From the beginning of the war against the USSR, Erich Julius Eberhard von dem Bach-Zelewski was a top-ranking SS commander in charge of the Nazis’ security warfare against those designated by the regime as ideological enemies and any other persons deemed to present a danger to Nazi rule or the Wehrmacht's rear security in the occupied territories of Eastern Europe, in other words, on the territory of the occupied regions of central Russia and in Belarus. Formally, he led units that fought the partisans. However, in effect they were engaged in the extermination of civilians.

The interrogation is conducted by Colonel of Justice and Assistant to the Chief Prosecutor from the USSR Yuri Pokrovsky.

“Bach-Zelewski: After the departure of all units capable of fighting the partisans, in late 1941 and early 1942, Army Group Centre used the Dirlewanger Brigade, named after its commander Oskar Dirlewanger, comprising convicted criminals who were not expected by Nazi Germany to survive their service with the unit to fight the partisans. It was subsequently strengthened to a regiment (prior to 1944), and then a brigade. The Dirlewanger Brigade consisted mainly of criminals with convictions, while officially they were referred to as “honourable poachers”. However, in their ranks were die-hard criminals apprehended for burglary, murder, etc.

Pokrovsky: How do you explain the fact that the Germany Army command willingly augmented and reinforced its units comprised of criminals, and directed them specifically to fight the partisans?

Bach-Zelewski: I believe that there is a very close connection here with the speech of Heinrich Himmler at the beginning of 1941 in Wewelsburg, before the start of the campaign against Russia.

Himmler at the time stated that the purpose of the campaign against Russia was to reduce the number of Slavs by 30 million people and that for this task it was necessary to use just such renegade troops".

In 1944, Bach-Zelewski was transferred to Poland, where he commanded a battle group named after him. The task of the group was to suppress the Warsaw Uprising and further repressions. The Bach-Zelewski group destroyed 200,000 people, for which the commander received the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross.

After the war, Bach-Zelewski was put on trial three times. He was accused of crimes related to various episodes of his service in the ranks of the Third Reich. He died a natural death in prison in 1972.

 

Source:

Sergei Miroshnichenko “Transcript of the Nuremberg Trials”, volume III.