Murder Story of Dubrovno Jews at the Dneprovskaya Manufaktura Factory

… Yes, there were cases when innocent Soviet civilians, residents of Dubrovno, were shot by the German fascist fiends. Altogether 600 women, children, and old people were shot in the town of Dubrovno. I know, I myself saw the Germans take the peaceful population to a camp that was located in the yard of the Dneprovskaya Manufaktura factory and, then, shoot them. I can name the following among the shooting victims: 1) Mikhel Lapatukhin age 65, his wife, age 67, his daughter Ginda, born in 1932, Bella, born in 1926, Yasha age 7, Girsha age 30. 2) Mera Krupkina, age 50, Yankel, born in 1922, Modya, age 12, Esya, born in 1926, Roza, age 5. 3) [Mr.] Shumyachera, age 55, his wife age 60 4) [Mr.] Shekhtel, a photographer, age 30 5) [Mr.] Levin, a photographer age 40, [Mr.] Minkov, about 40 years old, his wife age 35, their daughter Riva, born in 1926 6) Kopyl Urev, age 45, his daughter Kreyda, born in 1925, Sema age 6, 7) Metr, a doctor, age 35, his daughter age 7

In the fall of 1941 all the Jewish population was taken to death camps where all possible means of oppression and repression were applied. Finally, they [the Jews] were forced to dig graves for themselves. In December 1941, beyond the Dubrovno factory yard, 1,500 people [i.e. Jews] were shot by the gang of notorious bandits that was referred to as a "punitive squad," under the command of local commandant Genshin. The scene was terrible. A cloud of death hung above the town. The men, the women, and the children had to strip until they were almost naked. Then they were forced to approve the mass grave, where they were piled on top of each other and shot in the back of the neck. About 300 skilled craftsmen and their families were the next victims. They were shot in February, 1942, in the same way. Apart from the mass shootings there were many other people who were shot individually or in groups.

In the fall of 1941 the Jewish population was driven to the Zhilkop camp, where inhuman methods of oppression were applied. Physical torture and extreme exhaustion from physical labor did not satisfy the brutal fiends. They began to look for additional measures to extinguish the lives of the innocent civilians. They began to force them [the Jews] to dig mass graves. In December 1941 1,500 people were forced into a mass grave behind the Dubrovno factory yard and then were shot. Half-naked children, teenagers, adults, and old people were forced into the grave. Their clothes were torn off them and they were shot in the back of the neck. It is difficult to portray this scene of horror,the tears, screams, and moaning. Next it was the turn of the skilled workers and of members of their families who still remained alive. About 300 of them were shot in February 1942 in the same way....