Sluzk Affair
Encyclopedia
The Sluzk Affair refers to the massacre
of thousands of Jews
and others that occurred in Slutsk
, Belarus in the Soviet Union, in October 1941, near the city of Minsk
while under German
occupation during World War II
. The perpetrators were a combination of Gestapo
special forces and Lithuania
n allies of the Third Reich. Nearly 4,000 Jews were murdered over a two-day period along with thousands of non-Jews. The effect of the indiscriminate mass killing was to render the Belarus population opposed to their Nazi occupiers.
The city of Slutsk had a large concentration of Jews as well as large numbers of Belarusians
. Although the German government had previously signed a non-aggression pact (the Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact
) with the Soviet Union, the Nazis, emboldened by success in western Europe, planned and executed Operation Barbarossa
, and invaded their former ally on June 22, 1941. Along the way, the Nazis picked up a number of allies in satellite nations.
On October 27, 1941, four companies of military police stationed in Kaunas
entered the city with the assignment of liquidating the city's Jewish population within two days. This "special security operation" was led by the Einsatzgruppen
(death squads) of the SS, and acted without authorization from the local Nazi civil administration and Security SS authorities that had marshaled various specialized workers from the population.
The Jews were surrounded, removed from their houses and assassinated en masse, in such a frenzy that not just Jews were murdered. The ethnic population in the area was also massacred. The Nazi civil administration in Belarus was outraged, after having made great efforts to gain the favor of local population in accord with the instructions of the Führer
.
Commissioner General of Belarus Wilhelm Kube
wrote in protest to his supervisor and Reichsfuhrer Heinrich Himmler
:
The letter concluded:
Adolf Hitler
, by all accounts, was never notified of the incident and thereafter mistakenly believed that Nazi partisans among the Belarusian population would support the Germans in the continuing invasion.
Massacre
A massacre is an event with a heavy death toll.Massacre may also refer to:-Entertainment:*Massacre , a DC Comics villain*Massacre , a 1932 drama film starring Richard Barthelmess*Massacre, a 1956 Western starring Dane Clark...
of thousands of Jews
Jews
The Jews , also known as the Jewish people, are a nation and ethnoreligious group originating in the Israelites or Hebrews of the Ancient Near East. The Jewish ethnicity, nationality, and religion are strongly interrelated, as Judaism is the traditional faith of the Jewish nation...
and others that occurred in Slutsk
Slutsk
Slutsk is a town in Belarus, located on the Sluch River south of Minsk. As of 2010 its population is of 61,400).-Geography:The town is situated in the south-west of its Voblast, not too far from from the city of Soligorsk.-History:...
, Belarus in the Soviet Union, in October 1941, near the city of Minsk
Minsk
- Ecological situation :The ecological situation is monitored by Republican Center of Radioactive and Environmental Control .During 2003–2008 the overall weight of contaminants increased from 186,000 to 247,400 tons. The change of gas as industrial fuel to mazut for financial reasons has worsened...
while under German
Nazi Germany
Nazi Germany , also known as the Third Reich , but officially called German Reich from 1933 to 1943 and Greater German Reich from 26 June 1943 onward, is the name commonly used to refer to the state of Germany from 1933 to 1945, when it was a totalitarian dictatorship ruled by...
occupation during World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
. The perpetrators were a combination of Gestapo
Gestapo
The Gestapo was the official secret police of Nazi Germany. Beginning on 20 April 1934, it was under the administration of the SS leader Heinrich Himmler in his position as Chief of German Police...
special forces and Lithuania
Lithuania
Lithuania , officially the Republic of Lithuania is a country in Northern Europe, the biggest of the three Baltic states. It is situated along the southeastern shore of the Baltic Sea, whereby to the west lie Sweden and Denmark...
n allies of the Third Reich. Nearly 4,000 Jews were murdered over a two-day period along with thousands of non-Jews. The effect of the indiscriminate mass killing was to render the Belarus population opposed to their Nazi occupiers.
The city of Slutsk had a large concentration of Jews as well as large numbers of Belarusians
Belarusians
Belarusians ; are an East Slavic ethnic group who populate the majority of the Republic of Belarus. Introduced to the world as a new state in the early 1990s, the Republic of Belarus brought with it the notion of a re-emerging Belarusian ethnicity, drawn upon the lines of the Old Belarusian...
. Although the German government had previously signed a non-aggression pact (the Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact
Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact
The Molotov–Ribbentrop Pact, named after the Soviet foreign minister Vyacheslav Molotov and the German foreign minister Joachim von Ribbentrop, was an agreement officially titled the Treaty of Non-Aggression between Germany and the Soviet Union and signed in Moscow in the late hours of 23 August 1939...
) with the Soviet Union, the Nazis, emboldened by success in western Europe, planned and executed Operation Barbarossa
Operation Barbarossa
Operation Barbarossa was the code name for Germany's invasion of the Soviet Union during World War II that began on 22 June 1941. Over 4.5 million troops of the Axis powers invaded the USSR along a front., the largest invasion in the history of warfare...
, and invaded their former ally on June 22, 1941. Along the way, the Nazis picked up a number of allies in satellite nations.
On October 27, 1941, four companies of military police stationed in Kaunas
Kaunas
Kaunas is the second-largest city in Lithuania and has historically been a leading centre of Lithuanian economic, academic, and cultural life. Kaunas was the biggest city and the center of a powiat in Trakai Voivodeship of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania since 1413. During Russian Empire occupation...
entered the city with the assignment of liquidating the city's Jewish population within two days. This "special security operation" was led by the Einsatzgruppen
Einsatzgruppen
Einsatzgruppen were SS paramilitary death squads that were responsible for mass killings, typically by shooting, of Jews in particular, but also significant numbers of other population groups and political categories...
(death squads) of the SS, and acted without authorization from the local Nazi civil administration and Security SS authorities that had marshaled various specialized workers from the population.
The Jews were surrounded, removed from their houses and assassinated en masse, in such a frenzy that not just Jews were murdered. The ethnic population in the area was also massacred. The Nazi civil administration in Belarus was outraged, after having made great efforts to gain the favor of local population in accord with the instructions of the Führer
Führer
Führer , alternatively spelled Fuehrer in both English and German when the umlaut is not available, is a German title meaning leader or guide now most associated with Adolf Hitler, who modelled it on Benito Mussolini's title il Duce, as well as with Georg von Schönerer, whose followers also...
.
Commissioner General of Belarus Wilhelm Kube
Wilhelm Kube
Wilhelm Kube was a German politician and Nazi official. He was an important figure in the German Christian movement during the early years of Nazi rule. During the war he became a senior official in the occupying government of the Soviet Union, achieving the rank of Generalkommissar for...
wrote in protest to his supervisor and Reichsfuhrer Heinrich Himmler
Heinrich Himmler
Heinrich Luitpold Himmler was Reichsführer of the SS, a military commander, and a leading member of the Nazi Party. As Chief of the German Police and the Minister of the Interior from 1943, Himmler oversaw all internal and external police and security forces, including the Gestapo...
:
The letter concluded:
Adolf Hitler
Adolf Hitler
Adolf Hitler was an Austrian-born German politician and the leader of the National Socialist German Workers Party , commonly referred to as the Nazi Party). He was Chancellor of Germany from 1933 to 1945, and head of state from 1934 to 1945...
, by all accounts, was never notified of the incident and thereafter mistakenly believed that Nazi partisans among the Belarusian population would support the Germans in the continuing invasion.