REMEMBERING THE DEATH MARCH

In December, 1939 the Nazi murderers rounded up Jews in Chelm first, then Hrubieszow, and in towns on the way. The number of people on this march probably was more than 2,000. Of those 2,000, we can only identify on these pages 37 from Chelm and 70 from Hrubieszow and 3 from a nearby village. If you can help identify more, please do ... so they may be remembered.

From Hrubieszow to Dolhobyczow was a trek of 21 miles. At the village of Dolhobyczow, these Jewish residents were divided into two groups and forced to march to either Sokal (16 miles) or Belz (17 miles) in bitter, freezing temperatures. The borders were policed by the Soviet Army, and they refused to let anyone cross in to Ukraine. The horrors of the Death March are documented here.

REMEMBERING THE DEATH MARCH VICTIMS

This page seeks to memorialize as many victims of the Death March as we can document. Because there were so few survivors, it is very difficult to document who the victims were. There is a monument on the Chelm-Hrubieszow road, near the village of Busno, for 150 Jews who were murdered in the area. We remember the victims of the Chelm-Hrubieszow Death March.

Zachor - WE REMEMBER.

The spellings of the names of the victims are approximations. If you are aware of an additional victim, please contact us.

Nazis involved in the Death March:

Some of the names of the Nazi murderers from Chelm and Hrubieszow are listed here. The Nazis involved in administering the death march between Chelm, Hrubieszow, Dolhobiczow, Sokal and Belz include:

Hermann Dolp -- S. S. Obersturmbannfuhrer
Adolf Pohlmann, aka Adolf Bohlmann
Walter Behrend or Behrendt
Johann Ackermann
Helmutt Altman -- S.S. Postenfuhrer
Gerhard Hacker -- S.S. Oberscharfuhrer
Karl Knauer* (born 5.27.1885), also listed as Karl Knuhr -- S.S. Hauptscharfuhrer
Gustav Nagel -- S.S. Oberscharfuhrer
Ferdinand Radtke -- S.S. Unterscharfuhrer
Arthur Rosenow -- S.S. Oberscharfuhrer
Werner Thunak -- S.S. Unterscharfuhrer
unknown Schistel -- Kriminalangestellter
Max Stobner

Most of these men were killed during the war period. Rosenow died in 1952; Hacker in 1950; Thunak in 1951. We are unsure what happened to Ackermann, Knauer, Behrendt or Schistel. Max Stoebner (Stybner / Stobner) received just a 9 years prison term. Dolp is listed as missing but was likely killed circa 1946.

Related Links:

- Accounts from the Death March, from the Chelm Yizkor Book
- Article: The Forgotten Death March of Chelm
- Short account of the march from Leonard Lerer
- Testimony from Chaim Ajzen, Death March Survivor
- Death March: "My Parents are Killed" from Survivor Meyer Megdal
- Testimony about the Death March at the Adolf Eichmann Trial
- Speech from the Daughter of a Death March Survivor

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