Order to Destroy Ukraine and Speech
Who issued the September 7, 1943 order to destroy all infrastructure and resources in Ukraine during German retreat?
Heinrich Himmler
What was Himmler’s goal for ethnic groups living in Eastern Europe?
To divide and fragment them to prevent unity
Which medical services were specifically prohibited for non-German civilians?
Immunizations and preventative medical care
When did Germany invade the Soviet Union?
June 1941
Before extermination camps, this was the primary method used by the Einsatzgruppen to kill Jews.
mass shooting
What did Himmler command should be left for the Soviet army to find?
A totally burned and destroyed landscape—no people, animals, grain, buildings, or intact wells or railways
What was the educational restriction Himmler demanded for non-German populations?
Only four years of elementary school, no higher education
What type of education did Bormann say was “more than sufficient” for non-Germans?
Learning only to read and write, nothing more
How many men did the Einsatzgruppen consist of, and who were they primarily?
Consisted of about 3,000 men, primarily German SS, Waffen SS and police personnel
The Einsatzgruppen murdered more than this many civilians, mostly Jews, between 1941 and 1945.
One million
According to Soviet reports cited in the document, how many towns and villages were destroyed by the German invasion?
1,710 towns and more than 70,000 villages
What choice did parents of “racially valuable” children have?
Give up their child or move to Germany and pledge loyalty
What policy was promoted regarding birth control and abortion?
Allow and encourage abortion and sale of contraceptives freely
How many battalions were organized across the entire eastern front?
4- from north to south
Victims were often shot in these kinds of places, such as ravines or forests.
secluded natural sites
How did Himmler refer to the extermination of Jewish people in the Posen speech?
A “hard” but necessary duty and a “page of glory” never to be recorded
What subjects did Himmler say should be taught to non-German children?
Basic arithmetic, writing one’s name, and obedience to the Germans
What restriction did he place on German settlement in Ukrainian cities?
Germans should live outside the cities, not inside them
The German word “Einsatzgruppen” translates to this in English.
“operational groups”
What did Himmler say about SS members who stole Jewish property?
They would be executed because taking even a single mark was forbidden
What did Himmler argue about extermination methods?
He rejected Soviet-style physical extermination only because he preferred racial sorting and removal
What was prohibited to prevent resistance movements?
Any access to higher education or organized leadership
Alongside Jews, this ethnic group was also targeted by the Einsatzgruppen.
The Roma people