The Korherr report is one of the documents that are used to argue that Nazis exterminated Jews. It has a long form and a short form. The report is authentic. I looked af the figures in the short form of the report. They do not show an extermination program. Indeed, Korherr’s numbers seem to agree with my understanding. (By my understanding I do not mean to claim that the Holocaust did not happen exactly as the EU law says. I fully believe everything one is required to believe. Here I mean understanding of the numbers in Korherr’s report.)
Korherr has correct figures for Hungary and Romania. The correct numbers are:
Hungary 440,000
Romania 600,000
Sum 1,040,000
Hungary took part of Romania, so Korherr has the following numbers, also correct:
Hungary 750,000
Romania 300,000
Sum 1,050,000
His figure for Russia c. 4 million is justifiable. The following numbers are from American Jewish Committee Yearbook (AJT) 1938-39:
Russia and the Baltic states 2.8 million
Eastern Poland 1.3 million
Sum 4.1 million
His European population for 1937 is 10.3 million
10.3 million in 1937
He says the number is reduced bu almost half, it is 4.5 million reduction
He says that one fourth fled, 2.6 million fled (0.25*10.3 milj)
His numbers give 1 million in Hungary and Romania
But we have to understand who are the 2.6 million who fled. In 1939 the Jewish population of Europe was 8.9 million according to (AJY 1938-39), that is 1.4 million smaller than 10.3 million. I understand this reduction as the following real emigrations:
0.5 million from Germany and Austria 1937-41, part of 0.69 million who emigrated
0.9 million has then fled from Eastern Europe 1937-1943, mostly to the USA
That is, 1.4 million fled to Americas before the war
There still remains 1.2 million who have fled
0.2 million fled from Western Poland to Russian Siberia in 1939 when Germany attacked
1 million have fled from Eastern Europe to Russian Siberia in 1941 or to Palestine
This must be the understanding. I set his Russian c. 4 million to 4.1 million as it agrees with the AJY data. To Palestine escaped about 200,000. That is, legally 75,000 and illegally 110,000 or so. This means that to Russian Siberia fled 1 million. Russian European part is thus 3.1 million. (Incidentally this is the same figure I derived in another way, but for the whole Russia. I think Russian Jewish population was 1 million smaller than in AJY data.)
Let’s do the calculation:
10.3 million
– 3.1 million, European Russia
– 1 million, Hungary and Romania
– 2.6 million fled to other countries
This gives 3.6 million in German hands excluding Hungary
In my calculations there were
1.82 million in West Europe including Hungary 440,000
1.84 million in Western Poland
Sum 3.66 million in the West including Hungary, but all were not transported by Nazis
Nazis transported
1.22 million from West Europe including Hungary
1.76 million from Western Poland
Sum 2.98 million, roundly 3 million. To the West Europe were left 0.6 million known to Nazis, 80,000 Jews of Poland were hiding. Thus, the sum is
3+0.6=3.6 million, but this still includes Hungary. Excluding Hungary it is 3.2 million. Korherr gives 3.6 million. It is 0.4 million large. We can assume that 0.4 million Jews were left to the occupied areas when Germany invaded the Soviet Union in 1941.
We redo the calculation:
10.3 million
– 2.6 million fled to other countries (1 to Siberia, 0.2 Palestine, 1.4 Americas)
– 3.1 million, European Russia
– 1 million, Hungary and Romania
– 2.6 million transported from West and Western Poland
– 0.6 million not transported from West excluding Hungary
– 0.4 million in occupied areas in the East
Sum zero.
How many European Jews had been reduced since 1937
2.6 million fled outside Europe
1.3 million were transported to Operation Reinhardt camps by 1943
0.6 million have died in the West and Western Poland in 1943, mainly in camps
Sum 4.5 million, just like Korherr writes
Total deaths in the West and Western Poland by 1945
0.14 million in Romania
0.06 million in Yugoslavia
0.8 million in other countries (mainly in camps)
Sum 1 million.
Before the end of the war 0.8-(0.6-0.06)=0.26 million died, largely in camps in Germany. This is reasonable as the camp system collapsed. (That is, 0.6 million had died by 1943 includes 0.06 million in Yugoslavia that are not in 0.8 million deaths by 1945.)
How many died in the East?
0.4 million left to occupied areas may have been shot.
0.5 million (1/3) of the transported 1.5 million (Operation Reinhardt) may have died.
0.5 million of those who fled to Siberia (1 million) may have died
0.3 million (1/10) of Russian 3.1 million Jews in Europe may have died
Sum 1.7 million
This way we come to maximum 2.7 million dead, but Germans did not necessarily shoot all 0.4 million, so the total can be 2.5 million. Korherr’s report agreed with my final solution to the Final Solution quite well. The main difference is that his estimation of Jews in Russia, c. 4 million, is 1 million larger than mine. But as he was using AJY data, there was no other, this difference is understandable. There is also a minor difference that he expects that Jews fled to the USA between 1937 and 1943. I think they fled between 1921 and 1939.