⚠️ EXTREMELY SENSITIVE CONTENT – 18+ ONLY ⚠️
This post discusses genocide committed by Einsatzgruppe D in Crimea and the subsequent Nuremberg trial. No graphic details, no glorification of violence – shared strictly for historical education and remembrance.
Werner Braune (1909–1951) – Commander of Sonderkommando 11b, Einsatzgruppe D
Joined SS and SD in 1934. 1940–1941 Gestapo chief in several German cities
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Oct 1941 – Sep 1942 commanded Sonderkommando 11b (part of Einsatzgruppe D under Otto Ohlendorf)
During this period his unit was directly responsible for the murder of tens of thousands of civilians – primarily Jews, Krymchaks and Roma – in Crimea and southern Ukraine.
Arrested by U.S. forces in 1945.
In the Einsatzgruppen Trial (Case 9, 1947–1948):
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Defendant No. 11
Sentenced to death on 10 April 1948 for war crimes and crimes against humanity
Hanged at Landsberg Prison on 7 June 1951
We tell this story today not to foster hatred, but to:
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Honour and remember the more than 30,000 innocent victims killed in Crimea by Braune’s unit and others
Reaffirm that war crimes and genocide must never be forgotten or excused
Remind every generation of the duty to protect human rights and prevent history from repeating itself
Reliable sources:
Official records of the Einsatzgruppen Trial – U.S. National Archives
United States Holocaust Memorial Museum
Hilary Earl, “The Nuremberg SS-Einsatzgruppen Trial” (2009)