Ref. Nov: ab/St/Gr—16 07—Journal No. 614/43 secret.
Re: Ghetto large-scale operation.
To: The Higher SS and Police Fuehrer East, SS Obergruppenfuehrer and General of Police Krueger—or deputy.
Cracow
Progress of large-scale operation on 6 May 1943, start 0930 hrs.
Today we combed especially those blocks of buildings which were destroyed by fire on 4 May 1943. Although it was hardly to be expected that any living person could still exist in those blocks, we discovered quite a number of dug-outs in which a burning heat had developed. From these dug-outs and from other dug-outs which we discovered in other parts of the Ghetto, we pulled out 1,553 Jews. While resisting, and in a skirmish, 356 Jews were shot. In this skirmish the Jews fired from 08 pistols and other calibers and threw Polish "pineapple" hand grenades. One SS Unterscharfuehrer was wounded and a total of 47 dug-outs were destroyed.
2 men of the external cordoning forces were wounded. The Jews who had broken out from the Ghetto seem to be returning now with the intention of assisting the Ghetto Jews by force or liberating them. One Jew who had escaped from Lublin was caught just outside of the Ghetto wall. He was armed as follows: 1 08 pistol, ample reserve ammunition, 2 Polish "pineapple" hand grenades. It could not be reliably ascertained so far whether the so-called "Party Directorate" of the Jews ("PPR") have been caught or destroyed. We are on their traces. It is to be hoped that tomorrow we shall succeed in tracing down this so-called Party Directorate. In order to enable us to intercept more effectively the Jews and bandits who approach the Ghetto, covering detachments of the external barricade were shifted farther inside the Aryan part. The former miniature Ghetto "Prosta" was searched by raiding parties today. We caught some Jews who had stayed behind. The firm Toebbens was requested to evacuate, this miniature Ghetto by noon on 10 May 1943. The so-called library, situated outside the Ghetto, was put at their disposal for temporary storage of their raw materials, etc.
The sum total of Jews caught so far rises to 47,068. The Polish Police take pains to deliver to my office every Jew who turns up within the city, because they are eager to win such premiums as have been paid in earlier cases. The undersigned received some anonymous letters in which he was notified of the fact that some Jews are staying in the Aryan part of the city. One anonymous letter draws a parallel between Katyn and the large-scale action within the Ghetto.
| Our strength, used in the operation: | ||
| German police | 4/101 | |
| Security Police | 2/14 | |
| Engineering Em Service | 1/6 | |
| Engineers | 3/72 | |
| Waffen SS | 10/500 | |
| Cordoning forces: | ||
| Day | Night | |
| Waffen SS | 25 | 1/300 |
| German Police | 2/87 | 1/11 |
| Trawniki | 200 | |
| Polish Police | 1/180 | 1/180 |
Our losses:
1 Policeman dead
1 Policeman seriously wounded
1 SS Unterscharfuehrer less seriously wounded