| Police Battalion 320 | |
|---|---|
| Polizeibattalion 320 | |
| Active | 1941– |
| Country |  Nazi Germany |
| Role | Rear-area security Participation in theHolocaust andBandenbekämpfung ("bandit-fighting") |
| Size | Battalion |
| Part of | Order Police battalion underSS command, part of:
|
Police Battalion 320 (Polizeibattalion 320) was a formation of the GermanOrder Police (uniformed police) during theNazi era. DuringOperation Barbarossa, it was subordinated to theSS and deployed in German-occupied areas, specifically theArmy Group South Rear Area, of the Soviet Union, as part ofPolice Regiment Special Purpose (later the 11th SS Police Regiment). Alongside detachments from theEinsatzgruppen of theSD, it committed mass murders in theHolocaust and was responsible for large-scalecrimes against humanity targeting civilian populations.
The GermanOrder Police (Ordnungspolizei) was a key instrument of the security apparatus ofNazi Germany. In the prewar period,Heinrich Himmler, the head of theSS, andKurt Daluege, chief of the Order Police, cooperated in transforming the police force of theWeimar Republic into militarised formations ready to serve the regime's aims of conquest and racial annihilation. Police troops were first formed intobattalion-sized formations for theinvasion of Poland, where they were deployed for security and policing purposes, also taking part in executions and mass deportations.[1]
Twenty-threeOrder Police battalions were slated to take part in the 1941 invasion of the Soviet Union,Operation Barbarossa. Nine were attached tosecurity divisions of theWehrmacht, three for eachArmy Group Rear Areas. Two battalions were assigned to support theEinsatzgruppen, the mobiledeath squads of the SS, and theOrganisation Todt, the military construction group. Twelve were formed into regiments, three battalions each, and designated asPolice Regiments North,Centre,South, andSpecial Purpose.[2]
AlongsidePolice Battalions 304 and315, Police Battalion 320 was assigned to Police Regiment Special Purpose, under the command ofGerret Korsemann, a career policeman. When the regiment crossed the German-Soviet border, it came under the control ofFriedrich Jeckeln, theHigher SS and Police Leader (HSS-PF) forArmy Group South in Ukraine.[3]
In August 1941, Police Battalion 320 perpetrated theKamianets-Podilskyi massacre, alongside Jeckeln's staff company. The staff company performed the shooting, while the Police Battalion 320 cordoned off the area. The massacres resulted in the murder of thousands of Jews deported from Hungary and rounded up Ukrainian Jews. Shortly thereafter, Police Battalion 320 reported the shooting of twenty-two hundred Jews at another location north-east of Kamianets-Podilskyi. The overallEinsatzgruppen report for the operation listed a total of 23,000 victims.[3]
police regiment center.