Having occupied the Lithuanian, Esthonian, and Latvian Soviet Republics, the German-Fascist invaders attempted to turn the Soviet Baltic Provinces into a German colony, and to enslave the people of these republics.
The criminal design of the Hiterite government found its full expression in universal plunder, general ruin, ciolence, and mockeries in mass murder of old men, women, and children. Latvian Soviet Socialist Republics, the Hitlerites destroyed by every possible means the culture of the peoples of these Republics. and on page seventy-nine I quote only one paragraph. capital of "Ostland" (Eastern Territory) and the seat of Rosenberg's Staff. Among the documents presented to the Tribunal by the Soviet prosecution as USSR Exhibit 7, USSR Exhibit 39, and USSR Exhibit 41, there are a number of facts and documents which establish the crimes perpetrated by the Hitlerites in the Soviet Baltic provinces. Among these crimes against the peoples of the Baltic provinces, --I read page eighty-one of the statement. even at a time when it became evident that Fascist Germany was facing defeat, when the hour of just and stern redemption approached, the defendant Rosenberg pursued his plunderings. plundering of cultural resources of Riga and Revel, Derpt, and a series of other towns of the Estonian Republic.
I draw the attention of the Tribunal to document No. 161-IS, dated the 23rd of August 1944, entitled "instruction" and signed by Rosenberg's Chief of Staff, Utikal. Tribunal will find on page 400. I quote:
"On the 21st of August, 1944, the Reich leader, Alfred Rosenberg, summoned from the headquarters of the Chief of Staff, Friedrich Schiller, to report on the existing possibilities for the evacuation of culturaltreasures from the Eastern territories.
On the basis of this report, the Reich leader decided that the most precious cultural riches of the Ostland could still be evacuated by his staff, insofar as it is possible without detriment to the needs of the field troops.
The Reichsleiter considers the following specially important:
"From Riga - the City's archives - the state archives (the major part in Rawalene)."From Reval - the City's archives "From Dorpat - items from the Evangelical Lutheran consistory and the church of St. Nicholas "From Esthonian treasures - items which were in Erlen, Wodya, group 'Ost' of Rosenberg's Staff.
"He is advised to maintain special contact with group 'North' in leiter with the transportation requirements of the field forces."
berg's were selected.
directed, and carried out by one central organization, and that this central organization was the criminal Hitlerite Government and the High Command, the representatives of which, in the persons of all the Defendants before this Tribunal should suffer punishment in accordance with Article 6 of the Charter of the International Military Tribunal. destruction and plunder it is impossible and hardly necessary to enumerate all the facts, even if these facts are in themselves of great importance. carried out precisely such a system of wholesale and many-folded destruction and plunder of cultural treasures of the peoples of the USSR. At this moment it is not yet possible to draw up a final balance of the Defendants' crimes. containing data which, although only preliminary, is absolutely accurate, and which bears witness to the tremendous damage inflicted by the Hitlerites. submitted to the Tribunal as USSR Exhibit 35. This document is on pages 404 and 405 of the document book. I will quote from this only a single excerpt concerning the subject which I am presenting, and which has not yet been read into the record. Destruction of Cultural and Communal Institutions, Social Organizations and Co-operatives. They destroyed over 87,000 industrial buildings belonging to co-operatives, trade unions, and other social organizations; 10,000 residential buildings, and 1,839 cultural institutions. They evacutated to Germany about 8,000,000 books--volumes. completely destroyed 120 sanatoria and 150 convalescent homes, in which more than 3,000,000 workers, engineers, technicians, and other employees received treatment and rest every year.
Of this total figure they destroyed 59 sanatoria and convalescent homes, with 11,900 beds in the Caucasian tourist centers; 32 sanatoria and convalescent houses in the Leningrad area; 88 sanatoria and convalescent homes in the Ukraine. pioneers' and children's summer camps belonging to the trade unions. They destroyed 189 clubs and palaces of culture. Germans, there were, at the beginning of 1941, 82,000 elementary and secondary schools with 15,000,000 pupils. All secondary schools possessed libraries, each with from 2000 to 25,000 volumes, many schools possessed physics, chemistry, biology and other classrooms. The German Fascist usurpers entirely or partially destroyed 334 universities at which 233,000 students were studying, and evacuated to Germany the equipment of the laboratories and lecture rooms and the rarities from the collections of the universities and institutes, as well as the libraries.
Great damage was inflicted to the medical colleges. The occupants destroyed or looted 137 pedagogical and teachers' institutes. They removed from the special libraries historical archives and old manuscripts, and stole or destroyed in the public libraries over 100 million volumes. Soviet Union. They destroyed or plundered 6000 hospitals, 33,000 polyclinics, dispensaries and ambulatories, 976 snatoria and 656 convalescent homes.
"Destruction of Museums and Historical Monuments."
S. D. Dreshshin in the village of Zavidevo, the museum of the popular poet I. S. Nikitin at Voronesh and the museum of the famous Polish poet Adam Mickiewicz at Novegrudek in the White Russian S.S.R. At and so-called "Red Corners."
character of this film. The film is entitled, "The Destruction of Germans on the Territory of the U.S.S.R." This film, and the documents to the Tribunal as USSR Exhibit 98.
In this film, besides documentary estate of Tolstoy and his wife; and further pictures show what the May I proceed with the presenting of the film?
(The film entitled, "The Destruction of Works of Art Germans on the Territory of the U.S.S.R." was shown by the Soviet Union.)
places of worship, the German usurpers sadistically mocked the religious feelings of the people. whole of the territory temporarily under German rule. worship, kept horses and dogs in churches, put on church vestments, and made bunks for sleeping out of ikons.
I won't read all the numerous documents which are at the disposal of the Soviet Prosecution, and shall only dwell on some of them, in particular, documentary photographs. I present an album of those photographs, as document number USSR-99.
In the statement of the People's Commissar, V. K. Molotov, of 27.IV 42, which has already been presented to the Tribunal as document number USSR-51/3, and extracts from which I have already quoted, it is stated--page 321 of the document book:
"The Hitlerite invaders do not spare the religious sentiments of believers among the Soviet population. They have burnt, looted, blown up and defiled hundreds of churches on Soviet territory, including several irreplaceable monuments of ancient church architecture." Reverend Amvrosy Ivanov writes:
"Before the arrival of the Germans the church was in complete order. At the command of a German officer I had to take everything out of the church ... The troops arrived at night, occupied the church, brought their horses in ... Then they began to smash and break everything in the church and to build bunks. They throw out everything: the altar, the holy doors and banners, the vestments. In a word, the church was turned into a thieves' den."
the holy banners, threw the books about, robbed the Reverend Mikhail Strakhov and led him off with them to another district. In the village of Kholm, near Mozhaisk, the Germans robbed and beat up an 82-year old local clergyman. In retreating from Mozhaisk the Germans blew up the Church of the Ascension, Trinity Church and the Cathedral of Nicholas the Miracle Worker. As a rule, before their retreat, the Germans would drive part of the population of villages that they had destroyed by fire into houses of worship, lock the people up in them and then set fire to these buildings."
I am now quoting a short excerpt from USSR Document No.312, submitted to the Tribunal. lavatory for the soldiers who lived in the crypt of the Cathedral.
"The Church of the Prophet Elijah in the Slavna was transformed into a stable.
"The following Pskov churches were also transformed into stables: Bogoyavlenie on Zapskovie, Kozma and Demian on the Gremiatchy Hill, Constantin and Helen, and the Church of St. John the Evangelist." describes facts of blasphemous mockery which took place in the town of Gjatsk where the churches were transformed by the Germans into stables and warehouses. 1670 churches, 69 chapels, 237 Roman Catholic cathedrals, 4 mosques, 532 synagogues and 254 other ecclesiastical buildings.
I will now read into the record an excerpt from this document:
"No monetary compensation by the Germans can ever make good the destruction of ecclesiastical buildings, the most ancient historical monuments, as the majority of them can never be restored. of the XIIth century is largely destroyed. In the same town the church of "Paraskeva-Piatnitza at the Market " -- the most precious monument of XIIth century Russian architecture, is completely destroyed. The Germans set up an observation post in the Uspensky cathedral of the XIIth century of the Eletsky monastery and cut embrasures into the walls of that ancient cathedral.
was damaged by enemy bombardment. was badly damaged by explosions and bombardment by the Germans. Novo-Ierusalimsky and Iossifo-Volokolamsky monasteries in the Moskow region. The former was founded by Patriarch Nikon in 1656 and its founder intended it to be the symbol of the political power, the peculiar culture and the independence of the Russian state. The second was founded at the end of the XVth century. Both monasteries were not only destroyed, but looted as well. in the Leningrad region. Three ancient churches and five wings of the monastery were blown up, to conceal the traces of plunder. in the XIIth century, the church of Nikola "at the Lipka" built in the XIII century, the Church of the Annunciation "at the Gorodistche" dating from the XIII century, were completely destroyed by aimed artillery fire. were part of the Pskov-Pechersky monastery, the most precious monuments among the ancient Russian monasteries, reflecting in themselves the period of development of the Pskov architecture built in the XVIth century by serf labor. the German invader in Byelo--Russia; Then in the town of Vitebsk was destroyed the church of Nativity, an interesting monument of Byelorussian architecture of the XVIIth century. Completely destroyed were the wooden Bogoslovskaya and Nikolskaya churches, built in the XVIIIth century.
house for cattle: Exhibit 246 is a report of the Extraordinary State Commission and contains general data as to the churches, chapels and other buildings of religious worship which have been destroyed or damaged. This document states the German Fascist invaders completely destroyed or partly damaged 1670 churches, 69 chapels, 237 Roman Catholic cathedrals, four mosques, 532 synagogues and 254 other ecclesiastical buildings and buildings of religious worship. Exhibit 305, further data on the subject. I will not quote the document in full, but I would like to quote a few very short excerpts from this paper:
"Material or monetary compensation by the Germans can never make good the destruction of ecclesiastical buildings, the most ancient historical monuments, for the majority of them can never be restored." paragraphs of page 91 of the statement, I read the last paragraph of page 91:
"Many ancient churches, monuments of an older day, were destroyed by the German invader in Byelo-Russia. Then in the town of Vitebsk was destroyed the Church of the Nativity, an interesting example of Byelo-Russian architecture of the XVIIth century. Completely destroyed were the wooden Bogoslovskaya and Nikolskaya churches, built in the XVIIIth century.
"Irreparable damage was done to the Voskresensko-Zarutonly church which was built in the 18th Century.
The architecture of this church was an interesting example Bxelo-Russian classicism. The Germans also destroyed there, in the town of Vitebsk, a Roman Catholic church which was built in the 18th century.
"The Germans burnt in the town of Disna, in the Polotsk region, a roman Catholic church founded in the 17th century an plundered the property which it contained.
"Timoshel Rudolf, the German Garrison Commandant of the town of Roznmiatov, in the Stanislav region, used three synagogues for barracks and later on destroyed the buildings after having plundered the property contained therein."
"Before destroying buildings of religions worship the Germans plundered and destroyed all their equipment. A great number of icons and church-plate was removed to Germany.
"The Yossifo-Volokolamsky monastery was plundered and the ancient shrouds of the monastry and the personal belongings of Joseph Wolotsky, the founder of the monastry, have desappeared. church, removed all vessels all crosses, crowns, miters and tabernacles."
"In 1941 German soldiers and officers stole from the Staritzki Church all the vessels, altar crosses, crowns, miters, and tabernacles.
"In the town of Dokshitz in the Polotzk region, the Germans looted and took away all the property of the local mosque. The same fate was shared by nearly all the churches in the territory occupied by the Germans.
"Everywhere the Germans plundered Greek orthodox and Roman Chatholic churches, synagogues, mosques and other buildings of religious worship. The Hitlerite conspirators did not only actually plunder, torture and murder, but they also tried to humiliate believers morally, to rob them of spiritual riches." which were committed by Rosenberg, Frank, Goering, Ribbentrop, Keitel and the other members of the conspiracy.
The crimes of the defendants against culture are indeed horrible by their consequences.
If one can build certain towns and villages destroyed by Hitlerites, it is also possible to restore factories and plants which were blown up or burned by them. But mankind has lost forever the unique objects of art which the Hitlerites destroyed in a barbarous manner. The lost of lives to mankind of people whom they put to death in Auschwitz, or in Treblink, or in Babiy-yar, or in Kertch can never again be replaced. these modern Huns have put into shade the blackened pages of history by their appalling cruelty and vandalism. They arrogantly challenge future mankind. They trampled underfooth the best heritage of mankind's past. Attesting no ideals or faith themselves, they sacreligously destroyed churches and relics. civilization and barbarism, culture and civilization were victorious. The Hitlerite conspirators who dreamt of world domination, of the destruction of culture of the Slav and other peoples, are now in the defendant's dock. May a just punishment be theirs, and may their punishment be immediate.
THE PRESIDENT: Will you continue until five o'clock.
COLONEL RAGINSKY: If the Tribunal wishes.
THE PRESIDENT: Yes, will you go on until five o'clock.
COLONEL RAGINSKY: I would like to be accorded a short recess in order to present the document.
THE PRESIDENT: It would be hardly worth while if you want a short interval. We shall stop at five o'clock.
COLONEL RAGINSKY: It would be more convenient to begin the next statement tomorrow.
THE PRESIDENT: We will adjourn now, then.
(The Tribunal adjourned until 22 February, 1946 at 1000 hours)
THE MARSHAL: May it please the Court: The Defendant Fritzsche will be absent until further notice on account of illness.
GENERAL M.Y. RAGINSKY (Assistant. Chief Prosecutor for the USSR): dants are guilty of the wanton destruction of towns and villages and other destruction. This charge is laid down in paragraph "C" of the 3rd Count of the Indictment. and villages was carried out not as the result of any exigencies of war or military necessity. accordance with the thoroughly elaborated plans of the Hitlerite Government and in accordance with the orders of the German military command; that the destruction of towns and villages, of industry and transportation, was an integral part of the conspiracy which aimed at the enslavement of the peoples of Europe and those of other countries, at the establishment of a world hegemony of Hitlerite Germany. destruction. In the flames of fires perished the most valuable machines created by the genius of mankind, factories and dwellings were blown up which gave work and shelter to millions of people. and those who were left without a roof over their heads and without any means of existence. the towns and villages in the territories which they temporarily occupied, where, acting on direct oders of the German High Command, they created a "waste zone."
As proof I will quote an excerpt from the note by V.M. Molotov, a document which has been submitted to the Tribunal as exhibit USSR-51/2. This excerpt the members of the Tribunal will find on page 3 of document book 7.I quote:
"...An order seized not long ago near the town of Verkhovye, Orel Region, issued to the 512th German Infantry Regiment and signed by Colonel Schitnig stated with unparalleled brazenness: "A zone which in view of the situation may be evacuated must, after the withdrawal of the troops, present a waste... At points where complete destruction has to be achieved, all the houses are to be burnt, for which purpose they are first to be stuffed with straw, particularly stone houses. Structures of stone are to be blown up; this applies particularly to cellars. Measures for the creation of devastated zones are to be prepared beforehand and carried out relentlessly and completely." and I quote further:
"In razing our towns and villages, the German Command demands of its troops that a 'waste zone' be created in all Soviet localities from which the invaders are successfully expelled by the Red Army." the 512th Regiment order - is submitted as USSR Exhibit 168.
THE PRESIDENT: Do you know the date of it?
GENERAL RAGINSKY: The date of this order is 10 December 1941. ordered, a ruthless and complete destruction of inhabited localities and that this destruction was planned and prepared in advance. in the possession of the Soviet Prosecution. I will limit myself to reading into the record an excerpt from the sentence of the regional military Tribunal in the case against the German Officers, Lieut. General Bernhardt and MajGeneral Hamann which I submit to the Tribunal as exhibit USSR-90 (the respectiv excerpt will be found on page 23, 25 of document book 7).
The military Tribunal established that the generals Bernhardt and Hamann had acted in accordance with the common plans and directives of the Supreme Command of the German Army and that they "had carried out a planned destruction of towns and inhabited houses, should be carried out.
The latter were blown up without there, as the result of which people also perished under the debris."
factories, power-stations and mines were also destroyed with premeditation and malice aforethgought. Tribunal to the report of the Extraordinary State Commission which was submitted as exhibit USSR-2, page 2 of document book 7. Department of Economics of the South Army Group of 2 September 1943 No. 1/313/43, which ordered the army leaders of economics and the leaders of economic parties to carry out a complete destruction of industrial establishments and stated in particular that "the destruction must be carried out not at the last moment when the troops will be engaged in combat or may be in retreat, but ahead of time."
The note by W. M. Molotov, the Peoples Commissar of Foreign Affairs of 27 April 1942, eloborates the question of these orders of the German Supreme Command and the way these orders were executed. This note was submitted to the Tribunal as USSR Exhibit USSR-51/3. which is entitled "The devastation of towns and villages", excerpts which were not read into the record before. These excerpts will be found on pages 6 and 7, the reverse side, of the document book 92. I quote:
"By direct order of its High Command the German-fascist army subjects Soviet Towns and villages to unparalleled devastation upon seizing the latter and in the course of its stay there, setting fire to and otherwise destroying
THE PRESIDENT: I don't think you ought to omit the first four lines on page 5.
GENERAL RAGINSKY: All right, sir. I omitted it inasmuch as this document was read into the record by me yesterday, but if you wish -
THE PRESIDENT: I don't remember that it was.
GENERAL RAGINSKY: Yes, I read this into the record yesterday.
(A short pause.)
THE PRESIDENT: I am told that -- and I am inclined to think so myself -
-- that you did not read those lines, "from the 10th of October, 1941", at the top of page 5. I think you better read them. I am referring to the order of the 10th of October, 1941, which is set out in your expose.
GENERAL RAGINSKY: I shall read this excertp from order given the Sixth German Army, 10th of October, 1941, signed by von Reichenau. This document is presented to the Tribunal as USSR No. 12. It reads:
"The troops are interested in extinguishing fires only in these building which are to be utilized for billeting military units. Everything else, including buildings, must be regarded as coming within the scope of a war of extermination," a number of orders instructing the units of the German army to destroy in the course of their retreat under pressure of the Red Army everything that had remained unscathed during their occupation. Thousands of villages, whole city blocks and even entire cities are reduced to ashes, blown up or otherwise razed to the ground by the retreating German-fascist army. The organized destruction of Soviet towns and villages has become a special branch of the criminal activity of the German invaders on Soviet territory; special instructions and detailed orders of the German Command are devoted to methods of devastating Soviet populated centres; special detachments, trained in this criminal profession, are set up for this purpose. 293rd German Division, presented already as USSR Exhibit 168, which is an exposition, covering seven printer's sheets, of the precisist possible plan for the methodical destruction of village after village, from December 10th to December 14th inclusive in the district in which the given regiment was stationed. This order which follows a model used throughout the German Army, states:
"Preparations for the destruction of populated centres must be carried out in such a way that: (a) no suspicions whatever are aroused among the civilian population prior to the announcement of it; (b) the destruction should begin at once, and be carried out by a single blow, at the appointed time... On the day in question particularly strict watch must be kept to see that no civilians leave the given place, especially not after the destruction has been announced.
December 24, 1941, states, after listing sixteen Soviet villages designated to be burnt down:
"Stocks of hay, straw, foodstuffs, etc., are to be burnt. All stoves in dwelling houses are to be wrecked by placing hand grenades in them, thus making further use of them impossible. This order must in no case fall into the hands of the enemy." same nature. In the order it states:
"The present juncture demands that we hold on to every populated centre, that we do not retreat a single step, that we defend ourselves to the last man, to the last grenade. Every point that we occupy must be turned into a stronghold, the surrender of which we must not permit under any circumstances, even if it is outflanked by the enemy. If, however, the given point must be abondoned by us by order of the higher command, it is imperative that everything be burnt to the ground, the stoves blown up....
"Signed: Adolf Hitler." devastation of Soviet towns and villages is the work of his army. In his speech of January 30, 1942, he declared: "In those places where the Russians have succeeded in making a breakthrough -
THE PRESIDENT: That order of January 3, 1942, signed by Hitler, is that in the official Soviet State Report? Where did it come from?
GENERAL RAGINSKY: This order is incorporated into a note -- quoted here -of Foreign Commissar For Foreign Affairs Molotov, the document which was presented to the Tribunal as USSR Exhibit 51, line 3.
THE PRESIDENT: That is Monsieur Molotov's report?
GENERAL RAGINSKY: Yes, this is a note of the Foreign Commissar, Molotov.
In the speech of the 30th of January 1942, Hitler stated:
"In those places where the Russians have succeeded in making a breakthrough and where they thought that they were once again occupying populated centers, these populated centers no longer exist; they are but a heap of ruins."
the German High Command worked out a detailed plan of operations which bore the code name of "Movement Krimhilde", and a large part of this plan, a whole section, was taken up by the plan of demolitions. I omit one paragraph of my presentation here. graph to the chiefs of higher staffs, is signed by Hitler and has the following notations on the first page: "Secret/A2371. 17 copies, 17th copy, No. 2686,43" There are shown on the second page, under Hitler's signature, the number 430586/47 and the date 4.9.1943; on page 3 is the distribution as well as the following note:
"Code name of operation for retreat from the Kuban region is 'Movement Krimhilde'."
The photostat copy of this plan ... listed as I-177, I now submit to the Tribunal as exhibit USSR-115. It is contained on pages 31-33 of document book 7. the 2nd paragraph of the order:
"2. Demolitions in case of retreat. (a) All structures, quartering facilities, roads, cultural features, dams, etc. (b) All railroads and highways will be dismantled or demolished respectively. (c) All wood-covered corduroy roads will be made unuseable and destroyed. (d) All drilling installations of the Kuban region will be demolished in their (e) The harbor of Novorossiysk will be so demolished and blocked that its use (f) Demolitions include mining of terrain. (g) The enemy must gain possession of a completely depopulated waste land which explosions will take place". attention of the Tribunal to only two of them:
I refer to an entry in the diary of the defendant Frank which particularly dwells on this subject, as well as a directive issued by the commanding general of 118th German Division which operate in Yugoslavia.
22nd Feb - M - O'B - 1 In Frank's diary, which has already been submitted to the Tribunal, there is the following entry for April 17, 1944 contained in the volume which was started on 1st of March, 1944 and ends on 31st of May, 1944, dealing with the "Work Conference at Cracow' on April 4th, 1944."
"It is important that the troops be given an order to abandon only scorched earth to the Russians. In cases when it becomes, necessary to abandon a certain area to the Russians, no distinction should be made between the territory of the Government General and any other territories."
This excerpt will be found on page 45 of document book. May I remind the Tribunal that in USSR exhibit 132, which was an instruction issued to the 118th German Division over the signature of the German Major General Kuebler, which was captured in June 1944 by units of the Yugoslav Peoples Liberation Army, it was ordered that the troops treat the population "ruthlessly with cruel firmness" and to destroy the inhabited localities which were yielded. presentation I deem it necessary to draw the attention of the Tribunal to one more circumstance. planned, not only carried out deliberately and with exceptional ruthlessness, but it was executed by special detachments created by the German High Command for that very purpose. By way of proof I will quote several excerpts which were not read into the record before from official government reports and the note of V. M. Molotov, People's Commissar of Foreign Affairs to the USSR.
This excerpt is found on page 9 of the document book. The date is 27 April, 1942. The USSR exhibit number is 51/3.
"The special detachments set up by the German Command for the purpose of setting fire to Soviet populated centers and exterminating the civilian population en masse as an accompaniment to the retreat 22nd Feb - M - O'B - 2 of the Hitlerite army are perpetrating their bloodthirsty deeds with the cold-bloodedness of professional criminals.
Thus, for instance, before their retreat from the village of Bolshekrepinskaya, Rostov region, the Germans sent special flame-throwing machines down the streets of the village, these machines setting fire to 1,167 buildings, one after the other. The big flourishing village was turned into a flaming bonfire which consumed the dwelling houses, the hospital, the school and various other public buildings. At the same time, without giving any warning, automatic-riflemen shot down the inhabitants who approached their burning houses, while other residents were bound, sprayed with gasoline and thrown into the burning buildings. paragraph next to the last, the report of the State Extraordinary Commission which was presented to the Tribunal as USSR exhibit 46.
"In their insane hatred of the Soviet people which was caused by military defeats suffered, the Commanding General of the 2nd German Tank Army, General Schmidt, and Commander of the Orel region, the Military Commanders of the City, Major General Hamann, had created special demolition detachments for the destruction of towns, villages and collective farms of the Orel regions. These squads of plunderers and arsonists destroyed everything in the path of their retreat. They destroyed monuments of culture and works of art, burnt down towns and villages both large and small."
The Report of the Extraordinary State Commission on the "Crimes of the German Fascist invaders in the towns of Viazma, Gjatsk, and Sychovka of the Smolensk region and in the town of Rjav of the Kalinin region," submitted as exhibit USSR-279, contains the following statement.
"In Viazma and Gjatsk the Commanding Generals, Major General Merker of the 35th Infantry Division, Major General Schaefer of the 252nd Infantry Division, and Major General Roppert of the 7th Infantry Division, organized special incendiary and demolition 22nd Feb - M - O'B - 3 detachments to set on fire and blow up dwellings, schools, theatres, clubs, museums, libraries, hospitals, churches, stores and industrial plants, so that only ashes and ruins would be left in the wake of the German retreat."