How did the Einsatzgruppen use mass shootings to murder Jewish families?

The Einsatzgruppen were mobile killing units tasked with the systematic murder of Jewish families, Soviet officials, and other groups during the German invasion of the Soviet Union. Their operations were characterized by extreme brutality and a disregard for human life, representing a foundational stage of the Holocaust.1234

The process typically followed a consistent pattern:
* Rounding Up: Upon entering a town, the units—often assisted by local police, native anti-Semitic groups, or accompanying Axis troops—would round up the Jewish population.23
* Transport: Victims were herded to the outskirts of the town or to pre-selected sites, such as ravines or forests.24
* Execution: At these locations, victims were often forced to strip naked before being machine-gunned into mass graves. In many instances, the sites were covered over immediately, sometimes while victims were still alive.4

These massacres occurred across Eastern Europe, including infamous sites like Babi Yar in Ukraine, where nearly 34,000 Jews were murdered in a single operation. By the end of the war, these units had murdered an estimated 1.4 to 1.5 million people, most of whom were Jewish.1423