Murder story of Slavuta Jews in the Tashki Forest

… 522 Jews were shot [to death] [during] a special [murder] operation [of the 45th Police Reserve Battalion] in the Slavuta area, …

Police Regiment South is operating in Slavuta, … 65 Jews have been shot to death.

Police Regiment South … shot [to death] 911 Jews in the town of Slavuta, located 21 kilometers north-east of [the town of] Shepetovka….

April 25, 1967, Wiesbaden From the testimony of Karl Herrmann, former member of the 45th Reserve Police Battalion … The 3rd platoon of our company [participated], probably under the command of … Georgi... – it was definitely ordered to take the Jews to the designated area where anti-tank trenches were located. The Jews went with us without any resistance.... Upon their arrival [at the shooting site], they were made to march into the anti-tank trenches. I was assigned to guard duty and stood about 200 meters from those anti-tank trenches. … . While I was guarding, I was ordered by one of my superiors, … to call the head of the murder operation since one Jew who was standing in a row [before the trench] wanted to ransom his children with gold.... The lieutenant (Wolf ?) came back [to the trench] and I saw him speaking with the above-mentioned Jew. Now I know that this Jew went [to Slavuta] with a member of our company (I don't know his name) in a motorcycle side-car, [later] both of them returned and the Jew was carrying something. Afterwards he joined the other Jews [who were standing in a row before the trench]. Since not one of those Jews who were standing at the anti-tank trench returned [survived] I am almost sure that this Jew was shot to death, together with both his daughters. After I carried out the order..., I approached within 3 meters of the anti-tank trench. There I saw the following: ...Four marksmen shooters, armed with sub-machine guns, were standing in the anti-tank trench.... Inside the anti-tank trench the Jews were made to walk one after the other along the trench and then, in their clothes [sic], to lie down; at first they were made to lie near each other, later [after the victims in the first row had been shot to death] they were made to lie on top of them [those already murdered].... [While lying in the trench] the victims had to cross their arms over their foreheads. Each shooter placed his foot on the back of a victim, aimed his sub-machine gun, and then fired a single shot. No command to fire was given. Each shooter fired at the moment when the next victim lay down [in the trench]. There were men, women, and children among the victims. I can't tell you the number of the victims.… Before the execution was over several able-bodied Jews were selected … to cover the anti-tank trench using their [bare] hands. In the end these Jews were shot to death as well. After the execution we had to stay on guard for several more hours, observing the anti-tank trench in case some Jew who had not been killed tried to escape.

June 4, 1969, Nuremberg … During the period between August 15 and September 3, 1941 about 200-300 [sic] Jewish residents of Slavuta were collected [in the town] on the pretext of being taken for work. The Jews came to the gathering point equipped with axes and saws. They were taken from there by the [members of the 2nd] Company of the defendant [Kreuzer] to be murdered in the forest area outside Slavuta, near the road leading to [the town of] Shepetovka. The shooting proceeded in such a way that the [first group of] Jews who were standing at the front of the pit [trench], had to lie face down inside the pit that had been prepared and then were murdered by being shot in the back of the head. The rest of the victims had to watch this. Then they were force marched to approach [the trench] and were shot to death in the same way as the previous ones. … The defendant carried out the shooting [of Jews at the murder site], firing a control shot [to be sure that the victim was dead] at one woman [who was still alive].…

1969 From the interrogation of Adolf Schubert, former member of the 45th Reserve Police Battalion A: … I remember, …. that at first we were assigned for the murder operation of Jews in Slavuta. I was assigned then, together with other members [of the platoon] … to drive the Jews (men, women, and children, entire families) out of their houses. … I can't… remember whether those Jews were taken [to the murder site] on foot or by vehicle. However, I do know for sure that we were supposed to tell those Jews that they were [supposedly] being taken for work. It seems to me that we had to say that the men would go to work and the women to a [labor] camp.... Q: From whom did you receive this assignment? A: I mean Goslar ordered us to drive the Jews from their houses [onto the street] and to tell them that they were going to work or to a [work] camp. Goslar proably received this assignment from Kreuzer [company commander of the 45th Reserve Police Battalion].... Q: When did you learn that the Jews were going to be shot to death? A: I believe it was in the evening when all the company members gathered in large numbers [in Slavuta].... Q: You were assigned to be one of the shooters [marksmen] at the execution [murder operation] … . Who assigned you to be a shooter? A: When we arrived in the murder site, we stood somewhat to the side [of the site], we wanted to avoid this assignment [but] we were called by Kreuzer, Goslar, Bartnik, Hauptmann, and Hartmann, who were standing near the pit. … Either Hartmann or Hauptmann pressed a loaded rifle into my hands. What is certain is that I was told that I, together with other company members who had been assigned to be shooters, had to enter the pit. … When I admitted, during the last interrogation, that the shooters were randomly chosen on the spot …, I believed that this assumption was correct since at the murder site Kreuzer shouted "Hurry up. No loafing! Do you think you are girls?!," etc. Then Kreuzer was standing on a small mound of earth on the edge of the pit [trench] … . When I had to enter the pit, the shooting process was already in full sway. A company member showed the Jews how they had to lie down [inside the trench]. I know for sure that Kreuzer called me from the edge of the pit, saying that [first] I should aim my rifle straignt at the back of the heads [of the victims] and then shoot. At that time Kreuzer was standing near the slope [edge] of the pit [trench], to my left. Q: Did you see Kreuzer shooting [victims] as well? A: I do remember that Kreuzer shot frequently into the pit while standing at the edge of the pit [trench]. I mean that Kreuzer shot only those persons who did not die immediately. It is possible that due to the nervous state of the shooters, they weren't able to aim accurately and that a couple of the victims were not shot to death immediately. According to my current recollection, only one shooter was standing in the pit, and [besides him] there was another company member who ordered the Jews to lie down [inside the trench]. Since every shooter was armed with a rifle loaded with 5 bullets, the same number [5] of Jews had to be put in the pit [each time].... Q: Were the Jews who were about to be shot standing very close to the pit [trench]? A: Not very close; they were standing somewhat to the side, at a distance of about 30-50 meters from the pit. The slope of the pit concealed from them [what was going on] inside the pit. Certainly they heard the shooting and knew that they were about to be shot to death. Q: Were there some cases during a changing of the shooters when the Jews had to wait inside the pit before they were shot? How long did the shooting take [from the beginning] until the last 5 victims were shot to death? A: The shooting procedure was as follows: each group of 5 Jews about to be shot was forced to enter the pit by a company member. The first victim was ordered to lie on his stomach. The remaining 4 victims saw the shooting [of the first victim], then the next victim had to lie down. This process was repeated until the last victim was shot. When the next [group] of Jews was taken [to the trench], the shooter received a freshly loaded rifle or he was replaced… . I myself emptied my rifle three or four times. I can't remember today when the shooting ended.... Q: Was Kreuzer present during the entire shooting? A: Yes, however I don't remember whether or not he stood at the edge of the pit during the whole shooting process. [remark of the interrogator]: The witness Lifke claims… that Kreuzer said that shooting [the victims] in the back of the head was the quickest way to kill them. Do you know anything about this? A: I remember that we spoke in some connection about the Russian commissars using this method of shooting in the back of the head.… Q: Who do you believe was in charge of the execution at which you were assigned to be a shooter? Were SS and SD officers also present [at the murder site]?… A: Kreuzer was the highest ranking officer during this murder operation.… Q: How did the victims behave before the shooting when they had to descend into the pit and saw the dead bodies lying there? A: The victims went relatively quietly to their death. When they saw the bodies, they were terrified and began to moan or cry, but then they went quietly to their death. Q: Is your claim that you didn't shoot any children true? A: That's right. Despite this terrible [shooting] process this fact [that I didn't shoot any children] brought me some relief since I myself had one such [small] boy at home. Q: You stated that each time one shooter armed with a rifle loaded with 5 bullets was inside the pit and that each time the same number of Jews was made to enter [the trench]. What happened when women with babies in their arms entered the grave [trench]? Were these children shot to death separately by other shooters or perhaps by Kreuzer? A: It is true that women with babies were shot [to death] during this murder operation. … I don't remember Kreuzer shooting any Jews other than the ones he had shot earlier. …