Report of Soviet Special State Commission  conducting Archive/File:
places/ukraine/chortkiv/commission-report. 440621-28

Investigation of crimes committed by the German Fascists on the territory of the
 Western Ukraine, Ukr. SSR .

The Commission consists of the following persons: W. H.   Druginina; S. I. Turkevich,
 H. 1. Brytskoho, H. I.  Cheverda, A. P. Prokopova, V. A. Krupko, T. S. Litvineriko,
 K. A. Kozacheriko, P. E. Chermlsonova,   Mateush Shuster, Stanislava Ivanovna,
 Lutsyk Petro I_ I. B. Shorr, M.M. Goldberg, J. U. Bolansky, K. M. Alsenberg, S. T. Kuzmlna, 

The exhumation of the victims of German Fascism in the city of Chortkiv and Region, Ukr. SSR.,
 started June 21, 1944, and lasted till July 28, 1944. The city Chortkiv was occupied by the Nazis
 in July 194 1, and liberated by the Red Army in March 28, 1944.

The Special Commission established the following: Mass "Actions" and shooting Last-Modified:
 1998/07/17 of Jews, Poles, Ukrainians, teachers, doctors, lawyers, intelligentsia,

party-activists, old people and children, took place during the Nazi occupation.
 Life started to get intolerable.

The extermination of the Jews were called "Actions," which ended in mass shooting of the
 victims. There were three mass "Actions" in Chortkiv. The first "Action" took place in 1941.

The Nazis ordered the creation of the Jewish Ghetto, in which around 8,000 Jews were
 forced to reside. The conditions inside the Ghetto were terrible. The Jews were

forced to wear the Star of David. Many were taken out for  hard physical labor outside.
 It was forbidden to leave the Ghetto or bring in food, under the threat of death. The

victims received a little watery soup with a piece of surrogate bread. Many died of 
starvation and diseases

The second anti-Jewish "Action" took place in the year 1943. As a result of this mass massacre, 
not many Jews were left in the city. Some tried to hide in underground bunkers or in the forest.

Around 115 Jews were working on a farm-estate. One day they were surrounded by a group
of Germans and Ukrainian (Nationalist) policemen. A real bestial pogrom was underway. 
Some were shot in the field, others were massacred with shovels, iron bars, sticks, etc.
Many others were caught in the street, in the houses of the village. The dead and injured were
loaded on horse-wagons and thrown into an empty water well. 
Groups of 50 or 100 Jews were taken out of the Ghetto, (allegedly for work), outside the city
where they were shot. Some individuals managed to escape from such "Actions." Among them were: 
Rosa Shnermlib, born in 1925, Bernknopf Josef, born in 1923, Berkovich Zoya and a few

others. The German Fascist beasts threw the dead, injured and children, alive, intthe pits and buried
 them together. According to eyewitness accounts in the city of Chortkiv, German Nazis, and Ukrainian 
Nationalists, threw Jewish children down from balconies (third and fourth floors) into

the streets. The dead and injured victims were later thrown into the River Scret. Those few who
remained alive were hiding in underground bunkers, in the forest, with Gentiles, or with false papers.

Mass executions ofjews, Poles, Soviet Activists, etc., took place in the prison courtyard, on the
 former airfield, on the old and new Jewish Cemeteries, in the Black Forest, in the Villages: Yagolnitsa,
 Swydova, Mylowe, Marelovka, Sosulivka, Rossoxan, in the Galileya Forest, and other places.

The special Investigative Commission ordered the opening of the pits and excavation of the bodies.
The following was established:

1. 16 Pits (different sizes) were found on the former

airfield, located Westward of the City Chortkiv, near a

highway leading to the City Chernovtsi, Ukr. SSR.

Pit No. 1 was 3 x 2 x 1.5 meters. It contained 27 bodies.

Most were naked, shot in the back of the head. Pit No. 2, 4

x 3 Meters, contained 22 bodies, in a decomposing stage, men

and women. Many had their hands tied with telephone cable.

Most of the victims were shot in the head. Pit No. 3, 5 x 7

x 2.5 Meters. Most of the -victims wore old, torn clothing,

men and women -around 40 bodies, skulls smashed, hands tied

in the back. Pit No. 4, 25 bodies. Some wore military-like

uniforms. Hands tied in the back.

Pit No. 5, 29 bodies, Size 6 x 5 x 1.7 Meters. Pit No. 6, 4

x 5 x 1.5 Meters. Women-19, men-2, children-4. All naked.

Decomposing bodies. Pit No. 7, 4 x 3 x 1.75 Meters, 15

bodies, naked, shot in back of the head. Pit No. 8, 5 x 7 x

1.75 Meters, men 9, women 19, children 8, total 36 bodies,

shot in back of the head. Pit No. 9, 10 bodies. Pits No. 10,

11, 12, approximately as above. Pits: 13, 14, 15, 16 -- not

opened.

OLD JEWISH CEMETERY, Westward City Chortkiv: Total, 5pits.

Around 45 bodies. Shot in back of the head.

NEW JEWISH CEMETERY, Location  -- Eastward City Chortkiv.

Pits: 3. Bodies-450. Victims: Men, women and children. All

shot.

Location: Prison courtyard. Bodies -- Men. Many with

documents, names, Passport numbers. Also some women. Names:

Wasserman Sofia, Broncle Israel, Schecter Meyer, Shoter

Mojsej, Wolyster David, Wolf Yakubovich, Abram Broder,

Berkenfeld Herman, Elner, and others, all shot.

Location: Black Forest, Eastward, City Chortkiv. Two pits.

Total bodies: 140 men and women. Shot with machine guns.

Smashed skulls. Thrown in Water Well.

Location: Village Miliontse, Chortkiv Region. Well-hole

depth: 8 M. Victims working on farm. All Jews. Men and

women. Bodies - 123.

Village Yagolnitsa. Two large pits. Total bodies 950. Most

shot in the head. Men, women and children.

Village Swyclova, Chortkiv Region. Two pits were found,

sizes: 10 x 4 x 2 Meters, and 3.5 x 1.5 x 2 Meters. They

contained 18 bodies, men and women, in decomposition stage.

Some completely naked, some others in underwear. According

to eyewitness accounts, around 350-400 people were buried in

this area.

Village Marelovka. Chortkiv Region, Ukr. SSR: Two pits were

found, sizes 2 x 2.5 meters. Most were shot. Some victim's

heads were smashed. A total of 55 bodies were counted.

Village Ulashkovtse, on Farm Estate. One pit, size 15 x 15

x 1, bodies of men and women, some were shot, some others

were butchered with knives and other instruments. 17 bod

es exhumed. According to eyewitness accounts, around 185

people lie buried in this area.

Forest Galileya: In the dense part of the forest, in a

bunker-like hideout, size 5 x 2 x 2 meters, 15 bodies were

found, all women. All naked, scattered in different

positions. All in decomposition stage. All were shot in

back of the head, most with damaged skulls. As it looked,

the underground bunker served as a hideout for the

victims.

The Commission concluded that in the above mentioned

places (and also other pits, not excavated yet), more than

13,000 bodies of innocent citizens of the City of

Chortkiv, and Chortkiv Region, were found.

The Special Investigation Commission considers the

following persons guilty of committing crimes:

1. Hildeman   Captain, Chief Gestapo

2. Pekman     Captain, Chief  Gestapo

3. Stefan     Chief Prison4. Maierhofer Chief Prison

5. Rozenhof   Chief Prison (?)

6. Paal       Commander, Jewish Camp

7. Tumanek    Commander, Jewish Camp

Gestapo Men:

1. Kelner, 2. Richter, Lt., 3. Frank, 4. Keltswich, 5. Breitschneider, 6. Hagerman, 7. Rimpler, 8. Ruks, 
9.Radke, 10. Kuchman, 11. Tsich, 12. Meier, 13. Basso, 14.Eisel, 15. Martin, 16. Miller, 17. Felde, 
18. Kimperg, 19.Keller, 20. Lutsel, 21. Knispel, 22. Kaminsky, 23. Ferus, 24. Grocholsky, 25. Shudert,
 26. Hubert, 27. Otto, 28.Gross, 29. Urban, 30. Frynd.

Traitors of the Fatherland. (Ukrainian Nationalists):

1. Mula Ivan, 2. Mulyk, 3. Roshko, 4. Mykechans, 5.Hushulak, 6. Starovsky, 7. Skab, 8. Skorevych,
9. Ivasiv, 10. Moroz, 11. Podlubny, 12. Gnatkivsky, 13. Slobodyan, 14. Leschinsky, 
15. Kachmanyuk, 16. Krchak, 17.Melnychenko, 18. Tyll.

     Commission Members:

          Doctors: Shorr, Goldberg (signatures)

          Citizens, City Chortkiv: Wolanski, Eisenberg.

          Military: MajorJustice Dept. (signature)

          Lt. M/S (illegible) (signature)

          Priest, Roman Catholic Church (signature)

          Priest, Greek Catholic Church (signature)

W. Druzhynin, Turevich, Brytski, Cheverda, Prokopov,

Krupko,

Litvynenko, Evstygnewa, Kozachenko, Cheremysinov, Shuter,

Lutsyk.

Head of' Extraordinary State Commission:

     Investigating Fascist crimes: Kuzhmin

     Medical Expert, Major M/S: Chervinsky

     Medical Expert, Major M/S: Chursanov

     (stamp signatures)

Courtesy: Soviet State Archives. Ukr. SSR." (Sabrin, pp. 264-8)

 Work Cited

Sabrin, B.F., Ed. Alliance for Murder: The Nazi-Ukrainian

Nationalist Partnership in Genocide. New York: Sarpedon, 1991