books on the Einsatzgruppen

[richcarrick]

Hello - I want to expand my knowledge about the activities of the SS Einsatzgruppen & was wondering what the most informative books on the subject are.

Some that I already own:

Ordinary Men by Browning
Masters of Death by Rhodes
Soldiers of Destruction by Syndor (not specifically Einsatzgruppen, rather the SS Death's Head Division)
The Cruel Hunters by MacLean (focuses on Dirlewanger Brigade)

I am especially interested in the activities of the Dirlewanger Brigade. The MacLean book is a little too 'dry' for me. Are there any really good books in English on this unit? Or are the best ones in German? I don't suppose a definitive account will ever be written because the participants are either dead or reluctant to come forward. Is it the case that archives in the former East Germany & The Soviet Union have been exhausted? Is more material likely to emerge - or do you know of an author/researcher currently working on a book or thesis?

A lot of questions I know - thanks for any help

Rich

[Boby]

Best books are unfortunately only in german (published Ph.D.):

Hans-Heinrich Wilhelm on Einsatzgruppe A

Christian Gerlach touches Einsatzgruppe B in his monumental "Kalkulierte Morde".

Andrej Angrick on Einsatzgruppe D

Ralf Ogorreck study covered pre-soviet invasion planning.

Die Einsatzgruppen in der besetzten Sowjetunion 1941/42 contains some articles and documentary material.

Die "Ereignismeldung UdSSR" 1941 is a published edition of all activity reports.

In english very little. One of the last:

Hilary Earl, The Nuremberg SS-Einsatzgruppen Trial, 1945-1958, only an analysis of the trial.

Hope this help
Boby,

[richcarrick]

thanks boby

[Alborg]

On a related note. Does anyone know about the availability of the Documentary EINSATZGRUPPEN LES COMMANDOS DE LA MORT on DVD but with English subtitles? I can only track it down in the original French language but it has been shown in various cities around the world so I would expect that it would be available somewhere? It looks like a well made documentary on the subject.

[chopp]

On a related note. Does anyone know about the availability of the Documentary EINSATZGRUPPEN LES COMMANDOS DE LA MORT on DVD but with English subtitles? I can only track it down in the original French language but it has been shown in various cities around the world so I would expect that it would be available somewhere? It looks like a well made documentary on the subject.

I searched about 6 mouths ago and again just now and I have found nothing. I checked the production company's website but again came up with nothing. My suggestion is to send them an email and ask if there is an English translation available or do they plan for one in the future. I intend to do the same so they know that there is an interest in an English translation.

http://www.kuiv.com/pages/index.htm

[email protected]

[Alborg]

On a related note. Does anyone know about the availability of the Documentary EINSATZGRUPPEN LES COMMANDOS DE LA MORT on DVD but with English subtitles? I can only track it down in the original French language but it has been shown in various cities around the world so I would expect that it would be available somewhere? It looks like a well made documentary on the subject.

I searched about 6 mouths ago and again just now and I have found nothing. I checked the production company's website but again came up with nothing. My suggestion is to send them an email and ask if there is an English translation available or do they plan for one in the future. I intend to do the same so they know that there is an interest in an English translation.

http://www.kuiv.com/pages/index.htm

[email protected]

Thanks for the info. I have just sent them a message. It would be a shame if this documentary isn't released to a wider audience as from what I've seen of it, it looks to be well made & a lot of research has gone into it's production. Plus it would be welcomed by people who are interested in the subject as there is not too much available on the subject as opposed to other areas of the Holocaust.

[David Thompson]

The Nuernberg Military Tribunal proceedings, vol. 4, has a fair amount of material on "the Einsatzgruppen trial," and vol. 5 ("the WVHA trial") has documents on Dirlewanger and his unit. The volumes are available online in pdf format, courtesy of the US Library of Congress, at http://www.loc.gov/rr/frd/Military_Law/ ... inals.html

Yitzhak Arad, Shmuel Krakowski and Smuel Spector have edited selections from the reports of the Einsatzgruppen and published them as The Einsatzgruppen Reports, Holocaust Library, New York: 1980.

Here are some of the threads we have here:

Einsatzgruppen demographics and Paul Blobel
http://forum.axishistory.com/viewtopic.php?t=642
On the Einsatzgruppen
http://forum.axishistory.com/viewtopic.php?t=6105
An Einsatzgruppen inquiry
http://forum.axishistory.com/viewtopic.php?t=44765
Bialystok Einsatzgruppen killings September 1939
http://forum.axishistory.com/viewtopic.php?t=43464
Has Babi Yar been now totally flattened?
http://forum.axishistory.com/viewtopic.php?t=82687
Mattogno and Graf on Babi Yar
http://forum.axishistory.com/viewtopic.php?t=62380
Babi Yar - information about the massacre, and the coverup
http://forum.axishistory.com/viewtopic.php?t=62313
1969 Stuttgart trial over SK1005
http://forum.axishistory.com/viewtopic.php?t=55380
Babi Yar
http://forum.axishistory.com/viewtopic.php?t=55367
Extraordinary Commission Report on Kiev 1944
http://forum.axishistory.com/viewtopic.php?t=42076
John Ball on Babij Jar (Babi Yar)
http://forum.axishistory.com/viewtopic.php?t=41827
Babi Yar
http://forum.axishistory.com/viewtopic.php?t=439
Faked photos of Einsatzgruppe atrocities
http://forum.axishistory.com/viewtopic.php?t=32127
Einsatzgruppe murders and German policy
http://forum.axishistory.com/viewtopic.php?t=32219
Were the men of Einsatzkommandos killers without exception?
http://forum.axishistory.com/viewtopic.php?t=25153
Einsatzkommando "careers"
http://forum.axishistory.com/viewtopic.php?t=15331
Einsatzgruppen
http://forum.axishistory.com/viewtopic.php?t=8341
An odd aspect of the Einsatzgruppen
http://forum.axishistory.com/viewtopic.php?t=18203
Proof of Einsatzgruppen
http://forum.axishistory.com/viewtopic.php?t=59814
Einsatzgruppe affidavit of Walther Schellenberg
http://forum.axishistory.com/viewtopic.php?t=60792
Einsatzgruppe Testimony of Leslie Gordon
http://forum.axishistory.com/viewtopic.php?t=48087
Einsatzgruppe 20 Nov 1945 affidavit of Otto Ohlendorf
http://forum.axishistory.com/viewtopic.php?t=60121
IMT testimony of Otto Ohlendorf
http://forum.axishistory.com/viewtopic.php?t=59859
NMT Einsatzgruppe Testimony of Otto Ohlendorf
http://forum.axishistory.com/viewtopic.php?t=59983
NMT Einsatzgruppe testimony of Werner Braune
http://forum.axishistory.com/viewtopic.php?t=60039
NMT Einsatzgruppe testimony of Walter Haensch
http://forum.axishistory.com/viewtopic.php?t=59989
NMT final statements of the Einsatzgruppe defendants
http://forum.axishistory.com/viewtopic.php?t=60124
NMT judgment in the Einsatzgruppen Case
http://forum.axishistory.com/viewtopic.php?t=64901
Affidavit of Kurt Lindow on Einsatzgruppen reports
http://forum.axishistory.com/viewtopic.php?t=62505
Einsatzgruppen reports
http://forum.axishistory.com/viewtopic.php?t=9959
Regarding the accuracy of the Einsatzgruppen reports
http://forum.axishistory.com/viewtopic.php?t=5047
Einsatzgruppen Operational Situation Reports USSR
http://forum.axishistory.com/viewtopic.php?t=50368
Comprehensive Report of Combat Group A up to 10/15/1941
http://forum.axishistory.com/viewtopic.php?t=60197
Draft Report on Einsatzgruppe A operations through Dec 1941
http://forum.axishistory.com/viewtopic.php?t=61055
The Jaeger report
http://forum.axishistory.com/viewtopic.php?t=12367
Karl Jager: "There are no Jews in Lithuania anymore
http://forum.axishistory.com/viewtopic.php?t=23403
Report on executions carried out by Jäger's EK 3
http://forum.axishistory.com/viewtopic.php?t=16152
Fuehrer Order of 23 Jul 1941 - security measures in the East
http://forum.axishistory.com/viewtopic.php?t=60806
Mass graves in Lithuania
http://forum.axishistory.com/viewtopic.php?t=1256
Mass graves
http://forum.axishistory.com/viewtopic.php?t=16440
Mass Graves (continuation)
http://forum.axishistory.com/viewtopic.php?t=16688
Holocaust mass graves?
http://forum.axishistory.com/viewtopic.php?t=3970
Mass grave of fascism victims found in Crimea
http://forum.axishistory.com/viewtopic.php?t=47302
Destroying the evidence -- Hitler, Himmler, Blobel, etc.
http://forum.axishistory.com/viewtopic.php?t=10722
The German Army and the Einsatzgruppen
http://forum.axishistory.com/viewtopic.php?t=61804
Ezergailis on Liepaja
http://forum.axishistory.com/viewtopic.php?t=63938
Mass Execution of Jews at Borissow 18 Oct 1941
http://forum.axishistory.com/viewtopic.php?t=62301
Mass execution at Dubno 13 July 1942
http://forum.axishistory.com/viewtopic.php?t=61761

[Alborg]

Thanks David. I'm new here & still haven't really had the time to dig into all the threads. Thanks for the heads up!

[history1]

A book which nobody mentioned, but I´m actually reading, is "Einsatzgruppen in Polen. Darstellung und Dokumentation": http://www.amazon.de/Einsatzgruppen-Dar ... 353421353X
As the title says it´s only about the actions in Poland but full of information (staffing, area of operations, post war fade,..).