Arajs Kommando
| Arajs Kommando | |
|---|---|
| German: Sonderkommando Arajs Latvian: Arāja komanda | |
Emblem of the Sicherheitsdienst used by the Arajs Kommando. | |
| Active | 1941—1943 |
| Allegiance | Nazi Germany |
| Branch | Sicherheitsdienst |
| Size | >100 (July 1941) — 1,500 (1943) |
| War crimes | The Holocaust in Latvia The Holocaust in Belarus The Holocaust in Russia |
| Commanders | |
| Commander | Viktors Arājs |
| Deputy commander | Herberts Cukurs |
The Arajs Kommando (Latvian: Arāja komanda; German: Sonderkommando Arajs) was a paramilitary unit of the Sicherheitsdienst (SD) active in German-occupied Latvia from 1941 to 1943. It was led by SS commander and Nazi collaborator Viktors Arājs and composed of ethnic Latvian volunteers recruited by Arājs.
The Arajs Kommando was a notorious death squad and one of the main perpetrators of the Holocaust in Latvia. The unit was involved in the mass killing of Jews in Latvia until 1942 when it was used in anti-partisan operations in Belarus and Russia. It was disbanded and merged into the Latvian Legion in 1943.