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Germans in Katyn. Documents on the execution of Polish prisoners of war in the autumn of 1941.Compiled by: R. I., Kosolapov, V. E. Pershin, S. Yu. Rychenkov, V. A. Sakharov
Responsible for the issue: S. A. Lozhkin.
Moscow: ITRK Publishing House, 2010 - 280 p. ISBN 978-5-88010-266-2Consolidated act on the atrocities of the fascist invaders against peaceful Soviet citizens and prisoners of war on the territory of the Smolensk region. January 25, 1945
State Archive of the Smolensk Region (GASO) F.1630. Op.1. St. 61. D367. L.10-11 about.
(not earlier than January 25, 1945)
On the basis of acts drawn up by district commissions and residents of the region, testimonies of eyewitnesses and witnesses, as well as materials published by the Extraordinary State Commission, the Smolensk Regional Commission for Assistance in the Work of the Extraordinary State Commission for the Establishment and Investigation of the Atrocities of the Nazi Invaders and Their Accomplices and the Caused damage to citizens, collective farms, public organizations, state enterprises and institutions of the USSR established:
The German fascist invaders who burst into the territory of the Smolensk region, following the instructions of the German fascist government and the German military command, subjected the national economy of the region to devastating ruin and carried out a monstrous extermination of Soviet citizens.
The population of the region experienced all the horrors of the Nazi "new order". Everywhere there were mass executions of the civilian population, the most cunning and unbridled murders of people in various ways, violence and bullying, mass deportation of the population into German slavery.
During the period of occupation of the regions of the Smolensk region (within the old borders) - from July 13, 1941 to October 10, 1943, German monsters shot, hung, burned and buried alive, poisoned them with poison and in gas chambers, tortured 89744 peaceful Soviet citizens in the Gestapo dungeons, from infants to very old people, and over 121 thousand prisoners of war - fighters and commanders of the Soviet Army, took over 87 thousand Soviet citizens into German slavery (the results of the acts and lists submitted to the Extraordinary State Commission). In addition, in the city of Smolensk and its environs, the Germans exterminated over 135,000 civilians and prisoners of war (report of the Extraordinary State Commission). According to these documents, the total number of victims of the atrocities of the invaders is about 433 thousand.
A comparison of these data with the final reports of the district commissions shows that not all the crimes of the German monsters are covered by separate acts on atrocities and lists of victims, especially in relation to the forcible deportation of the population to the German rear and to German penal servitude. Taking into account the reports of the district commissions, the regional commission believes that the total number of victims of the atrocities of the Nazi invaders in the territory of the Smolensk region should be taken at 546,086 people, of which:
a) civilians were killed 151 319 people
b) driven into slavery 164 630 people
Total 315 949 people
c) prisoners of war died 230 137 people
Total casualties 546,086 people
At the same time, out of the total number of victims in the city of Smolensk, established by the Extraordinary State Commission at 135 thousand people, 35 thousand people were attributed to the civilian population and 100 thousand people were prisoners of war.
The regional commission considers the above data to be the closest to the real, but underestimated, since:
1) part of the acts on the atrocities of the Germans, compiled by the military prosecutor's office, soldiers and commanders of the Red Army immediately after the liberation of certain settlements, was sent to the center through the military authorities, bypassing the regional commission;
2) drawing up acts on atrocities and lists of victims of atrocities for a larger number of village councils or groups of village councils is not possible for the district commissions due to the complete devastation of these village councils and the lack of population in them. And to this day (i.e., more than a year after the liberation), some village councils do not function in the Gzhatsky district (Batyushkovsky, Varganovsky, Korobkinsky, Kostrovsky), in the Karmanovsky district (Ploskovsky), in the Safonovsky district, the Komarovsky village council only recently resumed its activities, etc.;
3) due to the destruction and depopulation of the cities of the region, it is also not possible to compile lists and take into account the number of people driven into German captivity (for example, in the cities of Smolensk, Vyazma, Dorogobuzh, the workers' settlement of Kolodnya, etc.).
By the time the region was liberated from enemy occupation, there were less than 900 thousand people in it, or only 40% of the pre-war population (1939 census - 1987.7 thousand).
The bloody atrocities of the Nazi invaders took place in all districts and cities of the Smolensk region without exception. Everywhere there were mass and single executions of civilians, mostly innocent old people, women and children. The use of gallows was ubiquitous. The facts of mass or group burnings have also been established in almost all districts of the region. Executions, burnings of Soviet people, the use of the gallows were almost always preceded by painful tortures and tortures.
Particularly distinguished by the number of executed citizens are the districts: Baturinsky - 1391 people (according to acts), Vskhodsky - 1514, Glinkovsky - 1984, Elninsky - 3764, Kuibyshevsky - 1244, Prechistensky - 909, Safonovsky - 954, Semlevsky - 816, Temkinsky - 1484, Khislavichsky - 2280 etc.
The facts of mass burning of living people took place in
Baturinsky district - 461 people, Gzhatsky - 357, Glinkovsky - 384, Dzerzhinsky -141, Demidovsky - 299, Znamensky - 280, Mosalsky - 483, Novoduginsky - 139, Semlevsky - 384, Sychevsky - 213, Temkinsky - 158, Tumanovsky— 156 etc.
German robbers buried people alive in the ground (Andreevsky, Kasplyansky, Sychevsky, Temkinsky, Usvyatsky and other areas), killed citizens with poison (Dorogobuzhsky, Ponizovsky, Tumanovsky areas) and in gas chambers (Smolensk, Roslavl), blew up in minefields (Velizhsky, Glinkovsky , Demidovsky, Slobodskoy, Sychevsky, Temkinsky and other areas).
A mass phenomenon was the violent death of civilians from cold and hunger: Vyazemsky district - 140 people, Gzhatsky - 283, Medynsky - 72, Mosalsky - 173, Temkinsky -311, Tumanovsky - 322 and others.
German monsters committed special mass fanaticism against the Jewish and gypsy population. Jews and Gypsies were exterminated without exception and everywhere.
The Germans also committed heinous violence against women in all districts and cities of the region.
The mass deportation of the population to the German rear and to the German penal servitude was carried out by the occupiers from all districts and cities of the region without exception. The Germans carried out especially ferocious measures in this regard in those areas where the battle front line ran through the areas for a long time, as well as in areas close to the German defense lines. So, 6902 people were driven into slavery from the Velsky district, Velizhsky - 2059, Gzhatsky - 7171, Karmanovskosh - up to 12000, Sychevsky - up to 7000, Temkinsky - 8054, Iznoskovsky - 4500, Mosalsky -10313, Yukhnovsky - 4341, Vskhodskosh -13600, Znamensky - 3988, Duminichsky - 7476, Elninsky - 3862. In the German defense zone of Smolensk, 13329 people were driven into slavery from the Yartsevsky district, 4169 from Dukhovshchinsky, Prechistensky - 9797, Baturinsky - 6506, Rudnyansky - 5000, etc.
The mass death of prisoners of war takes place not only in the camp for prisoners of war, where they were villainously exterminated, but also along the way. The roads along which the German fascist invaders led the prisoners were covered with the corpses of the tortured and killed. So, for example, at the trial of fascist criminals in Kharkov, it was revealed that out of 15 thousand prisoners sent from the Vyazemsky camp to Smolensk, only 2 thousand people reached their destination. In the prisoner of war camps - Smolensk No. 126, Roslavl No. 130, Vyazemsky, Sychevsky, Gzhatsky, Dorogobuzhsky, Ekimovichsky No. 112, Karmanovsky, Usvyatsky, Mosalsky, Rudnyansky, Prechistensky, Spas-Demensky and other prisoners of war masses died every day from cold, hunger, disease and intolerable torture and torture, as well as from overwork for exhausted people.
At least 115 thousand prisoners of war were exterminated in Smolensk camp No. 126, 120 thousand in Roslavl, 15 thousand in Vyazemsky, over 3 thousand in Sychevsky, over 1800 people in Dorogobuzh, etc.
The death of prisoners of war (executions, burning, etc.) in small groups at stops or stages of the journey is noted in the acts of almost all regions.
The specific perpetrators of the atrocities of the Germans on the territory of the Smolensk region, the direct perpetrators of crimes against civilians and prisoners of war, fighters and commanders of the Red Army, the regional commission considers persons from the German military command, officers and soldiers of military units and officials of the German occupation authorities named in the submitted list (missing. - Ed.).
Chairman of the regional commission D. Popov.
Member of the regional commission Zorohovich.
Secretary of the regional commission Blandovsky.