Józefów massacre
The Józefów massacre took place on July 13, 1942 as part of the Holocaust against the Jews of the Polish town of Józefów . The massacre goes back to a direct order from the SS and Police Leader (SSPF) of the Lublin district in the Generalgouvernement Odilo Globocnik . Globocnik or a member of his staff ordered the commander of the Reserve Police Battalion 101 , Major Wilhelm Trapp , to "round up" the local Jews. In contrast to previous actions of this kind, only the male part of the Jewish population fit for work was to be deported . Women, children and old people, however, were to be shot on the spot.
procedure
Early in the morning of July 13th, the Reserve Police Battalion 101 moved out to Józefów as one. While two platoons of 3rd Company surrounded the village with the clear order to shoot anyone who tried to escape, 1st Company moved into the town itself. Their job was to drive the Jews to the marketplace. Those who could not keep pace, those who were unable to walk or who offered resistance should be shot immediately. Most of the company then moved directly into the forest to form firing squads. The 3rd platoon of 3rd Company and the entire 2nd Company were supposed to supervise the loading of the Jews onto trucks so that they could be brought to the shooting site. About 300 Jews were selected as fit for work and taken to a nearby sawmill or an airfield near Lublin. At least 1,500 Jews stayed behind and were shot in the forest.
The firing squads were assigned groups of Jews of equal strength. These had to lie down on the floor. The bayonet benützend an aimer the Jews were then shot. Despite the aim help, there were a significant number of missed shots. After the shooting, the next point was moved closer to the place of unloading.
particularities
The offer of the battalion commander when issuing orders is probably unique in the history of the Holocaust. As part of the issue of orders, Major Trapp explained the purpose of their task to the men. Since the Jewish population is in cahoots with partisans, those who are fit for work should be sent to concentration camps immediately , while the rest should be shot immediately. In the end, however, he offered: Those of the elders who did not feel up to this task could step aside. The first to accept this offer was a soldier from 3rd Company. Its leader, Hauptmann Hoffmann, who was also Hauptsturmführer of the SS , heavily reproached the man. However, this was taken under protection by Trapp. Then another twelve soldiers reported. In the course of the shootings, more and more soldiers reported, or “slipped away”, as they called it in their later statements. This meant that no soldier who did not refuse to take part in the shootings could invoke an emergency situation, because the possibility of freedom of choice without consequences was given. Trapp himself, who made this unusual offer, never came to the location of the shooting to check or supervise his men. According to witnesses, he spent the entire day in the Józefów school, which served as his command post.
Legal consequences in the post-war period
From 1962 to 1967, the crimes of the Reserve Police Battalion 101 were dealt with as part of a major investigation into the crimes in the Lublin district . In addition to the massacre, this also included shootings in Serokomla and Łomazy as well as Miedziercek and other cities. The police battalion is responsible for a total of more than 38,000 deaths. The investigating German authorities questioned 210 battalion members. Eventually charges were brought against 14. Of these, 5 were convicted, a further 6 were found guilty but not punished according to the judges' discretion.
literature
- Christopher Browning : Just normal men. Rowohlt Verlag, Hamburg 1999, ISBN 3-499-60800-6 .