Introduction
On 27 August 1941, a radio message from the Higher SS and Police Leader South recorded the on-set of one of the largest mass shootings of Jews during the early phase of the Holocaust in the occupied Soviet territories. Under “activities,” the notes that Police Battalion 320, together with a detachment of the staff company, was in Kamenets-Podolsky carrying out a “Sonderaktion,” or “special action.” Under “successes, the report states that the “Special Action Staff with Police Battalion 320 shot 4,200 Jews.”
On the next day, the Higher SS and Police Leader South reported another “5,000 Jews were shot”.
Document
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Nachr.-Stelle
Kommando Stab RF SS
Nachr. Kp.
FS-Stelle
Nr.
189
Angenommen oder aufgenommen
von Tag Zeit durch
Berlin 27.8 1840 Pahlmann
Abgang
Tag: 27.8.
Zeit: 0830
An RF-SS
Chef Orpo
Chef Sipo
Kommando Stab RF-SS
Absendende Stelle
Pol.Funk s q m
Nr. 6
1. Standorte unveraendert.
2. Taetigkeiten: 1.SS-Brigade bei Saeuberungsaktion noerdl. Rollbahn Korosten-Bialokurowicze bei allgemeine Linie Michailovka-Nudpiawyzrankai-Stepanowka-Zero Abschnitt ostwaerts Bialokurowicze zerstoerte Bruecke hergestellt. Pol. Rgt. Sued Bahnsicherungsdienst ohne Aenderung. Einsatzbatl. 303 keine Feindberuehrung. Pol. Batl. 320 mit Einsatzgruppe der
Stabskp. in Kamenez-Podolskij Sonderaktion
3. Erfolge:1.SS-Brigade macht 99 Gefangene und erschiesst 16 Juden und Partisanenangehoerige. Rgt. Sued greift 22 ehemalige Kriegsgefangene auf und erschiesst 914 Juden. Sonderaktionsstab mit Pol.Batl. 320 4200 Juden erschossen.
4. Verluste: keine
Hssupf Russland Sued.
f.d.R.
[Unterschrift]SS-Uscha.
Telephone message · Teletype · Radio message · Flash message
Communications Office
Command Staff RF-SS
Communications Company
Teletype Office
No. 189
Received or recorded
by date/time/by
Berlin, 27 Aug., 18:40, Pahlmann
Dispatch
Date: 27 Aug.
Time: 08:30
To RF-SS
Chief of the Order Police
Chief of the Security Police
Command Staff RF-SS
Sending office
Police radio s q m
No. 6
1. Locations unchanged.
2. Activities: 1st SS Brigade in a cleansing operation north of the Korosten–Bialokurovicze road axis, along the general line Mikhailovka–Nudpiawyzrankai–Stepanovka–Zere. In the sector east of Bialokurovicze, a destroyed bridge was restored. Police Regiment South: railway security duty unchanged. Einsatz Battalion 303: no contact with the enemy. Police Battalion 320 with deployment group of the Staff Company in Kamenets-Podolsky: special action.
3. Successes: 1st SS Brigade took 99 prisoners and shot 16 Jews and partisan members. Regiment South picked up 22 former prisoners of war and shot 914 Jews. Special Action Staff with Police Battalion 320 shot 4,200 Jews.
4. Losses: none.
Higher SS and Police Leader Russia South.
For correctness of copy,
[signature]
SS-Unterscharführer.
Archivial reference:
Vojenský ústřední archiv (VUA, Central Military Archive of the Czech Republic at Prague), Kommandostab Reichsführer -SS, Karton-1, 2b.