Nazi Killing Squads

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How did the Nazis kill so many people ? This question is important because somehow the Nazis managed to kill over 6 million Jews during the Holocaust. During the Holocaust, the S.S deployed Killing Squads which were characterized by their tactics, important dates,and their impact on the Final Solution. Killing Squads managed to find a fast killing tactic. This is a crucial part of the topic because figuring out how Killing Squads kill could show why they were able to kill so many Jews, Gypsies, and Communist leaders. Killing Squad were also called death squads,mobile killing units, and Einsatzgruppen. The killing squads were often made of the German S.S and police personnel (USHMM). This means that the killing squads did have some military experience. Killing Squads act swiftly,usually tanking the Jewish population by surprise (USHMM). This is also why they were called mobile killing units. Killing Squads would enter towns and gather the people, usually in vast open areas. Open areas are easier to dig the mass graves that the dead would be put it. After victims gave their valuables to the killing squad and undressed, they were gassed in vans, shot it trenches, or shot in prepared pits (USHMM).People gassed in vans were killed by the carbon monoxide produced by the van because the exhaust pipes were blocked. These research findings reveal the harsh tactics of killing squads. The squads don't care how the Jews died, as long as it was cheap. There are also a few dates where a huge amount of Jews died. This is important to the topic because it shows the devastation killing squads can cause. During the invasion of the Soviet Union in June 1941, the killing squads followed the German Army. Their orders were to destroy all Jews, Communist, and Gypsies. “By the end of 1942, over a million Soviet Jews died” (USHMM). This is a very large amount of people to die in only half a year. During the summer of 1942, 137,346 Jews are killed according to S.S Karl Jaegers report. Almost all Jews in small towns in Lithuania are killed. 35,000 survivors are put into forced labor (USHMM). There was no good outcome for the Jews. It was either die or be put into labor. The facts and figures show the massive number of killed Jews. The killings would even be bigger if the time span was to increase. The presence of the killing squad mad an impact on the Final Solution.

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