The Einsatzgruppen (Special Action Groups) was used behind the front line on the Eastern front to kill primarily Jews, (active) communists, partisans and people suspected of helping the partisans.

Naturally the brutal methods of the Einsatzgruppen made the people in the occupied territories more and more sympathetic to the partisans and thus made it all the harder for the Germans to protect their lines of communications.


Einsatzgruppen Chain of Command

The men that made up the Einsatzgruppen came for various organisations, such as the Polizei (police), Waffen-SS and the Gestapo.

Einsatzgruppe A was made up as follows in October 1941:

Administration	18
Auxiliary Police	87
Females	13
Gestapo	89
Interpreters	51
Kriminalpolizei	41
Motorcyclists	172
Ordnungspolizei	133
Radio operators	8
Sicherheitsdienst	35
Teletype operators	3
Waffen-SS	340