TREBLINKA: - Holocaust Handbooks

Chapter VIII: Indirect Transports of Jews to the Eastern Territories 265
been an extermination camp established especially for the Jews in this area. In
a report of June 30, 1943, SS-Gruppenführer Fritz Katzmann stated that the
“evacuation from the district of Galicia” had been in operation “since April
1942” and explained: 791
“When the Senior SS and Police Chief intervened once again with his
police regulation of November 10, 1942, concerning the formation of Jewish
residential districts, 254,989 Jews had already been evacuated or resettled.”
A few pages later he adds:
“In the meantime, further evacuation was energetically pursued, so that
effective of June 23, 1943, all Jewish quarters could be dissolved. The district
of Galicia is, therefore, free of Jews, aside from the Jews who are in
the camps under control of the SS and Police Chief. The occasional Jews
who were picked up were specially treated by the respective Ordnungspolizei
and Gendarmerie men. A total of 434,329 Jews had emigrated up to
June 27, 1943.”
At that point in time, there were still 21,156 Jews in 21 Jewish camps. 792
T. Sandkühler interprets the expression “aus- bzw. umgesiedelt” as code
words for “gassed or shot,” 793 but this is completely untenable, because the
designation used by Katzmann for those who were shot is “sonderbehandelt”
(specially treated), just as in the section cited above, as well as in the two following:
794
“[…] in the process, the whole bunch of Jewish shirkers and anti-social
riff-raff was caught and specially treated. […] These Jews, too, were dealt
a special treatment.”
On October 31, 1942, the “government district north Einsatzkommando 5.
Komp. Pol. Rgt. 24,” stationed at Rava-Russka, reported:
– “8 Jews handled according to orders” with the reason given “escaped
from transport train;”
– 20 Jews “arrested” with the reason given “left resettlement district without
permission and jumped off transport trains;”
– 5 Jews “handed over to the SS-Sonderkommando Be��ec;”
– 1 Jew “evacuated;”
– “1,023 Jews were evacuated in Kamionka-Strumilowa on October 28,
1942. Thus Kam.-Strum. is free of Jews” 795
In all likelihood the expression “handled according to orders” is to be understood
to mean shooting. With respect to the other formulations: “evacuated”
is not the same as “resettled,” and the two designations do not have the
791 L-018. IMT, vol. XXXVII, p. 398.
792 IMT, vol. XXXVII, p. 401.
793 T. Sandkühler, op. cit. (note 654), p. 460.
794 L-018. IMT, vol. XXXVII, pp. 393f.
795 RGVA, 1323-2-292b, p. 29.