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Saturday, December 15, 2012

Photographic Proof of Kerch Mass Graves, December 31st, 1941

On December 31st, 1941, Soviet troops temporarily liberated Kerch and excavated mass graves filled with Jewish victims of the Nazis. These were photographed by photo-journalists who included Dmitrii Baltermants, whose photos were published in Ogonyok on March 2nd, 1942. David Shneer gives an account of the photographs here and provenance is also discussed here. Finally, the excavation was witnessed by Jewish-Russian poet Ilya Selvinsky, who recorded it in his diary and in the poem "I Saw It!", which was published in a Soviet newspaper on January 23rd, 1942; extracts from both sources are translated and discussed by Maxim D. Shrayer here. These sources deserve wider exposure and attention.

NOTE: Jason Myers kindly reminds me that the commander recorded the massacre thus: "Die Umsiedlung der Juden, etwa 2500 an der Zahl, wurde am 1., 2. and 3. Dezember vollzogen. Mit nachtraeglichen Exekutierungen ist zu rechnen, da ein Teil der judischen Bevoelkerung fluechtete, sich versteckt haelt und erst aufgegriffen werden muss." [Dok. 126 in this collection]. Umsiedlung replaced a crossed-out word, which may be Liquidierung or Exekutierung; see footnotes 5 and 6 in the link.

8 comments:

  1. I looked at the photographs and counted some 25 or such bodies (not more in any case).
    That's so trivial I can hardly believe it -- compared to all those other people who died in the war.
    What a holocaust it all was, eh?

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  2. «I looked at the photographs and counted some 25 or such bodies (not more in any case).
    That's so trivial I can hardly believe it -- compared to all those other people who died in the war.
    What a holocaust it all was, eh?»

    I've read many stupid things from Jonathan Andersson aka "k0nsl" aka "Frantz Holtzhäuser", but the above is one of the most stupid - and that is saying something.

    Please tell me, Mr. Andersson, just how many of "all those other people who died in the war" are depicted in photographs?

    Ah, and if the photos shown in this article show too few of your heroes' victims for your taste, you just have to follow the tag, which will lead you to many other photographs and film stills.

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  3. Well, my name is not Jonathan Andersson. I even managed to learn Andy Mathis this not so long ago.
    It truly is funny that you think that's my name!
    I followed your links and nothing in them really stands out. It's just hyped bullshit by the HC-Blowhard Roboerto Muttonchops.
    Thanks for continuing calling me "Andersson", you protect my true identity my friend. That's really nice of you!

    Bad luck to you, Roeberto Muttonchops.

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  4. Funny to see "Franz Holtzhäuser" showing his asshole once again. That's the best "argument" the fellow could ever manage.

    ReplyDelete
  5. So one is an ‘asshole’ for pointing out that you're applying false names?
    If anything this goes to show you're having a skewed logic, Roerberto Mittonchops - and thanks again for protecting my true identity.
    You call me a 'NAZI', denier of the Hurencau$t, 'anti-semite' and 'asshole' and this makes you the protector of the same.
    JDL will have your ass with cream cheese and bagels tomorrow morning, Roeberta KeinKinnstützenkamp.

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  6. Showing is asshole was the best "argument" that "Franz Holtzhäuser" could ever manage, as I said.

    Once more, please. Keep on showing our readers what creatures populate "Revisionist" cloud-cuckoo-land.

    ReplyDelete
  7. Wow, stunning. It actually learns!
    Simply stunning.

    FRANZ

    ReplyDelete
  8. Thanks for obediently complying with my request, "Franz".

    ReplyDelete

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