The horror of the eastern front

Babi Yar, Ukraine, the site of mass killing of thousand of jews and prisoner of war

The mass killing of jews began with the invasion of USSR by Germany in 22nd July 1941. Hitler instructed his military officers under the "Kommisar order" to subject the jews and political officers harsh treatments in Soviet territories. Hitler frequent visit to the front has crystallized this policy and his solution is that the territorial solution to the jewish problem is impractical, so, this would paved the way to a more systematic mass murder of jews. Four special operation division "Einsatzgruppen" (A, B, C, D) and they were made of police, SS unit and auxiliaries from the local population. In the first week of the invasion, jewish children and women were shot by happenstance. However, in the middle of August, all jews were subjected under this harsh treatment. As a result, half a million of jews were killed in less than half of a year. the murder usually taken place in forest valley and abandoned buildings. After that, the Nazis started to murder in massive graves. Firstly, 33771 jews were killed in Babi Yar in two days by Einsatzgruppen C in September 1941. Then, 70000 jews were killed in Ponar from july 1941 to july 1944. Besides, from November 1941, 206500 jews and other Soviet prisoner of war were killed in Blagovschina, forest near to village Maly Trostinets, soutwest of Minsk. However, the Nazis temporarily leave the jews alive on the camps to be requited as work force to aid their war effort against the soviets. However, in the spring of 1942, the extermination was resumed in full intensity. As a result, in the winter of 1943, almost all jews in Belorussia and half of the jews in Ukraine were killed.