Brodnica Crimes – Jagdkommando Brodnica
Brodnica
Brodnica (German: Strasbourg in Westpreußen, Strasbourg an der Drewenz) is simply a town and municipality in the administrative territory of Gmina Brodnica, within Brodnica County, Kuyavian-Pomeranian Voivodeship, presently located on both sides of the Drwęca River. The historical center of the town lies on the right (western) bank of the river, in Chełmina land. In 1975-1998, the administrative city belonged to Toruń Voivodeship.
On January 24, 1945, the Red Army "released" Brodnica from Nazi occupation. This is simply a time erstwhile many of the city's residents were taken out in cattle wagons to Siberia by fresh liberators. In Brodnica UB, people are being abused and killed who refuse to accept the fresh orders of communists.
In February 1945, in Brodnica on ul. Przykop 3, for 3 days the NKVD held a degraded captain of the Red Army, Alexander Solzenyn, a Russian writer, future Nobel Prize laureate in literature for 1970 and author of the three-volume "Gulag Archipelago". Brodnica is 1 of the first stages of its long road to Łubianka, Butyrka, to place an endless exile in the Kok-Terek region, to the edge of the barren wastelands of Kazakhstan.
JAGDCOMMANDO – DEATH SYRINGES
One of the most dramatic mysterious matters related to the past of the Bradnica territory during the last war is the activity in this area of the German peculiar Branch to fight guerrillas. The alleged Jagdkommando in free translation could be postponed as a “hunting team”.
In the fall of 1941, after the attack of the russian Union, The Germans saw how annoying partisan activity could be. This annoyance manifested itself in attacks on the front services, blowing up railway transports, killings of the occupying administration, engaging troops needed on the front, etc.
In this situation, it was essential to make anti-partisan formations from the point of view of the Germans. Very rapidly it turned out that average soldiers were not suitable for this task, due to the fact that the fight against small, busy troops, well-known in the area, required a completely different maneuver than that utilized in front actions. The SS-Standartenführer Knolle then came up with the thought to liquidate the Russian partisan... Russians, strictly Russian renegades, russian traitors, and traitors to the bander baw formations, even average bandits or poachers (the second had an additional advantage – the ability to decision in the woods).
In November 1941, a tiny military group (up to 10 people) was formed in Ługa, consisting of a unique sewer. It was headed by erstwhile Red Army captain Nikolay Martynowski.
Mikołaj Martynowski “The fly” is an unorthodox, Soviet, German and German thug. Wiktor Poliszczuk reminded about his activities and related criminal cases:
‘23.VI.1943. An extraordinary session of the UPA Field Court of the Eneja Group, having examined the case of the accused Mykoła Martynowszki- “Fuchy” from the Berkut branch, states:
The accused Mucha was arrested on 20.VI.43 on charges of provocation within the ranks of the CNS and UPA from 18.1.1942 to 20.VI.1943. A thorough investigation in his case revealed without uncertainty that the accused Nikolay Martynowski “Mucha” was a provocateur, consciously aware of his activities. Accused Nikolay Martynowski - Mucha was sentenced to death punishment by chopping his head off in front of the UPA squad.
This judgement was signed by the president of the OUN Court – UPA d-ca Dubowyj, and members – d-ca Enej, Beskyd, Matros in Posto, 23 June 1943. The execution of the judgement took place in front of the UPA branch at 12 noon on 24 June 1943.
These German Grocers, Banderovian and russian bandits celebrated the surrounding villages until the spring of 1942, pretending to be Polish opposition members (dressed in incomplete Russian uniforms, exposing russian weapons).
In this way they recognized locations of dislocations of troops and guerrilla groups and russian parachute discharges, as well as uncovering out about people who helped guerrillas. After the reconnaissance, they dragged troops into ambushes, while coworkers and parachutists murdered themselves.
In April 1942, Martynowski's group was reorganized into an armed unit, with about 70 people. He received the authoritative name Jagdkommando ‘M’. It was subordinate to the local SD (Sicherheitsdienst – safety police), at the head of which they stood: the celebrated SS-Standartenführer Otto Skorzeny and previously mentioned Knolle.
The effectiveness of the squad was delighted by SS-Standartenführer Otto Skorzeny. In agreement with Heinrich Himmler, and then after the approval of Hitler himself, the Jagdkommando troops began to mass-create in the occupied Poland, where the partisan activity was the most annoying.
Criminal police, gendarmerie, intelligence, forest service and municipal administration were obliged to cooperate with them. In the Podwiślanskie Pomerania, specified formations first appeared in the Tucholskie Borach, where strong groups of the Home Army operated. Various sources indicate that the first platoons of the "Jags" (determination from guerrilla jargon) were "installed" in Brodnica at the latest in late summertime 1944.
‘Jagi’ in Brodnica
The targeting of bandits (because they did not deserve the name of a soldier) in this area was undoubtedly due to the findings of German intelligence, which discovered plans to drop russian parachute jumpers, and then the activity of local opposition groups, specified as the bearded branch of the Home Army, perfectly commanded by the legendary lieutenant “S spring”. Since already then the peculiar Service staff had no illusions that the front could break down adequate that the Russians would effort to attack East Prussia, they recognized the necessity to clear the full backdrop.
To this end, a peculiar group of Jagdkommando (also referred to as "Spielmannszug") was created, commanded by the Skarzen staffer, Colonel of SS Paul Helle (about 1,200 people). They were divided into six companies, operating in different areas, rather independently of each other. The “care” over the contractually designated territory of Brodnica (which besides included the Nowomiejski, Dziadowski, Rypiński districts) was entrusted to the commander of the 4th Company, while the deputy Helli – SS-Hauptsturmführer Ernst Bartsch.
That Bartsch was a alternatively mysterious individual. Like Skorzeny, he came from Austria and, like him, had Polish roots (his father was born in Austria, as the boy of a Polish immigrant named Barcz). After graduating, he immediately joined the SS and then went to the Otto Skorzeny peculiar units, with whom he participated in respective bravado actions of commandos.
In the summertime of 1944, he and respective staff came to Brodnica to admit the area of future action. shortly (it is hard to find when, but the most probable date is the end of September 1944) more than 200 of his people were moved here. About half of the ward was accommodated in the Brodnica barracks, but the rest, divided into platoons, went “to the county”.
Some of them were located in the Górzno and Ruda Foresters. These were commanded by Lieutenant SS Hans Kramer – a dreary type, commando of Skorzen, liable for the deaths of many local residents. The others were accommodated in Lidzbark Welski and the forestry plant Beśnica, where they patrolled large forest complexes all the time.
The bearded Jagdkommando was the German officers SS-Hauptsturmführer Ernst Bartsch, SS Oberleutnant Hans Kramer, SS Oberleutnant Jurgen Pfloger, Oberleutnant Geheime Staatspolizei (SD) Gustav Kirsten, Oberleutnant SD Zullang (probably Gregor). The officers (team commanders) were Germans, too. "Meats" (shooters) were organized from Russian and Ukrainian renegades, bandits, various half-wits, declared volksdeutschs, who were released criminal penalties in exchange for serving in Jagdkommando – "Spielmannszugu".
We know about the condition of their weapons from peculiar guidelines ("Richtlinien für Jagdkommandos") for this formation, issued by Otto Skorzeny and eagerly enforced. Acting in tactical relationships of about 30 people (two platoons), they had to have 4 MG device guns, and for that they had at least 2 sniper rifles in a double cast (trained erstwhile more as many peculiar weapons).
Additionally, there were handguns of the alleged MP, after respective grenades of tackle and defence on the shooter. All were equipped with knives, masking uniforms, and each group had a radio station and a mine detector (at least 1 soldier in the platoon had bomb training). Before going on the action, each bandit had to take food rations for 14 days (conservers, chocolate, cigarettes, bread, coffee, tea).
They had an absolute ban on requisitioning anything from civilians. Should they encounter large troops of guerrillas (mandatory careful reconnaissance) they were not allowed to attack them, but only to radio the commander, then follow them until further announcement or destruct them by German forces.
They besides had respective another general recommendations and warrants, but absolute freedom in killing. From the post-war exhumation protocols of their victims from the region of Górzna, it is unbelievably obvious, the savagery done!
The crimes of the beard-mountain Jagdkommando are rather well recognized and described,
Among others, by Radosław Stawski "Mord by the lake" dated 17 April 2009, a publication in "Brodnica Time".
In August 1943, during a gathering of ministers of “force ministries” The Reich created the thought of creating peculiar diversionary troops that could operate in the shallow back of the enemy. Initially, almost no 1 cared about the initiative (the front was far away, the “male” lands of Russia, and the western Europe was in the hands of fascists), but for 1 intelligence officer – Reinhard Gehlen.
This, examining what was known about the structures of the Polish resistance, especially the Home Army, rapidly developed general assumptions of akin units, and gave the plan a code name W-II (letter from the word Werwolf – werewolf). Despite Gehlen's enthusiasm, for almost a year the case was not returned, and it was not taken seriously until September 1944, erstwhile the threat of the Allied invasion of Germany, and especially East Prussia, became unsettlingly real.
In secret from Hitler (the chief could get angry, accuse of defetism, and send all officers to the ground) work began on the formation of troops. The detailed plans included training of saboteurs, spies and diversions, organizing weapons warehouses, food, radio communications stations on land considered to be threatened by Russian occupation. Even before the end of 1944, 5 training centers (Wroclaw, Nysa, Cieszyn, Hanover, Altbeck) were rapidly prepared, where about 1,300 leaders of future diversion groups were trained by March 1945.
Meanwhile, Hitler appointed Otto Skorzeny as commander of all peculiar troops on the east front. This – must be admitted – an excellent organizer and strategist, feeling that it is going to be a large russian offensive, started to pull even from confederate Europe in Pomerania Jagdkommando troops, the best, trying to incarnate into SS Jagdverband Ost (literally – the Hunting Group East), dealing with sabotage activity in the back of the Red Army.
Probably already then Skorzeny was privy to plans to make Verwolf, or it is hard to justify his decision to leave only 1 Jagdkommando company in the vicinity of Brodnica (this was already after their crimes in Pokrzydów on 29 December 1944) under Hans Kramer.
As for the others, there's no certain information. any researchers believe that they went to a group in Inowrocław, which was commanded by 1 of the best commandos of planet War II, Chief of Staff of Skorzeny, legendary SS-Hauptsturmführer Baron Adrian von Fölkeersam – the same 1 who in October 1942, with 62 soldiers bravely captured Majkop oil shafts, embarrassing the Russians. We do not know if they managed to scope Inowrocław in time, or even if they did, they most likely disappeared in the large Russian boiler that took place there.
Crouched in the Forest
Meanwhile, Lieutenant Kramer's squad collapsed into the mountain forests and temporarily showed no activity, waited the crossing of the front. Then there was this terrible crime in the White settlement (4 km east of Łąkorz). The course of events was perfectly described by Radosław Stawski in the “Morda by the lake” in the “Bródnica Time” of April 17, 2009 so it should be noted here that on February 7, 1945, erstwhile the front was far from our district, Jagdkommando's platoon murdered 13 of its inhabitants in the non-existent settlement today, in revenge for allegedly releasing their injured colleague to the Soviets.
This execution was done by Russian and Ukrainian renegades serving in Kramer's platoon.
The mountainous bandit platoon Jagdkommando already acted consciously as a diversion unit of Werwolfu (in any publications mistakenly referred to as "Wehrwolf" – an armed wolf).
For example, their long time in the area of Brodnica shows this. We know this, among others, from reports – then the powerless – head of the bearded security. For example, on 24 March 1945, he reports “to the province” that Germany (referred to as “jumps and survivors”) is inactive operating in the district, which he attributed to the inability and drunkenness of the territory commander of the Civic Militia Paweł Kłosa.
However, in a study of April 18, 1945, erstwhile the commandant was already individual else (the Kłosa closed for murder), the territory manager of safety immediately writes that there are inactive gunmen from Jagdkommando hiding in forests close Bryńsk and Fiałki.
On April 18, 1945 almost all Germans were forced to be displaced from the surrounding villages, the front was already under Berlin, the war was due to end in respective days, and werewolves were inactive passing under Brodnica!
Documents, sources, quotations:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brodnica
http://www.czasbrodnicy.pl/czasbrodnicy/1,93191,13477445,Jagdkommando_Br... (link is external)
Jagdkommando Brodnica
Piotr Grążawski 03.03.2013
