Question

Did the men of 101 know where the Jews they deported from Parczew were going?

a) Yes, to labor camps
b) No, to extermination camps
c) Yes, to resettlement camps
d) No, to concentration camps

Answer 1

High-ranking SS officials were aware of the systematic murder plan for the Jews, but the men of Order Police Battalion 101 deporting Jews might have believed the deportations were for resettlement or forced labor, not knowing the victims were sent to extermination camps.

Step-by-step explanation:

The men of Order Police Battalion 101, who were tasked with deporting the Jews from Parczew, likely did not know the full extent of the fate awaiting those they deported. While high-ranking Nazi officials in the SS were aware of the systematic murder that was to occur, as part of the final solution to the Jewish question, lower-ranking soldiers were often told that the deportations were for resettlement or forced labor purposes. Jews were rounded up under the pretext of resettlement, as was the case stated during the testimony of Otto Ohlendorf during the Nuremberg Trials, but many were taken to extermination camps in Eastern Europe where massive numbers were immediately killed upon arrival. These camps, which included locations such as Treblinka and Auschwitz, operated under the guise of being labor camps, but primarily functioned as centers of mass murder. The infamous Auschwitz camp also provided forced labor, but was predominantly an extermination camp, with the majority of new arrivals being sent directly to the gas chambers. It is also important to mention that concentration camps functioned as both labor and death camps, contributing to the ambiguity surrounding the soldiers' knowledge of the Jews' ultimate destination.

Answer 2

The men of Reserve Police Battalion 101 used the pretext of resettlement, but it is likely that at least some members knew the Jews were being deported to extermination camps, not resettlement or labor camps.

The correct option is not given.

Step-by-step explanation:

The men of Reserve Police Battalion 101 were involved in rounding up Jewish people for deportation.

According to historical evidence, such as the statements made during the post-war trials, they used the pretext that the Jews were being sent to resettlement camps, while in reality many were sent to extermination camps in Eastern Europe.

The first extermination camp opened in early 1942, and it marked the beginning of an extensive system of camps where millions of Jews were systematically murdered.

The battalion members may not have always known the specific fate of the Jews they deported, but it is evident that high ranking officials in the SS and Nazi military personnel knew about the systematic murder occurring in these camps.

In summary, while the official line given to those being deported and possibly to those enforcing deportation was resettlement, the leadership and possibly some of the lower ranks were aware that the destinations were actually camps like Sobibor, Treblinka, and Auschwitz where mass executions took place.

The correct option is not given.