Einsatzkommando is a German military term with the literal translation of "mission commando", roughly equivalent to the English term "task force".The Nazi-era Einsatzkommando refers to a subgroup of the four Einsatzgruppen, killing squads in Operation Barbarossa that were responsible for carrying out mass executions behind the German lines. Command Organization of the Einsatzgruppen The Einsatzgruppen were part of the SS. They were created at the direction of Hitler and Himmler by Heydrich the Chief of the Security Police and SD, who was Himmler's right hand man, and operated under the direct control of the RSHA, the Reich Security Main Office, one of the most important of the twelve main offices of the SS. The Einsatzgruppen were formed in the spring of 1941. In anticipation of the assault on Russia, Hitler issued an order directing that the SD and the Security Police be called in to assist th

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