Schutzmannschaft Front Bataillon 36 Arensburg, 36. Kaitse Rindepataljon or the 36th Estonian Police Battalion was an Estonian unit that served in World War II under command of Schutzstaffel. The battalion was established on November 23, 1941. It participated at Anti-partisan operations in Belarus and guarded the prisoner-of-war camps in the coal mines of Stalino and Makeyevka.[1][2][3] From November 22 to December 31 the battalion took part of the Battle of Stalingrad under the command of Harald Riipalu.
| Schutzmannschaft Front Bataillon 36 Arensburg 36. Kaitse Rindepataljon | |
|---|---|
| Active | November 23, 1941 – January 18, 1943 |
| Country |  Nazi Germany Estonia |
| Branch | Estonian Auxiliary Police |
| Type | battalion |
| Role | Schutzmannschaft |
| Size | 600 |
| Patron | SS-Oberführer Hinrich Möller |
| Engagements | Battle of Stalingrad |
| Commanders | |
| Notable commanders | SS-Sturmbannführer Julius Reinter SS-Untersturmführer Harald Riipalu |
According to findings of the Estonian International Commission for the Investigation of Crimes Against Humanity, 36th Estonian Police Battalion took part in the Holocaust in Poland in the Polish town of Nowogródek (now Navahrudak, Belarus) in August 7, 1942.[4] In the records, the battalion was described as fighting against partisans, however the Commission believes that “fighting against partisans” and “guarding prisoner of war camps” were at times ways of describing participation in actions against civilians, including Jews.[4] The Estonian historians regard the evidence as fabricated by the interrogating NKVD officials and hence insufficient for an establishment of involvement in crimes. Instead of death penalties, which was the standard Soviet punishment for war crimes, those who served in the battalion received 25 years of imprisonment like everyone else convicted for service in the German armed forces. The KGB reopened the cases of the members of the battalion twice, in 1955 and 1963, failing to provide any further evidence against them.[3][5][6]
References
- ^ Massimo Arico, Ordnungspolizei - Encyclopedia of the German police battalions September 1939 - July 1942, p. 144-145.
- ^ Eesti vabadusvõitlejad Teises maailmasõjas // Koostaja August Jurs - Tallinn, 1997. p. 146-155
- ^ a b Pekka Erelt (10 May 2001). "Eestlased võisid osaleda Valgevene massimõrvas [Estonians may have participated in a Belorussian mass murder]". Eesti Ekspress (in Estonian).
- ^ a b Conclusions of the Estonian International Commission for the Investigation of Crimes Against Humanity — Phase II: The German occupation of Estonia in 1941–1944
- ^ Meelis Maripuu, Argo Kuusik (24 May 2001). "Valgevene massimõrv ja eestlased [The Belorussian mass murder and Estonians]". Eesti Ekspress.
- ^ Pekka Erelt (31 July 2002). "Novogrudoki tõed ja valed [Thruths and lies of Novogrudok]". Eesti Ekspress (in Estonian).