Murder Story of Bryansk Jews in Probnoye

I know well about the shootings that were perpetuated on the territory of [not clear] Probnoye field near [not clear] where there are 14 pits full of corpses. There innocent Russian civilians, as well as Jews and Gypsies, were shot. Among them were old people, women, and children. The people were taken to the shooting site in black closed trucks without windows. A passenger car escorted the trucks. The trucks headed toward the forest. On the road leading to the edge of the forest there was a sign that said: "Entrance prohibited on penalty of death." Some of the pits (there were 14 of them) were uncovered when the Red Army arrived. There were found [the bodies of] some civilians who had been shot just before the Germans left Bryansk. [The bodies of] women and children were found in the pits. The shooting site is located in a field 200 to 500 meters from the right side of the road from Bryansk to Karachev. It is opposite the hospital grounds one kilometer from the meat-processing plant. … The trucks that took the people to be shot shuttled back and forth daily morning and evening at the same hour. Sometimes the shootings were carried out … [not clear]. The shooting area was guarded by German soldiers.

In the area of Bryansk 2 village, on the right side of the road from Bryansk to Karachev (opposite the hospital grounds, on the territory of Probnoye field, 200 – 500 meters from the road mentioned above) 14 pits have been found. The pits are full of corpses that number 7,500 - those of old people, women, and children - mostly Jews, but also some Gypsies. The pits were filled [with bodies] during the whole occupation period from October 5, 1941 to September 12, 1943. When a pit 16 meters long … was uncovered, 769 corpses were discovered, all of them absolutely naked…. The shooting was carried out just before the arrival of the Red Army – during the last days of August and at the beginning of September 1943.… It was impossible to identify the victims of this horrendous massacre because most of them [were unknown since they] had fled from other places.