36th Estonian Police Battalion
| 36th Estonian Police Battalion | |
|---|---|
| Active | 23 November 1941 – 18 January 1943 |
| Country |  Nazi Germany |
| Branch | Estonian Auxiliary Police |
| Type | Battalion |
| Role | Schutzmannschaft |
| Size | 438 (August 1942) |
| Part of | SS of Nazi Germany |
| Engagements | Battle of Stalingrad |
| Commanders | |
| Notable commanders | Harald Riipalu |
36th Estonian Police Battalion (also known as Schutzmannschaft Front Bataillon 36 Arensburg (German) and 36. Kaitse Rindepataljon (Estonian)) was an Estonian rear-security unit during World War II that operated under command of the SS of Nazi Germany.
The battalion was established on 23 November 1941, and was formed in western Estonia and on Estonian islands. Between May and August 1942 the battalion was in training and received additional reinforcements from other units, bringing its total stenght to 23 officers, 161 non-commissioned officers, and 254 soldiers.[1] It participated at rear-security and anti-partisan operations in Belarus and guarded the prisoner-of-war camps in the coal mines of Stalino and Makeyevka.[2][3] From 22 November to 31 December 1942 the battalion took part of the Battle of Stalingrad.[3] Having suffered casualties of 39 killed, 97 wounded, and 11 missing, the battalion was brought back to Estonia in January 1943 and disbanded, with many men joining the Estonian Legion.[4]
36th battalion was reformed in May 1943, and in autumn was sent to the front at Nevel where it was merged into 288th battalion.[4]
Possible involvement in Novogrudok mass killings
On 6 and 7 August 3000-5000 Jews were killed in the area of Novogrudok, Belarus.[4][5] According to the battalion's historical record under Harald Riipalu's signature, the unit was present in Novogrudok at period from 5 August to 25 August 1942, conducting anti-partisan operations.[6] 16 August battalion report stated that it had suffered in combat casualties of 1 killed and 2 wounded.[7] In 1960s German and Israeli police investigations about Novogrudok killings blamed them on German gendarmerie, Lithuanian, and Belarussian units.[4]
According to the Estonian International Commission for Investigation of Crimes Against Humanity, "the 36th Police Battalion participated on August 7, 1942 in the gathering together and shooting of almost all the Jews still surviving in the town of Novogrudok". The Commission's report noted:[8]
In the published records, this unit was described as fighting against partisans at the time. The Commission believes that although there clearly were numerous engagements between police units and partisans, "fighting against partisans" and "guarding prisoner of war camps" were at times ways of describing participation in actions against civilians, including Jews.
In the press conference about the Commissions findings, Max Jakobson, leader of the Commission, stated that the Commission was sure about the battalion's participation in anti-Jewish operation, but he also added that the exact nature of the battalion's role could not be established, and there was no evidence about direct involvement in the killings.[9] United States Holocaust Memorial Museum Encyclopedia of Camps and Ghettos, 1933–1945 supports the view that the battalion took part in the murder of Jews in Novogrudok.[10]
The Estonian Internal Security Service (KaPo) investigation into the battalion's activities concluded that there is no evidence about participation in war crimes or crimes against humanity. It also reported there had been investigation about the battalion in Germany in 1966, including request for information to Soviet Union, which also did not reveal participation in war crimes.[7]
Historian Peeter Kaasik in 2017 article concluded that it is not really possible to prove or disprove anything about the battalion's possible involvement due to lack of sources and discrepancies in the existing information, rendering matter largely into a "question of faith".[5]
References
- ^ Hiio, Toomas (2011). "Eesti üksustest Wehrmacht'i, SSi ja politsei ning Relva-SSi alluvuses Teise maailmasõja ajal". Estonian Yearbook of Military History (in Estonian): 208. Retrieved 4 August 2018.
- ^ Massimo Arico, Ordnungspolizei - Encyclopedia of the German police battalions September 1939 - July 1942, p. 144-145.
- ^ a b Aivar Niglas, Toomas Hiio (2006). "Estonian defence battalions / police battalions". In Toomas Hiio; Meelis Maripuu; Indrek Paavle (eds.). Estonia 1940–1945: Reports of the Estonian International Commission for the Investigation of Crimes Against Humanity. Tallinn. pp. 825–876.
{{cite book}}: Check|author=value (help)CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link) - ^ a b c d Hiio, Toomas (2011). "Eesti üksustest Wehrmacht'i, SSi ja politsei ning Relva-SSi alluvuses Teise maailmasõja ajal". Estonian Yearbook of Military History (in Estonian): 209. Retrieved 4 August 2018.
- ^ a b Kaasik, Peeter (2017). "What Did the 36th Estonian Front Defence Battalion Do in Novogrudok?". Tuna. 2. Retrieved 4 August 2018.
- ^ Erelt, Pekka (10 May 2001). "EE: Eestlased võisid osaleda Valgevene massimõrvas" (in Estonian). Eesti Ekspress. Retrieved 4 August 2018.
- ^ a b "Kilode viisi arhiividokumente andsid sama vastuse: Zuroffil pole tõendeid" (in Estonian). Eesti Päevaleht. 25 January 2003. Retrieved 4 August 2018.
- ^ "PHASE II : THE GERMAN OCCUPATION OF ESTONIA IN 1941–1944" (PDF). Estonian International Commission for Investigation of Crimes Against Humanity. p. XXI. Retrieved 4 August 2018.
- ^ "Max Jakobson: eestlased aitasid juutide tapmisele kaasa" (in Estonian). Postimees. 23 August 2002. Retrieved 4 August 2018.
- ^ Geoffrey P. Megargee (ed.) (2012): The United States Holocaust Memorial Museum Encyclopedia of Camps and Ghettos, 1933–1945: Ghettos in German-Occupied Eastern Europe, Indiana University Press, p. 1249]