| 36th Estonian Police Battalion | |
|---|---|
| Active | 23 November 1941 – 18 January 1943 |
| Allegiance |  Nazi Germany |
| Branch | Estonian Auxiliary Police Schutzmannschaft |
| Type | Auxiliary police |
| Role | Anti-tank warfare Bandenbekämpfung Cold-weather warfare Counterinsurgency Crowd control HUMINT Internal security Law enforcement Patrolling Raiding Rearguard Reconnaissance Riot control Urban warfare |
| Size | 438 (August 1942) |
| Part of | Schutzstaffel (SS) |
| Engagements | Anti-Belarusian resistance operations Battle of Stalingrad |
| Commanders | |
| Notable commanders | Harald Riipalu |
36th Estonian Police Battalion (also known asSchutzmannschaft Front Bataillon 36 Arensburg (German) and36. Kaitse Rindepataljon (Estonian)) was one of the twenty-three battalions of the Estonian Auxiliary Police duringWorld War II that operated under command of the GermanSS and part of theSchutzmannschaft. It was trained to be capable of being paramilitary police for bandenbekämpfung, combat operations, counterinsurgency, crowd control, internal security, rear security (rearguard), riot control in prisoner-of-war camps (POW camps), and support military operation.
The 36th Estonian Police Battalion was established on 23 November 1941 in western Estonia and onEstonian islands. Between May and August 1942, the battalion was in training and received reinforcements from other units, bringing its total strength to 23 officers, 161 non-commissioned officers, and 254 troops.[1]It participated atanti-Belarusian resistance operations and guarded the POW camps in the coal mines ofStalino andMakeyevka.[2] From 22 November to 31 December 1942 the battalion took part of theBattle of Stalingrad.[2] Having had 39 killed, 97 wounded, and 11 missing, the battalion was brought back to Estonia in January 1943 and disbanded, with many men joining theEstonian Legion.[3]
The 36th battalion was formed again in May 1943, and in autumn was sent to the front atNevel where it was merged into the 288th battalion.[3]
On 6 and 7 August 3000 to 5000 Jews were killed in the area ofNovogrudok, Belarus.[3][4] The 36th battalion was in the area from 4 August to 25 August 1942. The battalion's 16 August report said that the battalion was engaged in "fighting against partisans".[1][4]
According to theEstonian International Commission for Investigation of Crimes Against Humanity, "the 36th Police Battalion participated on August 7, 1942 in the gathering together and shooting of almost all Jews still surviving in the town of Novogrudok". The Commission's report noted:[5]
In the published records, this unit was described as fighting against partisans at the time. The Commission believes that although there clearly were numerous engagements between police units and partisans, "fighting against partisans" and "guarding prisoner of war camps" were at times ways of describing participation in actions against civilians, including Jews.
TheEstonian Internal Security Service (KaPo) investigation into the battalion's activities concluded that there was no evidence about participation in war crimes or crimes against humanity.[6]
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