. NMT04-T0548
Volume IV · Page 548
| of the fact that even if the Tribunal assumed
that the defendant did not arrive in Russia until 15 March 1942, the date
asserted by him as the beginning of his active service with the Sonderkommando,
this assumption would not exculpate him. The record proves beyond a reasonable
doubt that Sonderkommando 4b, under the leadership of the defendant Haensch,
was active in war crimes and crimes against humanity, even subsequent to 15
March 1942. On 3 April 1943, Sonderkommando 4b arrested 50 hostages and killed one-half of them. The identification of Haensch's unit in this mass execution is established by the following: (1) Report No. 188, dated 1 April 1942 shows that Sonderkommando 4b had an active unit operating in Zhitomir. (2) Report No. 189, dated 3 April 1942 states |
"Locations and communications as reported in Situation Report 188, dated 1 April 1942, remain unchanged." |
| This proves that Sonderkommando 4b was still at Zhitomir so that it was bound to be the unit responsible for the incident described in the report as follows: |
"Zhitomir — 50 hostages from Gayssen and vicinity were arrested in the course of the investigation and half of them were shot." |
| (3) Report No. 190, dated 8 April 1942
(NO-3359) confirms the responsibility of Sonderkommando 4b for the
events of 3 April by declaring that units of Sonderkommando 4b were still
stationed at Zhitomir. Report No. 189 above indicated, carries also another item under "Einsatzgruppe C". |
"From 28 March up to and inclusive 31 March a total of 434 persons were subjected to ‘special measures’ (executed). The figures breaks down as follows: |
| This item is quoted not as conclusively
proving that Sonderkommando 4b was responsible for the 434 executions, but for
the purpose of demonstrating that Einsatzgruppe C (and, therefore, its integral
units, including Sonderkommando 4b) was at the time actively engaged in the
carrying out of the extermination program. Haensch was involved in still further executions following 15 March. Report No. 6, dated 5 June 1942 (NO-5187) shows that Sonderkommando 4b, under the leadership of Haensch, was located at Gorlovka. The same report carries this item: |
"Several large-scale actions against partisans and Communists were carried out in the district of the Gorlovka in late April — early May 1942. 727 out of 1,038 persons arrested were |
