Ponary Massacre Begins

Date: July 2, 1941 • Location: Vilnius, Lithuania

This milestone marked the outbreak and beginning of this historic period, which spanned 1941–1944.

A German SS unit arrived in Vilnius, Lithuania, and began the systematic execution of up to 100,000 people over the next three years.

The Schutzstaffel was a major paramilitary organisation under Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party in Nazi Germany, and later throughout German-occupied Europe during World War II.