438 |