36th Estonian Police Battalion
| 36th Estonian Police Battalion | |
|---|---|
| Active | 23 November 1941 – 18 January 1943 |
| Country |
 Nazi Germany
|
| Branch | Estonian Auxiliary Police |
| Type | Battalion |
| Role | Schutzmannschaft |
| Size | 600 |
| Part of | SS of Nazi Germany |
| Engagements | Battle of Stalingrad |
| Commanders | |
| Notable commanders |
Harald Riipalu |
36th Estonian Police Battalion (also known as Schutzmannschaft Front Bataillon 36 Arensburg (German) and 36. Kaitse Rindepataljon (Estonian)) was an Estonian rear-security unit during World War II that operated under command of the SS of Nazi Germany.
The battalion was established on 23 November 1941. It participated at rear-security and anti-partisan operations in Belarus and guarded the prisoner-of-war camps in the coal mines of Stalino and Makeyevka. From 22 November to 31 December 1942 the battalion took part of the Battle of Stalingrad.
According to the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum Encyclopedia of Camps and Ghettos, 1933–1945, the battalion took part in the murder of Jews in Novogrudok, Belarus in August 1942. The battalion's report under Harald Riipalu's signature confirms the unit's presence in Novogrudok during the killing operations. According to the Estonian 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 the Jews still surviving in the town of Novogrudok". The Commission's report noted:
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.
The Estonian Internal Security Service (KaPo) disagreed with the conclusions of the Commission. In its opinion, the findings were not based on documentary evidence or eyewitness accounts and were therefore unfounded. According to the KaPo report, the conclusions of the commission were exclusively based on the forced confessions of the POWs by the NKVD, and the commission failed to interview or call to witness any of the surviving members of the battalion, or the survivors of the massacre in Novogrudok.
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