Edwin Graf von Rothkirch und Trach

Edwin von Rothkirch und Trach
Born	1 November 1888 Militsch,German Empire
Died	29 July 1980(1980-07-29)(aged 91)
Allegiance	Nazi Germany
Service/branch	Army (Wehrmacht)
Rank	General
Commands held	Army Group Centre Rear Area LIII. Armeekorps
Battles/wars	World War II

Edwin Graf Rothkirch und Trach(1 November 1888 - 29 July 1980) born inMilitsch,was a German general duringWorld War IIwho commandedArmy Group Centre Rear Areaand later an army corps. As ashow jumper,he took part in the1932 Summer Olympicsin Los Angeles.

Career

Rothkirch und Trach commandedArmy Group Centre Rear Areastarting in 1943.Between 18 April and 27 October 1944, he wasWehrmachtbefehlshaberWeißruthenien(Military commander in Belarus). In November 1944, he was appointed to command the LIII Army Corps. On 6 March 1945 Rothkirch, still commanding officer of LIII Corps, wandered into U.S. lines and was taken prisoner west of Coblenz, Germany.He was interned atTrent Park,an English prison camp in North London for high-ranking German officers.

Knowledge of the Holocaust

While stationed inGeneral Government,Rothkirch und Trach became aware of mass shootings by theSS (Schutzstaffel).In its review ofSoldaten( "Soldiers" ) by historianSönke Neitzeland social psychologistHarald Welzer(a book based on secret recordings of German POWs by the Allied intelligence),Der Spiegelreports:

"Many Wehrmacht soldiers became witnesses to the Holocaust because they happened to be present or were invited to take part in a mass shooting. In one cell conversation, army General Edwin Graf von Rothkirch und Trach talks about his time in the General Government town ofKutno:

"I knew an SS leader pretty well, and we talked about this and that, and one day he said: 'Listen, if you ever want to film one of these shootings?…I mean, it doesn't really matter. These people are always shot in the morning. If you're interested, we still have a few left over, and we could also shoot them in the afternoon if you like."

It takes some sense of routine to be able to make such an offer. The fact that the people involved did not try to keep their activities a secret demonstrates how much the perpetrators took for granted the "mass shootings of Jews," as one of the POWs inTrent Parkcalled it. "

Rothkirch und Trach died in 1980.

References

Bibliography

• Pohl, Dieter(2008).Die Herrschaft der Wehrmacht: Deutsche Militärbesatzung und einheimische Bevölkerung in der Sowjetunion 1941–1944.Oldenbourg Wissenschaftsverlag.ISBN978-3486580655.