The German invasion of the Soviet Union, Operation Barbarossa, was preceded by the Wehrmacht and German police developing a “graduated security system,” designed to eliminate perceived enemy groups. Hitler’s Commissar Order, issued June 6, 1941, mandated the immediate execution of suspected political leaders, particularly Bolshevik commissars, deemed to be the “true pillars of resistance.”
Days before the invasion, the “Guidelines for the Conduct of Troops of Russia” linked Jews as a racial group to political enemies. This memorandum identified Bolshevism as the primary threat to the German people, justifying the killing of Bolshevik agitators, insurgents, saboteurs, and Jews, while encouraging the suppression of any resistance.
Historian Wendy Lower highlights the German military’s role in preparing for the invasion by issuing orders for the elimination of individuals broadly categorized as Bolsheviks and resistors, specifically targeting Jews.
Both the Commissar Order and the “Guidelines” intertwined the threat of communism with the Jewish race, reinforcing the Judeo-Bolshevik myth that portrayed communism as a Jewish conspiracy against Germany. Critically, these directives established a policy of terror, sanctioning mass killings of any perceived threat.
Alt: German soldiers marching through a Ukrainian village during World War II.
The “Holocaust by Bullets” in Ukraine
Four Einsatzgruppen C commandos followed the Wehrmacht into northern and central Ukraine. Sonderkommando 4a operated in Volhynia, while Sonderkommando 4b covered Galicia and Podolia. General Karl von Roques commanded Rear Area Army Group South.
Although initially planned for rear areas, the 6th Army High Command deployed Sonderkommando 4a and 4b to the frontlines, dividing security duties between the Wehrmacht, SS, and police in the rear. This division initially functioned, but blurred upon reaching central Ukraine.
“Security measures” encompassed various tasks, primarily the murder of Soviet political figures and perceived enemies. Security forces were instructed to eliminate Jews in state and party positions, along with able-bodied Jewish men considered capable of resistance. During the initial invasion weeks, numerous Jewish men were rounded up; those deemed useful as laborers, doctors, or specialists were spared, while others were executed.
Alt: A black and white photo depicting the execution of Jewish men in Ukraine during the Holocaust by German soldiers.
As German control expanded, the military assumed administrative control. Subsequent directives detailed the extermination of the Jewish population. A July 11, 1941 order from a Belarussian police regiment commander recommended executing Jews outside towns to conceal the mass murder from locals. “Evenings of comradery,” involving meals, music, and drinking, were ordered after killings to “erase the impressions of the day.”
By late July, orders became more extreme. Reinhard Heydrich, chief of the Security Police (Sipo) and Security Service (Sicherheitsdienst), encouraged killing all Jewish prisoners, regardless of political affiliation. Friedrich Jeckeln, Higher SS and Police Leader Russia South, ordered the killing of anyone suspected of “abetting the Bolshevik system.”
Alt: A black and white portrait photograph of Reinhard Heydrich in Nazi uniform.
