BETWEEN HITLER AND STALIN

VYNNYTSIA

Vynnytsia, in central Ukraine, was the sight of mass graves discovered by the Germans when they occupied the area. 66 graves were found. A total of 12 000 victims were discovered. Those found at Vynnytsia, like those found at Bykivnia, were murdered by the NKVD during the Great Terror purges that swept the USSR from 1936 to 1938.

The German authorities sought to use the discovery of mass graves for propaganda purposes, and they called an international commission to Vynnytsia to examine the sight. Forensic scientists from several European countries participated in the exhumation of the bodies in the summer of 1943. Most of the victims had been shot in the back of the head; some had been buried alive.

Soon after the opening of the mass graves, the Germans were forced to retreat, and a more thorough investigation of the crimes committed at Vynnytsia by the Soviet regime became impossible. Despite mountains of evidence of atrocities committed by Soviet rule in all corners of the USSR, the Western allies turned a blind eye, not wanting to upset their friend, Uncle Joe.