How the Nazis concealed their atrocities | DW Documentary

The Nazis meticulously planned and documented their acts of mass murder. They were just as meticulous when it came to covering their tracks. Their systematic, cruel methods are a chapter of war history that’s still largely unknown.

On their advance to the east, Nazi perpetrators initially buried the victims of their executions in mass graves. But after the war seemed lost, following the Red Army counter-offensive, they feared their atrocities would be discovered. They began using more sophisticated methods to remove incriminating evidence.

The systematic way the “bureaucrats of mass murder” went about erasing their tracks and the gruesome, inhumane methods they used is still a largely unknown chapter of World War Two history. Many relatives of Jews, Sinti and Roma, partisans or civilians killed in the conflict are still waiting to this day for any information about the whereabouts of their loved ones’ remains, so that they can at least be given a dignified memorial.

The documentary film accompanies the French organization Yahad-In Unum as it conducts research in Ukraine. In the Lviv region, researchers attempt to identify the locations of mass shootings and find any eyewitnesses who might still be alive and able to recount what they saw. The film also tells the story of Rüdiger Schallock, whose grandfather Walter was a member of the SS. Rüdiger Schallock is also in Lviv searching for information about his grandfather’s involvement in Nazi crimes. The deeds of Walter Schallock still cast a dark shadow over the family to this day.

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