Hey guys i,m interesting what does this photo mean
http://www.ww2incolor.com/dramatic/Russia-partisanen02
The photo was taken in Ukraine.
The posters under photo discuss it as and “execution of partisans”.
However i have a serious doubt of it.
The hunged peoples loo like teenagers. Probably jewish.
This was sort of Nazy lovely execution of “Jewish criminals”, very tupical for captured Ukraine in 1941.
What do you think about?
Is it authentic?
It’s a well known photo and definitely authentic and yes, I know it under the caption of the execution of partisans.
They might have just been the unlucky victim-bystanders of retaliation for an actual partisan attack…
P.S. Wasn’t there a Nazi-German execution ratio that varied by the equipment destroyed and the rank of the German personnel killed?
These were Partizans. Women were involved too. It doens’t mean, that they had to kill a German soldier before they were executed. When they stole food from the Germans or weapons, ammonution or they disabled German vehicles, they were executed too.
What it means? Common…
It means these 2 people cut the German Officer in Line while he was waiting to order a meal in McDonalds and he was already pissed off that day. The Germans hang people for less, you know.
Kindly Regards
- Bart
www.winter-offensive.be
Nick, as far as I know, it depended only on the number of killed soldiers - just the same with allied troops in occupied Germany. the quota was mostly 10:1.
Could you elaborate on the bold, please.
In USSR the Germans had quota og 50:1, AFAIR.
Source?
Excuse me for my interferance, honorable gentlemen, but the most severe formally issued reprisals ratio during the WW2 against the civilian population was established by German OKW upon the basis of the 100 Serbian civilians for every killed German soldier, or 50 civilians for every wounded member of the German armed forces.
This directive was issued on 16th of September, 1941, by Field-marshal Keitel personally, toward the suppression of the insurgent movement in occupied Serbia, with strict order for official dissemination of the document to all subordinate commanders. This order stated:
"Measures taken up to now to counteract this general communist insurgent movement have proven themselves to be inadequate. The Führer now has ordered that severest means are to be employed in order to break down this movement in the shortest time possible. Only in this manner, which has always been applied successfully in the history of the extension of power of great peoples can quiet be restored.
The following directives are to be applied:
i Each incident of insurrection against the German Wehrmacht, regardless of individual circumstances, must be assumed to be of communist origin.
(b) In order to stop these intrigues at their inception, severest measures are to be applied immediately at the first appearance, in order to demonstrate the authority of the occupying power, and in order to prevent further, progress. One must keep in mind that a human life frequently counts for naught in the affected countries and a deterring effect can only be achieved by unusual severity. In such a case the death penalty for 50 to 100 communists must in general be deemed appropriate as retaliation for the life of a German soldier. The manner of execution must increase the deterrent effect. The reverse procedure-to proceed at first with relatively easy punishment and to be satisfied with the threat of measures of increased severity as a deterrent does not correspond with these principles and is not to be applied." [/i]
Aforementioned order was carried out by Wehrmacht General Franz Friedrich Böhme (oh yes, honorable ladies and gentlemen: the SS was completely innocent in this case!) on 21st October, 1941, in retaliation action at Kragujevac, when approximately 5000 Serbian civilians were executed, amongst them more than 300 pupils taken directly from the high school, along with 18 teachers.
The executions were performed by troops of the 1st Battalion of the 724th Infantry Regiment commanded by Major Paul Koenig. In his report he stated that: “For every dead German soldier, 100 residents have been executed, and for every wounded German soldier, 50 residents have been executed - before all others, Communists, bandits, and their assistants were targeted, all totaling 2,300.”
On October 29, envoy Felix Benzler - representative of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs – sent another report to his ministry, noting that 2,300 Serbian civilians had been executed in Kragujevac: “In the past week there have been executions of a large number of Serbs in Kragujevac, as reprisals for the killing of members of the Wehrmacht in the proportion of 100 Serbs for one German.”
General Franz Böhme, plenipotentiary commanding general in Serbia, personally informed his superior, field-marshal List as well: “Execution by shooting of about 2,000 Communists and Jews in reprisal for 22 murdered of the Second Battalion of the 421st Army Signal Communication Regiment is in progress.”
This distressing occurrence represents one of the most horrific war crimes during the World War II, and it was recognized as such by United Nations War Crimes Commission.
Complete legal evaluation of the aforementioned case is available here:
http://www.ess.uwe.ac.uk/WCC/List1.htm
And yes – I think that I will be able to find dependable information about that previously presented dramatic photo. As far as I remember, that picture was only one in a string of horrific snapshots illustrating “pacification” of the occupied regions in the ex-USSR. Just give me a couple of days…
Thanks for the information. Also German soldiers who left behind (auto needs new part etc) had a “Life-Insurance”.
A book of mine (Das Ehrenbuch des deutschen Soldaten by Walther Dahl) says the determined ratio in Leutkirch/Saulgau (Southern Germany) was even 200:1. Unfortunately the book doesn’t say which of the allied parties put this ratio up.
I know the woman were partisans too.
But i was asking about THAT two peoples, who looks like teenagers rather then pertisans.
Do you know the TRUE story of them?
Or do you simply repeat the coomon phrases?
Thank you very much my friend.
I knew this order was existed, but can’t find it in english net.
Don’t need to remind us that the executed “communist” were the simple local civils hostages: peasants and woman from neighbourd villages.
And yes – I think that I will be able to find dependable information about that previously presented dramatic photo. As far as I remember, that picture was only one in a string of horrific snapshots illustrating “pacification” of the occupied regions in the ex-USSR. Just give me a couple of days…
I will wait resault of you investigation with great impatience dear sir.
I know you migh find the unique, amazing information almost about any field in your Library:)
I found two more photos of this “session” in one of my books (Der Angriff auf Russland/The attack on Russia by Nicholas Bethell). It says the incident took place not in Ukraine but in Belorussia. The board around the womans neck says, both in german and russian: “We are partisans and shot at german soldiers.”
She is 17yr old Jewess Masha Brushkina, also executed are 16 year old Volodia Shcherbatsevich (his mother was hung elsewhere in Minsk on the same day according to some sources) and First World War veteran, Kiril Trus. They were executed 26th October 1941 in Minsk. Her crime was as a nurse at the hospital in the Polytechnic Institute she helped wounded Red Army soldiers escape by smuggling into the hospital civilian clothing and false identity papers. Betrayed by someone in the hospital she was arrested and tortured but is said to have not revealed her contacts. I don’t know what the others crimes were. The prisoners were neither hooded nor blindfolded, and they were given no drop, so their deaths were cruel and slow. As this was the first public execution in Minsk it was well documented by the 707th Infantry Division which is where the photo’s come from. Interestingly in her native Belorussia they refuse to recognize her, some speculate this is as she is Jewish.
Yes, my dear Mr. Ptimms: these pictures were definitely taken in Minsk, Belarus. The girl is a 17 year-old Masha Bruskina. She is accompanied to the gallows by Kiril Trus and Volodia Shcherbatschevich. Their executioners were the officers and soldiers of the 707th Infantry division under Gustav baron von Bechtolsheim.
This professional Army officer, a fanatical Antisemit, who remained undisturbed after the war (he peacefully died in 1969 in Münster), left a horrendous legacy in Belarus - until December of 1941 soldiers and German military policemen under his command killed 19,000 civilians, mostly Jews.
Indeed excellent documentary on-line presentation of the existing photographs, which were taken by the unknown German Army photographer and presented for the first time in 1963 by Novosti Press Agency (Агентство печати “Новости”) in a book Фотографии великой отечественной войны (Photographs of the Great Patriotic War) is available here:
Um, Allied troops did not arbitrarily execute civilians in response to “Werewolf” partisan operations. And the (ex-SS) Werewolves were not all that popular anyways and some were even ‘given-up’ by the locals I understand.
I am in shock , gentlemens.
The one accidental photo, but so many tarical personal details you have found out.
Thank you very much ptimms and Labrarian.
Yes now we can learn more about Masha Bruskina
http://ru.wikipedia.org/wiki/Брускина,%D0%9C%D0%B0%D1%80%D0%B8%D1%8F%D0%91%D0%BE%D1%80%D0%B8%D1%81%D0%BE%D0%B2%D0%BD%D0%B0#.D0.91.D0.B8.D0.BE.D0.B3.D1.80.D0.B0.D1.84.D0.B8.D1.8F
Маша Брускина в 1941 году окончила 28-ю школу города Минска. Когда в конце июня в город вошли подразделения вермахта, в здании Минского политехнического института они организовали лазарет для советских военнопленных. Брускина по заданию подполья устроилась в этот лазарет, чтобы помогать военнопленным бежать. Она раздобыла фотоаппарат, за несдачу и хранение которого оккупанты расстреливали. С помощью фотоаппарата изготовлялись документы для солдат и офицеров. Кроме того, Брускина через подпольщика Кирилла Труса распространяла сводки Информбюро о положении на фронтах.В октябре 1941 года был организован побег группы военнопленных. Однако им не удалось бежать; при выходе из Минска они были схвачены полицейскими. Часть группы была расстреляна, а один из беглецов выдал Брускину.
26 октября 1941 года Маша Брускина и её товарищи по подполью Кирилл Трус и Володя Щербацевич были повешены на арке дрожжевого завода в Минске. Казнь совершили добровольцы 2-го батальона полицейской вспомогательной службы из Литвы. Вся казнь была заснята фотографом. Подпольщикам удалось сделать дубликаты фотографий, которые после освобождения Минска были переданы органам советской власти. Эти фотографии фигурировали на Нюрнбергском процессе в качестве документов обвинения нацистских преступников.
When in end of june 1941 the Germans has entered to Minsk - Masha just has finished school month ago.
She was 17 years old, almost child.
She has been send to the Hospital for soviet POWs with special mission - asist the POWS to escape. she has found a photo camera to make a false documents for fugitives. With ther mate Kirill Trus she was trying to organize an escape of group of soviet pows.
That group , was caught in outskirts of Minsk and almost fully executed. One traitor( his name Boris Rudzanko http://www.russian-globe.com/N3/Bruskina.htm), however has betrayed the Masha with all their friends.
The Germans has organized a whole Public Show - “marsh of partisans” in Minsk, becouse as it was noticed , it was just first case of “partisan” execution. The execution was carefully documented by Germans photographer.
I still don’t know the detail of their detention- probably some of them tryed to resist and open fire.But obvioulsy not Masha.
I think no one germans soldier were killed- so the plaque in her neck simply lied.
The soviet resistence made a copies of the photos and later those copies photos have been demonstrated in Nurenberg Tribunal as a evidence of crimes.
I think she died not as a jew, but as a brave member of resistence.She clearly realized the mortal threat of her job.
What a brave girl.
BTW some soruce claime that it was not her execution took active part the 2 police battalion of Baltic voluntaries- not just the member of 707 infantry deivitsion.
Yes, my dear Mr. Chevan – poor Mashenyka really was brave, and above all – deeply ethical personality.
You know, I think that after all these horrifying pictures one additional factographic account is desperately needed here. One highly unknown, but ethically extremely important example of unabridged moral heroism, which - by its own inexorable and immortal humanity - preserved the dignity of the ordinary German soldier in the WW2.
This highly specific historical tribute will be dedicated to a single person equipped with one highly admirable human virtue – ethicality. Habitually described by contemporary “thinkers” as a needless ballast, this intrinsically human grace was fortunately present in a human being even during numerous ordeals of war. Our simple story hopefully will be capable to make clear that real, unabridged humanism, requires no exceptional qualifications, no magic formulas, no special combinations of time, place and circumstance. It will be capable to show that humanism and morality are representing an opportunity that sooner or later is presented to us all.
I am sure that this example of virtue will be able to show us clearly that not all soldiers of the German Armed Forces were prepared to participate in atrocities against innocent people.
Therefore my personal moral hero from the other side of the hill is Joseph Schultz, a simple German enlisted man, member of the 714th Infantry Division of Wehrmacht, who served in Yugoslavia in 1941. When after annihilation of a Serbian village Orahovac near Smederevska Planka he was ordered to join a firing squad and to execute a group of captured “partisans” he silently but determinatively refused, thus being immediately executed along with the poor hostages on July 19, 1941. He preferred, with calm but still impressive dignity, to share the fate of those unfortunate persons.
Joseph Schulz is stadily walking onward in the path of his ethical duty - a German officer who commanded the execution took this photo
This quiet, modest and incredibly brave man, whose personal destiny was part of every elementary school history book in former Yugoslavia, has demonstrated that in whatever arena of life one may meet the challenge of ethicality, whatever may be the sacrifices he faces if he follows his own conscience – the loss of his friends, his fortune, even his own life – each man must decide for himself the course he will follow. The stories of past morality can teach, they can offer a hope and they can provide inspiration. But they cannot supply morality itself. For that, each man has to look into his own soul.
Of course allied troops didn’t, I am just saying that it was the determined ratio if one of their men would have been killed by Werwolf hits.
Strange enough, the responsible persons of the biggest werwolf action, the Penzberger Mordnacht (Penzberg night of murder) weren’t ex-SS but members of a Nebelwerfer regiment. And, yes, the werwolf wasn’t that popular with the population because they were simply sick and tired of war.