From PRO file WO.208/4364: [COMMENT]

IF THE INFORMATION CONTAINED IN THIS REPORT IS REQUIRED FOR FURTHER DISTRIBUTION. IT SHOULD BE PARAPHRASED SO THAT NO MENTION IS MADE OF THE PRISONERS' NAMES, NOR OF THE METHODS BY WHICH THE INFORMATION HAS BEEN OBTAINED

G.R.G.G. 221

The following conversation took place between:

Generalleutnant Elfeldt (Comd. LXXXIV Korps) Captd near Trun 20 Aug 44

Generalleutnant Heim

 

Information received on 12-14 Nov 44

TRANSLATION

Elfeldt: When we were in the Kiev district, my CO of signals (?) came back quite horrified ..... spoken ..... it was an engineer Bataillonskommandeur -- and this engineer Bataillon had the task of blowing up that ..... in which were those 32,000 Jews including women and children.

Heim: Even if the figures are not correct, I mean, those are things which can absolutely be characterised as criminal, or even as completely crazy and mad.

Elfeldt: In just the same way as I have obligations towards my family and my nation, so have we of curse a nation, certain rules which we must observe towards the rest of humanity, there's no doubt at all about that. I can't behave like wild beast.

GERMAN TEXT

Elfeldt: Damals in der Gegend von Kiew kam mein Pionierführer ganz entsetzt zurück - ..... gesprochen, ein Pionierbatallionskommandeur war das -- und dieses Pionierbataillon hatte den Auftrag, diese ..... zu sprengen, wo diese 32 000 Juden drin waren mit Frauen und Kindern.

Heim: Auch wenn die Zahlen nicht stimmen, ich meine, es sind doch absolut Dinge, die man als verbrecherisch bezeichnen kann, oder eben auch als absolut wahnsinnig und verrückt.

Elfeldt: Genau so, wie ich Pflichten habe meiner Familie gegenüber, meinem Volke gegenüber, genau so habe ich als Volk selbstverständlich gewisse Regeln der anderen Menschheit gegenüber zu beachten, da ist doch gar kein Zweifel, da kann ich mich nicht wie ein wildes Tier benehmen.

C.S.D.I.C. (U.K.)

15 Nov 44

See TRANSLATION

BY C.S.D.I.C. (U.K.)

M.I.19.a      War Office   (56 copies)
N.I.D.        Admiralty    ( 9 copies)
A.D.I.(K)     Air Ministry (15 copies)

(29111) Wtr51755/3515 37,000 2/45
   A. & E.W.Ltd GP.692 J.7303

Website comments: The above CSDIC report translated Pionierführer as 'signals' officer, but it has the clear meaning of engineer-, or sapper-, commander or officer. As for the missing elements (…..), we can make educated guesses: The first missing element is probably something like 'he had' talked 'with a fellow officer' an engineer battalion commander, etc; the second missing word may be something like 'ravine'. On September 29 and 30, 1941 at Babi Yar the Germans or their collaborators are said to have killed over 33,000 people, most of the Jews, from the region in and around occupied Kiev, then part of Soviet Ukraine, in retaliation for a wave of arson and booby-trap explosions throughout the city.

Codoh file on Babi Yar, a paper by Herbert Tiedemann.