In Babtai, former members of the Riflemen's Union were organized into a white armband squad. It was led by Stanislavas Aniulis from the village of Varekonys. Arrests of communists, Komsomol members, and Soviet activists began within the first few days of the occupation. On July 17, 1941, eight communists and Soviet activists were shot in Babtai, six of whom were Jews.
"On August 11, the head of the Babtai rural district informed the governor of Kaunas County that 93 Jews lived in the town. A few days later, following a secret order from Reivytis, 34 adult Jews were arrested and locked up in the town synagogue. Thirty Jews from Vandžiogala were also brought there. The Jews of Babtai and Vandžiogala were executed between August 28 and September 2, 1941. Most witnesses stated that this took place in early September.
On the morning of the massacre, the town elder brought several dozen men from Babtai and nearby villages to a pre-selected execution site in the Babtai pine forest, on the bank of the Nevėžis River, and ordered them to dig a trench approximately 50 meters long, one meter wide, and two meters deep. They finished digging around 2:00 p.m. As soon as the digging was completed, two trucks arrived at the execution site carrying soldiers from the 3rd unit of the 1st battalion (about 50 men). They were led by officers Bronius Norkus, Juozas Barzda, and Anatolius Dagis. The arrested Jews, accompanied by local white armbanders and policemen, were driven to the execution site. Those who could not walk (the elderly and small children) were brought in carts. The Jews were stripped down to their underwear, then led to the pit and lined up at the edge, facing away from the executioners. The soldiers shot the Jews in the back on the officer's command. Some local white bandits also fired. First, the men were shot, then the women, children, and elderly. All soldiers of the 3rd unit took turns shooting. The massacre lasted several hours. According to eyewitnesses, between 300 and 400 Jews from Babtai and Vandžiogala were killed. According to Eger's report, 83 Jews from Babtai and 252 Jews from Vandžiogala were shot (a total of 335 people). One witness claimed there was one German with a camera who observed the mass murder of Jews in Babtai and Vandžiogala."
Sources:
http://holocaustatlas.lt/EN/#a_atlas/search//page/11/item/133/
https://kvr.kpd.lt/#/static-heritage-detail/49b86063-8f90-4043-a3e8-e9391d4d8204
