5. Review of Leningrad during World War II
a. The Beginning of World War II
Ergang1958 states that there were six factors which caused Europe to war. First factor is the economic conflicts, second is the inability of the Leagueto
meet the tasks, third is the unwillingness of the nation to disharm, fourth is the national minorities’ problem, fifth is the failure of the powers to revise the
Versailles settlement, and last factor of World War II is the revival of nationalist spirit p.468.
b. The Beginning of German Invasion to Russia
According to McClellan 1994, Hitler approved the plan of campaign against the Russia on February 3, 1941, but not until June 6 the date was fixed.
After some time, on June 22, 1941 at 4 A.M., German Troops suddenly invaded Russia without warning. Germans attacked and they confronted each other along
3,000 kilometers line from the Barents Sea to the Black Sea. 183 Germany divisions were facing 170 Russia divisions. German had controls of the skies and
destroyed three-fourths of the Russia Air Force within three days p.155. Germans controlled an area of Russia territory more than twice the size of
France by the end of July. The Germans attacked three points at a time, Field Marshal Leeb’s Army Group North marched on Leningrad, Field Marshal Bock’s
Army Group Center marched on Moscow, and Field Marshal Rundstedt’s Army Group South marched on Kiev p.157.
Besides the army who attacked the territory of Russia, the German also had the Eisatzgruppen.Edeiken 2000 states that the Eisatzgruppen were four
paramilitary units formed for “liquidating” murdering Jews, Romany, and political operatives of the Communist Party. They were established before the
invasion of the Russia. The Einsatzgruppen were divided into Eisatzgruppen A, B, C, and D. The Eisatzgruppen A, B, and C were attached to army groups taking
part in the invasion. The Einsatzgruppen D was sent to the Ukraine without being attached to any army group. All of the groups operated in the territories occupied
by the Third Reich on the eastern front. Most of their crime took place in the Ukraine and the Baltic states of Latvia, Estonia and Lithuania.
The most succinct description of the purpose of the Eisatzgruppen was given at the trial of Adolph Eichman by Dr. Michael Musmanno, Justice of the
Pennsylvania Supreme Court, who presided over the trial of 23 of the leaders of the Einsatzgruppen. He states that the purpose of the Eisatzgruppen was to murder
Jews and deprive them of their prosperity. SS General Erich von dem Bach- Zelewski confirmed this at the main Nuremberg Trial when he testified that the
principal task of the Einsatzgruppen was the annihilation of the Jews, Gypsies, and political commissars.
Many people believe that the systematic killing of Jews in Russia that was done by Einsatzgruppen and Order Police battalions was the first step of the Nazi
program to kill all Jews in Europe, which was called the Final Solution. In June 1941, when the German invaded Russia, the Einsatzgruppen was also there along
with the German army. The method was different from the method of Final Solution. The method of Final Solution was deporting Jews from their own
hometown, and then sending them to concentration camps as the place for killing
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