In Shitomir 3,145 Jews had to be shot, because from experience they have to be regarded as bearers of Bolshevik propaganda and saboteurs.” (R-102)
The foregoing report deals with the activities of four Task Forces—A, B, C, and D. The more detailed report of Task Force A up to 15 October 1941 shows great variety of SS components in such a task force:
“This description of the over-all situation showed and shows that the members of the Stapo [The Secret State Police], Kripo and SD [Security Service] who are attached to the Action-Group, are active mainly in Lithouania, Latvia, Esthonia, White-Ruthenia and to a smaller part in front of Leningrad. It shows further that the forces of the uniformed police and the Armed SS are active mainly in front of Leningrad, in order to take measures against the returning population and under their own officers. This is so much easier because the Action detachments in Lithouania, Latvia and Esthonia have at their disposal native police units, as described in encl. 1, and because so far 150 Latvian reinforcements have been sent to White-Ruthenia.
“The distribution of the leaders of Security Police and SD during the individual phases can be gathered from encl. 2, the advance and the activities of the Action-Group and the Action-detachments from encl. 3. It should be mentioned that the leaders of the Armed-SS and of the uniformed police who are reserves have declared their wish to stay on with the Security Police and the SD.” (L-180)
Inclosure 1a to this report shows the constitution of the Force:
| “Total Strength of Action Group A: | |||
| Percent | |||
| “Total: | 990 | ||
| Waffen-SS | 340 | 34.4 | |
| Motor Bicycle-Riders | 172 | 17.4 | |
| Administration | 18 | 1.8 | |
| Security Service [SD] | 35 | 3.5 | |
| Criminal Police [Kripo] | 41 | 4.1 | |
| State Police [Gestapo] | 89 | 9.0 | |
| Auxiliary Police | 87 | 8.8 | |
| Order Police | 133 | 13.4 | |
| Female Employees | 13 | 1.3 | |
| Interpreters | 51 | 5.1 | |
| Teleprinter-Operators | 3 | 0.3 | |
| Wireless-Operators | 8 | 0.8 | ” (L-180) |
Another report on the anti-partisan activity, from the General Commissar for White Ruthenia to the Reich Minister for Occupied Eastern Territories, 5 June 1943, deals with the results of the police operation “Cottbus”:
“* * * SS Brigadefuehrer, Major General of Police von Gottberg, reports that the operation ‘Cottbus’ had the following result during the period mentioned:
| Enemy dead | 4,500 |
| Dead suspected of belonging to bands | 5,000 |
| German dead | 59 |
* * * * * *