[stamp] Personal Staff Reichsfuehrer SS Document Administration File No.

Secret/227 The General Commissar for White Ruthenia Gauleiter /BA Diary No. 428/43 Secret Minsk 6/5/1943 Secret To the Reich Minister for the Occupied Eastern Territories Berlin Through the Reich Commissioner for the Eastland Riga Subject: Results of police operation "Cottbus" as reported so far for the period of 6/227/3/1943 SS Brigadefuehrer, Major General of Police von Gottberg reports that the operation "Cottbus" had the following result during the period mentioned: Enemy dead: 4500 Dead suspected of belonging to bands: 5000 German dead: 59 German wounded: 267 Dead of foreign racial stock: 22 Wounded of foreign racial stock: 120 Captured members of bands: 250 Destroyed enemy camps: 57 Destroyed enemy positions: 261 Apprehended male labor: 2,062 Apprehended female labor: 450 Sunk larger boats: 4 Sunk floats: 22 Booty consisted of: 1 airplane, 12 tow-gilders, 10 15 cm guns, 2 anti-tank guns, 9 grenade throwers, 23 heavy machine guns, 28 light machine guns, 28 machine pistols, 492 rifles, 1028 grenades and bombs, 1 000 mines, 31 300 rounds rifle ammunition,

7 300 rounds pistol ammunition, 1 200 kg explosives, 2 complete radio installations with transmitter, 1 picture establishment, 30 parachutes, 67 wagons, 530 horses, 1 field kitchen, 430 sleighs, great amounts of medical drugs and propaganda material. The operation affects the territory of the General District White Ruthenia in the area of Borissow. It concerns in particular the two counties Begomie and Pleschtschamizy. At present the police troops together with the army have advanced to Lake Palik and have reached the whole front of the Beresina. The continuance of the battles takes place in the rear zone of the Army. The figures mentioned above indicate that again a heavy destruction of the population must be expected. If only 492 rifles are taken from 4 500 enemy dead, this discrepancy shows that among these enemy dead were numerous peasants from the country. The battalion Dirlewanger especially has a reputation for destroying many human lives. Among the 5 000 people suspected of belonging to bands, there were numerous women and children. By order of the Chief of Band-Combatting, SS Obergruppenfuehrer von dem Bach, units of the armed forces have also participated in the operation. SS Standartenfuehrer Kunze was in command of the armed forces detachments, among whom there were also 90 members from my office and from the District-Commissariat Minsk-City. Our men returned from the operation yesterday without losses. I decline the use of officials and Reich employees of the General Commissariat in the rear zone of the army. The men who work for me were not deferred from army service in order to actively participate in combat against bands in the place of the armed forces and of the police. Of the armed forces personnel, 1 railroader has been wounded (shot in lungs). The political effect of this large-scale operation upon the peaceful population is simply dreadful in view of the many shootings of women and children. In December, the town of Bagomie was evacuated by the armed forces and the police. At that time, the population of Begomie was preponderantly on our side. In the course of the fighting, Begomie, which was built up as a strong point by the partisans, has been destroyed by German air attacks. The General Commissar in Minsk (signed:) [signature illegible]