Nebe, Arthur

(1894–1945)

   Nebe was the chief of the criminal police (Kripo) in the Reich Security Main Office (RSHA). Following the German invasion of the Soviet Union, he commanded Einsatzgruppe B between June and November 1941. During this period, Nebe was responsible for the execution of approximately 46,000 Jews in White Russia and in areas near the Moscow front. Nebe, however, was repelled by the mass murders conducted under his command and returned to his former position in the criminal police. His alleged repulsion to the massacres, however, did not prevent him from recommending in June 1944 the use of so-called half-breed “asocials” from Auschwitz for medical experiments, such as forcing the prisoners to drink seawater. A month later, Nebe was implicated in the 20 July 1944 plot against Adolf Hitler, and he was executed by the Nazis in March 1945.