Belarusian Auxiliary Police

Belarusian Auxiliary Police
Belarusian Auxiliary Police in Mogilew, March 1943
Active	from July 1941
Country	Nazi Germany
Role	Auxiliary police
Engagements	Anti-partisan operations in Belarus

The Belarusian Auxiliary Police (Belarusian: Беларуская дапаможная паліцыя, Biełaruskaja dapamožnaja palicyja; German: Weißruthenische Schutzmannschaften, or Hilfspolizei) was established in July 1941. Staffed by local inhabitants, it had similar functions to those of the German Ordnungspolizei (OrPo) in occupied territories. The activities of the formation were supervised by defense police departments, local commandants' offices, and garrison commandants. The units consisted of one police officer for every 100 rural inhabitants and one police officer for every 300 urban inhabitants. The OD was in charge of guard duty, and included both stationary and mobile posts plus groups of orderlies. It was subordinate to the defense police leadership.^[1]

Activities

Mohylew, March 1943.

Belarusian Auxiliary Police participated in civilian massacres across villages on the territory of modern-day Belarus; dubbed the anti-partisan actions.^[1][2] The Germans carried out the first killings by exerting force, using experienced guards and all necessary precautions (in Homel, Mozyrz, Kalinkowicze, Korma). The Belarusian police took on a secondary role in the first stage of the killings. The rest of the Jews were crushed and deprived of the will to live- women, children, and the elderly - was killed with the Nazis’ bare hands (in Dobrusz, Czeczersk, Żytkowicze). After a while, police, being locals, and a minimal convoy led these remaining Jews out of the ghetto to their place of death. Such a tactic was successful (without much exertion of force) in places where the liquidation of Jews was carried out early September, October–November 1941. In winter 1942, a different tactic of killing was used - raids (in Żłobin, Petryków, Streszyn, Czeczersk). The role of the Belarusian police in killing the Jews became particularly noticeable during the second wave of destruction, starting in February–March 1942.^[3]

See also

• Holocaust in Belarus ^[4]
• Hilfspolizei, the initial name of the Schutzmannschaft
• Anthony Sawoniuk, convicted as first under the UK's War Crimes Act of 1991

References

1. Eugeniusz Mironowicz (2014). "Okupacja niemiecka na Białorusi" [German occupation of Belarus]. History of Belarus, mid 18th century until the 20th century (Historia Białorusi od połowy XVIII do XX w.) (in Polish and Belarusian). Związek Białoruski w RP, Katedra Kultury Białoruskiej Uniwersytetu w Białymstoku (Internet Archive). Idea sojuszu niemiecko-białoruskiego (German-Belarusian Alliance). Archived from the original on September 27, 2007. Retrieved 12 July 2014.
2. The Nazi Occupation in Belarus (empty page, archived by Wayback)
3. Alexey Litvin (Алексей Лiтвiн), Participation of the local police in the extermination of Jews (Участие местной полиции в уничтожении евреев, в акциях против партизан и местного населения.); (in) Местная вспомогательная полиция на территории Беларуси, июль 1941 — июль 1944 гг. (The auxiliary police in Belarus, July 1941 - July 1944).
4. Shoah in Belarus at 2014 Geni.com