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– The Einsatzgruppen were death squads that were part of the SS in Nazi Germany and its occupied territories. They carried out mass executions, primarily by shooting.
Einsatzgruppen Quotes in Schindler’s List
The Schindler’s List quotes below are all either spoken by Einsatzgruppen or refer to Einsatzgruppen. For each quote, you can also see the other terms and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
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Chapter 4
Quotes
Six Einsatzgruppen had come to Poland with the invading army. Their name had subtle meanings. “Special-duty groups” is a close translation. But the amorphous word Einsatz was also rich with a nuance-of challenge, of picking up a gauntlet, of knightliness. These squads were recruited from Heydrich’s Sicherheitsdienst (SD; Security Service). They already knew their mandate was broad. Their supreme leader had six weeks ago told General Wilhelm Keitel that “in the Government General of Poland there will have to be a tough struggle for national existence which will permit of no legal restraints.” In the high rhetoric of their leaders, the Einsatz soldiers knew, a struggle for national existence meant race warfare, just as Einsatz itself, Special Chivalrous Duty, meant the hot barrel of a gun.
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Explanation and Analysis:
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Einsatzgruppen Term Timeline in Schindler’s List
The timeline below shows where the term Einsatzgruppen appears in Schindler’s List. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.
Chapter 4
...He knows from two inside sources that something big is coming: that a detachment of Einsatzgruppen (known for their ruthless extermination tactics) is headed to the Jewish area of Kazimierz.
(full context)
...as Schindler. Though he rules over Cracow, he doesn’t have any control over the special Einsatzgruppe squads moving into Kazimierz. Though Frank hates Jewish people, he resents the way these special...
(full context)
...go through the streets of the Jewish neighborhoods and begin smashing and stealing things. The Einsatzgruppen go to a synagogue and force the Jews inside to spit on a Torah. All...
(full context)
Chapter 6
When the Einsatzgruppe starts an Aktion on December 4th, Stern realizes that Schindler was trying to warn him,...
(full context)
