Holocaust Pepetrators's file / תיק – רוצחי השואה

These sources document War crimes carried out by the Nazis and local collaborators during The Holocaust, with an emphasis on the region Latvia and Eastern EuropeThe collection includes Name lists of murdered Jewish victims as well as lists of criminals responsible for massacres, torture, and looting. In addition, the documents reveal Legal investigations and testimonies against key figures such as Carlisle Ozoles and Edward Rushman, who attempted to evade justice in countries such as Australia and Argentina. Alongside these, there are reports of Simon Wiesenthal Center On the ongoing effort to locate fugitive Nazis and preserve historical memory. A significant portion of the material consists of indexes of Government archives, which detail documentation of the establishment of ghettos, the confiscation of property, and the management of concentration camps. Together, the sources serve as conclusive evidence of the mechanism The systematic extermination and to the later attempts to obtain accountability for the survivors.

The sources presented provide extensive documentation of the extermination of Latvian Jews during the Holocaust, focusing on the identity of the murderers, the structure of the murder units (with an emphasis on the Arais unit), and semiotic lists of victims and perpetrators (H78-1-1f, H78-3f, H78-4f). Below is an overview of the central figures and an expansion of the important sources:

Key figures

Victims

• Jewish families from Jekabpils: Detailed lists of dozens of families murdered in 1941, including the Gindin, Borainin, Golub, Kotlan, Weinberg and others (H78-1-9f).
• Max Kaufmann: Holocaust survivor who wrote the book "Die Vernichtung der Juden Lettlands" (The Extermination of the Jews of Latvia), an important source for understanding the events from the victims' perspective (H78-4f).
• The student in Bauze: A student murdered by the commander of the city of Jalgabe, Dr. Fritz (H78-1-2f, H78-1-4f).

Nazis and collaborators

• Viktors Arājs: Commander of the "Sonderkommando Arais", a Latvian auxiliary unit responsible for the murder of tens of thousands of Jews. He was promoted to the rank of major in 1942 and at the end of the war tried to hide under a false identity in Germany until he was captured (H78-3f, H78-4f).
• Karlis Ozols: An officer in the Arais unit who was involved in mass murders in and around Minsk. After the war, he emigrated to Australia and became an outstanding chess player, while evading prosecution despite significant evidence against him (H78-2f, H78-3f).
• Herberts Cukurs: A prominent member of the Arais unit, described as a "Jewish murderer" from Riga (H78-3f, H78-8f).
• Friedrich Jeckeln: Commander of the SS and police in Latvia, who planned and commanded mass murder, including the Rumbula massacre (H78-4f).
• Walter Stahlecker: Commander of Einsatzgruppe A, who organized the first "purification" operations and instructed the locals to carry out "spontaneous" pogroms (H78-3f, H78-4f).
• Eduard Roschmann: Nicknamed "The Butcher of Riga," the commander of the Riga ghetto who managed to escape to South America after the war (H78-5f).

Expansion of important sources

1. Research on the Arais unit and the extermination of the Jews of Latvia (H78-3f, H78-4f): These sources constitute an in-depth historical study (attributed to Andrūs Azergailis) examining the question of responsibility for the murder. The sources refute the theory of completely "spontaneous" pogroms and show how the Germans (Stalker and Wiklen) manipulated the local population (H78-4f). The documentation details the structure of the "Sonderkommando Arais", the recruitment processes from Latvian student associations (such as "Latvia"), and the use of "blue buses" to transport the murderers to the rural towns (H78-3f).

2. Records of the Soviet Special State Committee (H78-1-1f): This is a guide detailing the types of documents collected by the Soviet commission investigating Nazi crimes immediately after the liberation. The source explains that the records include lists of victims, eyewitness accounts, and interrogation protocols that provide a critical genealogical and historical basis for understanding the scope of the atrocities (H78-1-1f).

3. Lists of criminals and victims in and around Bilgaba (H78-1-2f, H78-1-6f, H78-1-10f): This series of documents (designated H78-1-x) contains precise name lists compiled by the Soviet authorities. Particularly notable is the source H78-1-6f, which includes "registration cards" (Kartočka) detailing murder sites, dates of executions, and the number of victims (e.g., murder of 5,000–6,000 Jews in the forests around Jalgava) (H78-1-6f). Source H78-1-2f Lists names of specific criminals and their roles in the local murder apparatus (H78-1-2f).

4. Testimony about the murder of families in Yakubpils (H78-1-9f): This source is particularly important for its human aspect. It presents handwritten statements detailing family by family (name of the head of the family, his wife, and number of children) who were taken to the synagogue and murdered. The document attests to the complete annihilation of entire communities (H78-1-9f).

List of sources

• H78-1-1f : A guide to the records of the Special State Commission for the Investigation of Nazi Crimes, including explanations of the types of documents and how to access them.
• H78-1-2f : A Semitic list of Nazi criminals and collaborators in Jelgava, including their roles in the mechanism of repression and murder.
• H78-1-3f : A list of criminals who committed brutal murders in Bielgba, based on witness testimonies collected after the war.
• H78-1-4f : A statement and detailed list of Nazi criminals in Bielaga, including police commanders, guards, and Latvian collaborators.
• H78-1-5f : List of those directly and indirectly responsible for the mass arrests, torture, and murder of civilians in Yalgaba.
• H78-1-6f : Detailed registration cards of extermination operations in Yilgaba, including murder sites, numbers of victims, and dates.
• H78-1-7f : List of criminals involved in the executions and torture of peaceful civilians in Bielaga in 1941–1944.
• H78-1-8f : List of German-fascist occupiers and collaborators who committed crimes in the Kuldiga district.
• H78-1-9f : Handwritten testimonies and Semitic lists of Jewish families murdered in Jekabpils in the fall of 1941.
• H78-1-10f : List of Nazi criminals and collaborators in the Kuldiga district, including a description of their crimes (mass murder, plunder, and destruction).
• H78-2f : Correspondence and articles on the subject of Latvian SS veterans in Australia, with emphasis on the Karlis Ozols affair.
• H78-3f : A comprehensive research report on the "Sonderkommando Arrays" unit, its structure, its operations, and its key figures.
• H78-4f : A historical article by Andrew Azgarailis entitled "Who Killed the Jews of Latvia?", analyzing responsibility for the murder.
• H78-5f : Simon Wiesenthal Center reports on Nazi war criminals, including information on Eduard Roschmann and Horst Bender.
• H78-6f : Inventory of historical records from Latvia held at the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum (USHMM).
• H78-7f : List of documents and catalog from the USHMM archives on the subject of Latvian Jewry and war crimes.
• H78-8f : List of individuals who participated in terrorism against Jews in various cities in Latvia, including Riga, Goldingen and Modulum.

H78-1-1f

H78-1-2f

H78-1-3f

H78-1-4f

H78-1-5f

H78-1-6f

H78-1-7f

H78-1-8f

H78-1-9f

H78-1-10f

H78-2f

H78-3f

H78-4f

H78-5f

H78-6f

H78-7f

H78-8f

 

** end of Holocaust Pepetrators files **

**Press to go back to holocaust Table**