Reserve Police Battalion 33 | |
---|---|
Polizei Front-Bataillon 33 "Ostland" | |
Active | August 1941 – 1943 |
Country | Nazi Germany |
Branch | Ordnungspolizei |
Role | Anti-partisan operations in World War II, The Holocaust in Poland, The Holocaust in Belarus, The Holocaust in Ukraine |
Commanders | |
Notable commanders |
Herberts Brašnevics (Herbert Braschnewitz) Henn Sarmiste (Heinrich Stunde) Paul Laamann SS-Obersturmführer Rudolf Steinpick Hugo Siim |
Reserve Police Battalion 33,[1][2] "Ostland", (German language: Polizei-Bataillon 33, also: Polizei-Bataillon "Ostland") was a militarised unit of the German Ordnungspolizei (Orpo) in World War II. For the first three months between August and October 1941 – according to Latvian Museum of Occupation – its official name was Police Reserve Battalion "Ostland" (Polizei-Reserve-Bataillon "Ostland") and, from October 1941, the 33rd Reserve Police Battalion (Reserve-Polizei-Bataillon 33).[3] The 1st Company of Battalion 33 was known as Ostlandkompanie. It was composed largely of Estonian Volksdeutsche.[2]
The battalion originated in Stahnsdorf, and was formed up at Frankfurt an der Oder in August 1941.[4] It carried out so-called anti-partisan operations and mass shootings.[5] According to historians referring to the SS-Hauptamt's document No. 8699/42, the Polizei-Bataillon 33 resided in the Reichskommissariat Ukraine in 1941-1942 and took part of the executions of the Jews. As reported in May, 1942 to Berlin, 1,000 Jews were executed in Minsk; as reported on July 15, 1942 another thousand Jews were executed in the same place; as reported on June 27, 1942, 4,000 Jews of the Słonim Ghetto were executed on the outskirts of Słonim; as reported on July 28, 1942, another 6,000 Jews were executed in Minsk.
History[]
Also known as the Police Front-Battalion "Ostland" or Polizei Front-Bataillon "Ostland", Polizei-Bataillon 33; Field Post Number: 47769 and 47797) or the Ostland special SS-battalion was an Ordnungspolizei unit that served in World War II under the command of the Schutzstaffel (SS). The battalion was established either in August or October 1941.[5] According to the researcher Rolf Michaelis referring to the SS-Hauptamt's document No. 8699/42, the Police Front-Battalion "Ostland" resided in the Reichskommissariat Ukraine in 1941-1942 and took part in the mass shooting of Jews. On June 28, 1941 a Polish town of Równe was captured by Nazi Germany, which later established the city as the administrative centre of the Reichskommissariat Ukraine. July 1941: The 1st company was in Frankfurt. The rest of the battalion was in Równe, Poland. October 1941: sent to Lwów, Poland. At the time, roughly half of Równe's inhabitants were Jewish. About 23,000 of these people were taken to a pine grove in Sosenki and slaughtered by the 1st company of the Police Front-Battalion "Ostland" between the November 6, and 8, 1941 (1st company). A ghetto was established for the remaining ca 5,000 Jews.[6][7][8]
As reported on May 11, 1942, ca 1,000 Jews were executed in Minsk.[9][10] On July 13–14, 1942, the remaining population of the Równe ghetto - about 5,000 Jews - was sent by train some 70 kilometres north to Kostopol where they were murdered by the 1st company of the Police Front-Battalion "Ostland" in a quarry near woods outside the town. The Równe ghetto was subsequently liquidated.[7][8][9] As reported on July 14, 1942: The battalion or elements of it provided security along with the Ukrainische Hilfspolizei for a transport of the Jews from the Riga Ghetto to the Riga Central Station using the wagons (1st company). July 15, 1942 another thousand Jews were executed in the same place.[9][10] As reported on June 27, 1942, ca 8,000 Jews of the Słonim Ghetto were executed on the outskirts of Słonim.[10][11] As reported on July 28, 1942, ca 6,000 Jews were executed in Minsk.[9][10][12] In November 1942 the Police Battalion Ostland together with an artillery regiment, and three other German Ordnungspolizei battalions under the command of Befehlshaber der Ordnungspolizei im Reichskommissariat Ukraine and SS-Gruppenführer und Generalleutnant der Polizei Otto von Oelhafen, took part in a joint anti-partisan operation near Owrucz with over 50 villages burnt down and over 1,500 people executed. In a village 40 people were burnt alive for revenge for the killing of the SS-Untersturmführer Türnpu(u).[10] February 1943: In Revel, Estonia with Polizei Füsilier Bataillon 293. By March 31, 1943, the Estnische Legion had 37 officers, 175 noncoms and 62 privates of the Ostland special battalion.[8][13]
See also[]
References[]
- ↑ J. Burds (2013). Holocaust in Rovno: The Massacre at Sosenki Forest, November 1941. Springer. p. 60. ISBN 1137388404. https://books.google.ca/books?id=lkVGAgAAQBAJ&q=%22Reserve+Police+Battalion+33%22. "The 1st Company of Reserve Police Battalion 33, also known as Ostlandkompanie, was composed largely of Estonian Volksdeutsche, who had fled the Soviet occupation in 1940–41."
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Ray Brandon & Wendy Lower (2008). The Shoah in Ukraine: History, Testimony, Memorialization. Indiana University Press. p. 373. ISBN 0253001595. https://books.google.ca/books?id=hyYGOyX1IQUC&q=%22Reserve+Police+Battalion+33%22. "Reserve Police Battalion 33 (pp. 48, 277); 1st Company: Ostlandkompanie (p. 43). November 1941: After consultations with Beer, the police—Orpo Battalions 69, 315, and 320 (together with Ostlandkompanie) and the detachment from Ek 5—murdered some 17,000 Jews near the village of Sosenki."
- ↑ Arūns Bubnis, Tomass Hīo (2005). Latvijas Okupācijas muzeja Gadagrāmata 2004 : Cīņa par Baltiju. Rīgā, Latvia: Latvijas okupācijas muzejs. p. 36. https://books.google.ca/books?id=3sMiAQAAIAAJ&focus=searchwithinvolume&q=Polizei-Bataillon+33. "Index of Articles."
- ↑ Massimo Arico, POLIZEI-BATAILLON 33 (Polizei-Bataillon "Ostland")
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 Massimo Arico, Ordnungspolizei - Encyclopedia of the German police battalions September 1939 - July 1942, p. 144-145.
- ↑ Rolf Michaelis, Der Einsatz der Ordnungspolizei 1939-1945. Polizei-Bataillone, SS-Polizei-Regimenter. Michaelis Verlag - Berlin, 2008. ISBN 9783938392560,
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 POLIZEI-BATAILLON 33 (Polizei-Bataillon "Ostland")
- ↑ 8.0 8.1 8.2 Stefan Klemp: Nicht ermittelt. Polizeibataillone und die Nachkriegsjustiz. Ein Handbuch. 2. Aufl., Klartext, Essen 2011, S. 296–301.
- ↑ 9.0 9.1 9.2 9.3 Rolf Michaelis, Der Einsatz der Ordnungspolizei 1939-1945. Polizei-Bataillone, SS-Polizei-Regimenter. Michaelis Verlag - Berlin, 2008. ISBN 9783938392560
- ↑ 10.0 10.1 10.2 10.3 10.4 Wolfgang Curilla: Die deutsche Ordnungspolizei und der Holocaust im Baltikum und in Weissrussland, 1941-1944. F. Schöningh, Paderborn 2006, ISBN 3506717871.
- ↑ Gilbert, Martin (1986). The Holocaust. London: Fontana Press. p. 403. ISBN 0-00-637194-9. https://books.google.ca/books?id=hRJnAAAAMAAJ&focus=searchwithinvolume&q=Slonim.
- ↑ Rolf Michaelis, Eestlased Waffen-SS-is 20. SS relvagrenaderidiviis. Tallinn: Olion, 2001. p. 32.
- ↑ Massimo Arico, Ordnungspolizei - Encyclopedia of the German police battalions September 1939 - July 1942, p. 249-258.
Further reading[]
- Massimo Arico (2009), Ordnungspolizei - Encyclopedia of the German police battalions September 1939 - July 1942. Internet Archive. ISBN 978-91-85657-98-8.
- RolandP (February 27, 2011), Reserve-Polizei-Bataillon 33 Ostland. Einheiten der Polizei und des SD - Forum der Wehrmacht.
- Karl Hinzer, Fotoalbum I: Eestlased Patalionis Ostland. (Estonians' Battalion Ostland). Photo-gallery.
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The original article can be found at Reserve Police Battalion 33 and the edit history here.