Raul Hilberg

Raul Hilberg, “The Kommandostab Revisited”, review of Martin Cüppers, Wegbereiter der Shoah. Die Waffen-SS, der Kommandostab Reichsführer-SS und die Judenvernichtung 1939-1945

The Kommandostab, an organization of the SS, was most active from the time of its formation in mid-June 1941 to the end of that year. Its troops consisted of three small brigades, two of which were sent out to kill Jews in areas of the occupied Soviet Union. These operations have been studied for many years, but the new monograph by Martin Cüppers is by far the most detailed. He describes the background and training of the personnel and deals with specific forays, particularly those in the Polesie marshes during the summer of 1941.

Notwithstanding the abundance of facts in his possession, the picture is still not complete. Cüppers indulges in speculation when he attributes improbable numbers of victims to these units. Seeking out incidents revealing sadistic behavior, he sometimes relies on witness testimony that may not be accurate. Readers must handle such findings with care.