Murder story of Gorlovka Jews at the Gorlovka Railway Station

The indictment of Fritz Braune and others: Following an order given by Braune in early 1942, 200–300 people were liquidated in Gorlovka, most of them Jews and Communists. They were murdered by being shot in the back of the head near an abandoned mine [sic]. It has been proven that the accused Hupp took part in the operation, both as a guard and as a shooter. While Braune was away in Berlin, the main squad arrived in Gorlovka from Kramatorsk. When Browne returned, he learned that Timan had drawn up a large-scale operation plan. The accused Braune examined the information about the victims' origin and number, as well as the reason for their execution, and gave his consent. Among the victims, there were at least 126 Jews and 2 suspected political activists.… Because of the frosty weather [sic], it was impossible to dig pits, and the accused Braune and Tille chose an abandoned mine in the vicinity of the town as the shooting site. The mine shaft had a 45-degree slope, enabling the killers to throw the victims into the depths of the mine right after the shooting. This was the reason why the accused Braune deemed the mine a suitable execution site. On an unknown day in late January–early February 1942, Braune gave the order to carry out the execution.… The victims were transported to the mine in trucks from the previous assembly point. The mine and the surrounding area were cordoned off. The trucks stopped at a dump not far from the mine. From there, the victims were escorted in groups of 4–5 toward the mine entrance, which was surrounded by a fence with several gates. The victims were forced to strip to their underwear and line up at the edge of the shaft, and were then shot in the back of the head by a Sonderkommando staff member. At the very moment of the shooting, the victims' bodies rolled down the slope. The gunner held onto a rope, to avoid falling together with the bodies of the victims. From time to time, he would be replaced by other staff members. When the trucks stopped near the mine and the victims were led away in groups, the people [victims] realized what was about to happen to them. Besides, they could hear the sounds of gunfire, because of the short distance from the dump to the mine. The operation lasted for many hours, and it claimed the lives of at least 250 people.

March 6, 1942 Operational Situation report USSR No.177 Einsatzgruppe C As a result of the measures carried out by Einsatzkommando 6, both the Gorlovka and the Makeyevka districts are now free of Jews.… A total of 493 people were executed there, among them 80 political agitators, 44 saboteurs and looters, and 369 Jews.