W
walter mitty
Guest
The book actually confirms some of your post about the Baltic members of Einsatzgruppen and paramilitary police forces but advances the theory that it was a plan of the Germans (Heydrich & Himmler) to encourage local "spontaneous" actions so as to reinforce the idea of most Europeans supporting Nazi policies and encourage further recruitment to their side be it in death squads or in a military capacity i.e. SS Freiwilligen Divisions. Actually a bit of a misnomer as later in the war it was more conscription than volunteering.
there was along history of pogroms in the area , it didnt take much for the locals to turn on the jews