In April 1941, guards at the Lodz Ghetto (referred to here as Litzmannstadt) received the following directives regarding the use of firearms:

“Under No. 9 of the Special Instructions issued by the Chief of Police concerning contact with the ghetto (Instruction S1, dated October 5th 1940), in the case of any attempt by a Jewish inhabitant of the ghetto to leave the ghetto in any unauthorised manner whatsoever, immediate use of firearms is to be made. With the endorsement of the Chief of Police, I hereby amplify the order as follows:

1. The use of firearms in a crowded street incurs the strong possibility of wounding a party not involved. This is to be avoided.

2. Any person who merely approaches the ghetto fence from the outside in a suspicious manner is to be challenged with the word “Halt”. Only if the person challenged does not stand still on being challenged, or tries to run away, is shooting to take place.

3. Any Jew who tries to crawl through or to climb over the ghetto fence, or attempts to leave the ghetto in any other unauthorised manner, is to be shot without challenge.

4. Any Jew who throws any kind of smuggled article or money over the fence, or receives objects thrown over the fence, if he is caught in the act, is to be shot without challenge.

5. Any Jew who loiters right by the fence after the curfew (2100 hours) is to be shot without challenge.

6. Any person caught in the act of smuggling goods, money, etc. into the ghetto from the outside, or receiving same, is to be shot without challenge.

7. Any person caught in the act of crawling through or climbing over the fence from the outside is to be shot without challenge.”

Signed,
Chief of Police, Litzmannstadt
April 11th 1941