“...The most important objective of this campaign against the Jewish-Bolshevik system is the complete destruction of its sources of power and the extermination of the Asiatic influence in European civilization. ... In this eastern theatre, the soldier is not only a man fighting in accordance with the rules of the art of war, but also the ruthless standard bearer of a national conception. ... For this reason the soldier must learn fully to appreciate the necessity for the severe but just retribution that must be meted out to the subhuman species of Jewry. ...”
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Generalfeldmarschall Walther von Reichenau, 1941 |
Walter von Reichenau (8 October 1884 – 17 January 1942) was a German officer and Generalfeldmarschall during World War II. He issued the notorious Severity Order concerning fighting on the eastern front, which made him a war criminal. He was in charge of forces which helped to commit the massacre of Jews at Babi Yar.