Murderers of the Jews of Alytus and District
Murderers of jews of Kaunas / Kovno
Murderers of the Jews of Birzai
Murderers of the Jews of Kedainiai
District of Kretinga
LAZDIJAI
The District of Marijampole
Mazekiai
Panevezys
Plunge
Raseiniai
Siauliai
Rokiskis, Sakiai, Seirijai
Taurage
Telsiai
Trakai ,Ukmerge
Utena
Vilkaviskis, Zarasai, Zagare
Vilna
District of Kaunas / Kovno list & Lietukis garage, 25 June 1941
Panerys - from Kazimir Sakowitz diary
all from Association of Lithuanian Jews in Israel site
Panerys - from Kazimir Sakowitz diary
The Lithuanians will never be able to remove the
shame of Panerys from themselves just like they won’t be able to absolve
themselves from the shame of the other approximately 220 killing sites where
they murdered the Jews, their neighbors for hundreds of years including the
ones that the Germans brought from Europe over a three year period; over
100,000 men, women and children.They turned the site into a market selling the
clothes and valuables of their victims and Panerys became the symbol of
Lithuanian inhumanity.
Panerys
site and it’s suitability for mass
murder
Panerys,
the frightful killing site is located about 10 kilometers south of Vilnius.
This wooded area was used in the past as a recreation and hiker venue. During
the Soviet occupation they started to build, next to the railroad tracks,
storage facilities to hold fuel for their air force base. They dug deep
trenches to hold the storage tanks and the Lithuanians used them for mass
killing. The Lithuanians started murdering Jews immediately after the German
invasion, even before the arrival of the German “Einzatzgruppen” of the S.S.
When they arrived they approved of the site as fitting for the “Final Solution”
A special Lithuanian group called “Ypatingas Būrys“ participated in the mass
murders and they became the main and the most vicious killers.
Most
killers-Lithuanians
The first killings by
the Lithuanians were „primitive“ but when Obersturmfuerer Schauschitz became
the commander he perfected the murder methods and made them more „eficient“.
There were very few Germans taking part in the murders since there were enough
Lithuanians willing to do the „job“. The members of the „Einsatzgruppen“ were
mainly clerks, planners, communication people and truckdrivers.
Daily murder
Aproximately 200 people
were murdered a day and every day.The victims were brought there in covered
trucks in very large groups, smaller ones and individuals. Very large groups
were brought in by train. All plans for the murders were made and arranged by
the Germans (usually the Gestapo and the Einsatzgruppen) and Lithuanians.
In spite of the secrecy- the crimes became known
The first information
about the murders in Panerys became known when a few Jews succeeded in escaping
from the death trenches hiding between the corpses of people that were murdered
that day and after the killers poured lime on them as was commonly done. Some
of the escapees sneaked back into the Ghetto and told their horror story.
Sakowitz records the murders
Only after the capture
of Vilnius by the Soviets did the diary of the Pole Sakowitz appear. He lived in
the vicinity of the murder site. The anti-Semite Sakowitz, a former newsman,
became friendly with some of the murderers and wrote down what he saw.(it is
still unclear for what reason) on pieces of paper, notebooks and old calenders,
stuffed them into lemonade bottles and buried them in the ground.. Sakowitz, an
eye wittness who lived closest to the barbaric murders, started his recording
on November 7,1941, about two weeks after the innitial murder of Jews started,
and finished his writing in November 1943, approximately eight months before
the end of the murders by the Lithuanians in this area. Sakowitz recorded the
murders that were carried out in this vicinity over a period for 835 days,
about two and a half years.
Sakowitz
describes murder methods
Sakowitz describes,among
other things, in one of his diaries how they shot the Jews. According to him
five methods of murder were used by the Lithuanian killers.
1.The Jews were moved to
one place in the area and told to lie face down on
the ground. They would separate and take one group after another to the trench
then they would beat them and torture them. Then they were told to undress. At
the trench they put down a kind of springboard. When the victim stepped on the
board they shot him and he fell into the trench.
2.The method was
changed: instead of walking on the board, the victim was forced to descend into
the bottom of the trench and then shot to death.
3.Like the second method
but instead of shooting the victim they threw hand granades into the trench and
it tore the victims to pieces.
4.The same method but
they forced their victims to descend into the trench still dressed where they
were told to undress and then they were shot by machine-guns. At this time
other Jews were sitting on the road without knowing that they are the next in
line to be killed.
5.Towards the end, after
having gained enough expertise, the killers forced their victims to undress in
the trucks that brought them to the site and then they were taken one by one to
the trench and shot
there.
Some
excerpts from the Sakowitz diary
„...from the 14 0f July
1941 the Jews are undressed and their clothes are immediately offered for sale
by the Lithuanians. The trade in clothes is flowering. Wagons loaded with the
clothes of the murdered arrive in the trade center next to Grodzinska where
they are being sold..
„the Lithuanian
murderers go around with sacks full of watches and other valuables and try to
sell them...“They sometimes exchange their goods for other merchandise, mainly
alcohol“..
Murder and trade
...“the killing started
from the 23rd of July 1941 and during the next 17 days from 250 to 300 people
were killed every day...“ „.. to the Germans 300 killed Jews means 300 enemies
of humanity less but to the Lithuanian murderers it means 300 pairs of shoes
and other things of value...“. „they shoot people in the back. When its raining
the Lithuanuans throw hand granades or shoot them with machine guns...“
Tourist visit
...“two well dressed
Lithuanian women, accompanied by a man, arrived in a private car, seemingly in a good mood, to witness and enjoy
the „spectacle“ of the murders. After the Lithuanians finished the shooting
they returned to their car and drove away. They did not seem to be sad...“
A large group of
victims to be murdered
leading to the site I
saw a long line of of people, about 2 kilometers long going in the direction of
„...the wind was blowing and it was raining on the Tuesday, the second of
September.On the road the church,. People were made to run through the passage
and it took about 15 minutes. Jankauskis claims that there were about 4000
people there. Others claimed that there were more and most of them were women
and children. When they reached the forest through the passage they realized what
awaits them and started to scream „help“. 80 Lithuanian murderers started to
shoot at them and an additional 100 killers surrounded them and guarded the
perimeter. All of them were drunk“..
Barbarism and
abuse before the killing
„Jankauskis told that
before killing them they abused their victims so that the killers could gather
courage to kill them all. They beat the men and the women; the men were shot
separately and the women were forced to undress. They remained in their
underwear. There were many furs and other valuables among the victims since
they believed that they were being led to the Ghetto and took with them all
their valuables . The Lithuanian murderers shot their victims in a way that
every group was made to stand on the corpses of the previous group of people
that were shot before. They were forced to stand on the corpses. There were
many wounded that were still alive. One woman, who was shot in her hand,
escaped to Dolna. She witnessd how they killed her children in one trench and her husband in another...“
After the
murders-selling the spoils
„...after the mass murders the Lithuanians started to market a lot of womens clothing. The day after the
killings the Lithuanians found next to the trenches a baby that was playing in
the sand. The Lithuanians threw him into the trench and shot him. Krikowa told
that during the mass murders they tore a breast- feeding child from its mother
and killed him.On the 3rd of September an escaped Jewish woman entered
Jankowski‘s house in an effort to get to Vilnius. A Lithuanian who noticed her
jumped onto the veranda, asked her if she was Jewish and when she replied in
the affirmative started to beat her, dragged her into the forest and killed her
there...
Women and children
„...Saturday, the 25th
of October was a terrible day. At eight thirty in the morning I saw next to the
church a long procession of Jews. When I came closer I realized that they were
all women.They were young and old, with children in baby carriages and othrs
carried in their hands. Some of them slept. It was a beautiful morning.Suddenly
we heard shots being fired in the forest.They shot women and children that were
brought that morning in trucks from the Lukiškis prison. There were apparently
many wounded. Some of them tried to escape and the shooting lasted the whole
night...“
No mercy in the
hearts of the Lithuanians
There was no mercy in
the hearts of the Lithuanians „...one Jewess, about 19 or 20 years old, dressed
in a grey coat with a fur collar carried a baby, about 3 years old, knelt on
the ground and started kissing the dirty boots of the junior officer and begged
for her life. The officer kicked her with the point od his boot in the jaw. It
tore her skin and her blood mixed with the dirt. Another soldier hit her with
his rifle butt while she was still on the ground next to the murder site. The
soldier grabbed the crying child, shook him and threw him over the fence like a
piece of wood. Then the soldier picked up his rifle and wanted to shoot him.
The mother stood up, ran to the fence and tried to protect her child with her
body. The shooting continued till 5 o‘ clock in the afternoon. Another woman
hearing the shots, tried to run away from the column,was caught and beated to
death...“
The murder of
babies
„...on the 19th of
November they brought 200 women and children. It was very cold. The soldiers
did not receive enough bullets, susequently they tore the children from the
mothers and killed them with their rifle butts. Even in the past there were
instances where they did not bother to shoot them, they simply threw them into
the trenches....“
Killing for
clothes - to fit the buyer
„...another group of
women and children arrived on the 21-st of November, including some men. Shots
were heard all the time. Towards the end of the day a rifle carrying Lithuanian
came out of the site and started selling womens clothing, overcoats,dresses and shoes. The last coats
were sold for 120 Rubels and included a pair of winter boots. . When one of the farmers asked if there are going to be
additional clothes for sale, the Lithuanian answered: „wait, I‘ll find a Jewess
to fit your size“ The farmer and his wife became frightened and ran away.
When the Lithuanian came back he became very angry since he had already picked
a Jewish woman out of the line going to be killed and whose size matched the
farmers wife, then killed her and brought her coat...“
Lithuanian
Catholics kill even during holidays
„on Saturday, the first
of December, All Saints Holiday, the religious Lithuanian Catholics killed four loaded trucks
with Jews. This time the Lithuanians wore military uniforms. The All Saints
Holliday did not stop them from killing...“
The Killing of the
Elderly
„...on the third of July 1942, 150 old Jews who could not work any more were
brought to the site. They came from the strategic highway to the site through
the gate.They were brought at nine in the morning from the Ghetto. Many of them
heavily wounded were buried alive...“
Pleading did not
help
„...fifth of April 1943,
Monday. The group next to the trench was told to undress. Screams and crying
were heard. People begged for their lives, dropped at their feet but were
kicked and shot while they were lolling on the ground. When they arrived at the
edge of the trench they were beaten and forced to undress. Then they were
pushed into the trench and the Lithuanians started shooting them. A man who was
already undressed was ordered to drag a fainted woman to the trench. After he
dropped her into the trench he turned around, was shot in he head and fell in
after her. His brain scattered all over. The Lithuanians continued shooting
without stop and murdered the second half of the group.“
Conveyer belt
murder
„...a part of the
Lithuanians, after the first group was butchered, went to the railroad to bring
more victims. The slaughter continued without stop. The Lithuanians collected
the clothing in a large pile. Suddenly a Lithuanian pulled out a little child
who was hiding in the pile. He threw him immediately into the trench. After him
he found another child and then another and all of them were thrown into the
trench. One Lithuanian was standing by the trench and shot at them. An
additional group of men and women was brought to the trench , were pushed into
it and were shot by the Lithuanians from above. Four men were told to assemble
the cloths in an orderly pile and found there a baby. A Lithuanian ordered one
of the four to throw the baby into the trench but the Jew grabbed the baby and
ran to the forest. The Lithuanians ran after him but the Jew dissapeared“.
Spat in the face
of the German..
„ at that time a third
group appeared and all started from the beginning-they were told to undress and
then were shot. One woman spat in the face of German and the Lithuanian struck
her with hie rifle butt. A man tried to resist and was shot and fell. That‘s
the way they murdered one group after nother. That day, from 6 am till 11 pm
that night the Jews that were brought in 49 freight
Additional trains
started to arrive.Those that were brought in knew immediately what awaits them
Their escape was better planned and therefore was more successful than the
victims‘ in the first train. Immediately after the doors of the cars were opened
and the Lithuanians started to aline the people in columns. The people started
to run in all directions. There was a commotion, screams were heard and
shooting. Most of the escapees ran through the rail lines and others to the
road. The Lithuanians fired also on their own people. Many succeeded in
escaping and saving themselves; only a few walked through the gate to the site,
they were old people and women...“
This evidence presented
reveals only a few of the crimes committed by the Lithuanians These
descriptions, written by the Polish newsman Sakowitz, before he was cought and
executed, are only a small part of the horrors that happened in the Lithuanian
hell called Panerys (Ponar).
The cold-bloodidness and
the "heroism" that the Lithuaniams showed against unarmed people,
against women and children, shows the rotten barbaric nature of these people.
In conclusion, what the Lithuanians did to the Jewish people in such a short
time has never been done to the Jewish people in its long history.cars, about
2500 Jews were murdered. Fifty of them escaped.
Many additional
attempts to escape
State museum on genocide says will try to publish book this year naming local Nazi collaborators. J-post 2.2.2016
Did Israel Cross a Holocaust Red Line Today by Honoring Leader of a Pro-Nazi 1941 Militia?
Х.Лейбовичюс. Молчанье не всегда знак согласья
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