The German SS Military in Latvia and Lithuania in 1941

Genocide Involvement of German Military SS in Latvia and Lithuania in 1941

Introduction

The country of Latvia and Lithuania were occupied by Germany in June of 1941 . Both are Baltic states that became the starting ground for the Nazi mass execution or genocide of the Jewish population . Aside from local Jewish residents , Jews from other countries or from Germany were sent there to be executed in concentration camps . Although the main target had been the Latvian and Lithuanian Jews , local Latvian and Lithuanians were also targets of execution for Hitler 's

ultimate goal had been the extermination of all people that do not have Germanic descent . The Jews were first executed because by nature of their history of autonomy in the Baltic region , they can be easily identified

Historically speaking , to establish who ed the extermination or genocide had been of paramount importance largely because one then can accurately attribute the guilt of all the murders . To the extent that Hitler wanted to wipe out the Jewish race , undoubtedly , the SS had played a significant role in the genocide

It is the aim of this to discuss the role and responsibility of the SS in the genocide . The will establish the fact that the SS had both a direct and indirect involvement in the genocide after the initial invasions of Latvia and Lithuania in June of 1941

SS Jewish extermination s

One of Hitler 's goals had been the extermination of people that are not Germanic , particularly the Jews . Heinrich Himmler 's (SS leader ) deputy Reinhard Heydrich was the chief planner of the Nazi program to wipe out the Jews in Europe . Heydrich 's plan was entitled the Final Solution to the Jewish problem . For the Nazi 's the final solution ' was genocide , the murder of an entire people . This systematic murder has come to be called the Holocaust . From all over Europe , in Latvia and Lithuania in particular , Jews were rounded up , loaded into sealed cattle cars , and shipped to death camps . They were beaten , starved and tortured to death by their guards . In fact , the Baltic states had become of the fist places to experience Hitler 's ruthless final solution ' of the hated Jews . Nazi Germany had regarded the SS [Schutzstaffen protective squadrons] to be the only groups capable to exterminate the Jewish people . In fact , it is an honor for an SS guard to complete such a mission . The SS are composed of a carefully chosen group of German men who are loyal and obedient to the cause of their Fuhrer (Hitler Toward the end of the Second World War , however , the SS gradually lost its elite nature and instead of being the `guards of the F 'hrer , it became a multi-ethnic army instead . Although highly trained in racist ideas , in its need for more soldiers to fight the advancing Soviets , the SS leaders had to abandon their racist criteria and allowed the membership of non-Germanic people in their units . In the Baltic region , therefore...