Tatarsk, Russia
Smolensk region

Date of Yahad investigation: September 2009

Witnesses interviewed: 3 including 1 eyewitness of the execution (N°27)

Witness interview

Valentina K.(N°27) : “There were four trenches. 10 people were put in front of each trench. Three people stood nearby, resting on their shovels like this. They probably already suspected that they would die. Three men were waiting, leaning on their shovels. The German arrived at the place where the rye was piled. The rye was rotten. Nobody was allowed to touch anything that was Stalin’s property. Otherwise, we would be shot. All of this was called “Stalin’s belongings”. [The German] started to shoot [the Jews] with his submachine gun, in four bursts: tac, tac, tac […]“

Geman archives

B162-4109 (p.38) : “Those [Jewish] men were then brought by truck to an anti-tank ditch located near the village of Tatarsk. Immediately afterwards, the Jewish men were all shot in this anti-tank ditch. As I remember it, approximately 50 Jews were shot during this ‘Aktion’”.
B162-4110 (p.54) : “I met Noak as he was keeping an eye on the Jews in a field before their execution. There were only old men again (…). A few minutes later, the carabine shots rang out”.