The World War II Resistance: Soviet Union


Figure 1.-- There is a considerable Soviet litrature on the Resistance and part of that includes the role of children in the Resistance. This is a very dramatic image, but quite a number of Soviet children did actually participate in partisan units. One very important difference between modern child soldiers and Soviet children in the Resistance is the goal of the NAZIs in the occupied East. It was not just the Jews that were targets of NAZI genocude, but there were plans to kill millions of Slavs and to deport or enslave those that were allowed to live. Although written in English, the book is a Soviet textbook. It was for children studying English.

The Resistance was especially important in the Soviet Union where guerrila groups disrupted German supply lines. The Soviets created the largest and most important Ressistance effort. This was possibly primarily because of the genocidal NAZI policies in the East. Ironically, the Soviet Union was the one country that the NAZIs invaded where they could have developed considerable popular support. The early successes of the Germans staggered the Red Army and Soviet society as a whole. Red Army soldiers surrendered in staggering numbers. Only slowly did anti-NAZI partisan units begin to form. Many of the partisans units were formed from men left behind as the Red Army retreated east. Later the Soviets dropped men and supplies to reinforce the partisan units. Other partisan units were formed by civilians. They Soviet partisans were an important part of the Great Patriotic War. Partisans killed thousands of German soldiers, but the major contribution was in disrupting Wehrmacht supply lines. Not only did this make supplying front line troops difficult, but it forced the Wehrmact to deply an important part of its combat strength in rear areas to secure supply lines. This was especially important in 1941-43. As the tide turned on the Eastern Front, the importance of the partisans declined as the Red Army became an effective fighting force. The partisans even in the later phases of the War was still significant and were a cotinuing drain on the Wehrmacht as it retreated west.

Stalin's Cooperation with Hitler

The heroic resistance of the Soviet people to NAZI aggression is perhaps the central factor in World War II. Without detracting in the least from the valor of the Soviet people, the perfidy of their leader--Joseph Stlalin needs to be mentioned. It was Stalin who signed a Non-Agression Pact with Hitler (August 1939). It was Stalin who as a virtual ally to Hitler, engaged in a series of aggressions against neighboring states (Poland, Finland, Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania, Czechoslovakia, and Romania). After the NAZI invasion, Stalin ordered that all records of this previous cooperated with the NAZIs be destroyed. This mean going into linraries and clipping articles out of newspapers and magazines.

Anti-Soviet Russians

The Resistance was especially important in the Soviet Union where guerrila groups disrupted German supply lines. The Soviets created the largest and most important Ressistance effort. This was possibly primarily because of the genocidal NAZI policies in the East. Ironically, the Soviet Union was the one country that the NAZIs invaded where they could have developed considerable popular support.

Operation Barbarossa

The Germans invaded Russia in June 1941, launching the most sweeping military campaign in history. It is estimated that on the eve of battle, 6.25 million men faced each other in the East. The Soviets were surprised and devestated. Stalin ignored warnings from the British who as a result of Ultra had details on the German preparations. Stalin was convinced that they were trying to draw him into the War and until the actual attack could not believe that Hitle would attack him. The attack was an enormous tactical success. The Soviets were surprised and devestated. The Soviet Air Force was destoyed, largely on the ground. The early successes of the Germans staggered the Red Army and Soviet society as a whole. Red Army soldiers surrendered in staggering numbers. The Germans captured 3.8 million Soviet soldiers in the first few months of the campaign. No not knowing the true size of the Red Army, they thought they had essentally won the War. German columns seized the major cities of western Russia and drove toward Leningrad and Moscow.

The Occupied East

The Soviet Resistance has to be viewed in the context of what the NAZIs were doing in Poland and occupied areas of the Soviet Union as well as the NAZI plans for the East after the War. The NAZI program for Lebensraum in the east was not just to acquire territory. The plans for that territory was monsterous beyond belief. The plan was to reduce the population of Poles and Russians in these territories through outright murder and forced expulsions. Some would remain to serve as slave laborers. Many would be killed outright. Millions more would be expelled or "evacuated" with the understanding that large numbers would die in the process. The goal was to make the east German. Here Reichsführer Heinrich Himmler had the responsibility for persuing this effort. He appears to have assigned his deputy Reinhard Heydrich appears to have coordinated this effort and essentially he SS's entire eastern operations.

Formation

Churchill after the fall of France conceuved of setting Western Europe ablaze by supporting resistance groups. This did not provecfreasible, but two countries in the East did suceed in launching important resistance movements--the Soviet Union nd Yugoslavia. Only slowly did Soviet anti-NAZI partisan units begin to form. Stalin at first was hesitant to support the partisans. This is because the area of the Soviet Union occupied by the Germans included large numbers of non-Russian people (Balts, Poles, Belorusians, and the Ukranins). These were people Stalin with some reason considered suspect and potentially sympathetic to the Germans. He thought a strong, well armed parisan movement formed from these natioinalities could well pose adanger to Soviet control. The enormity of the NAZI invasion and threat to the Soviet Union apparently changed his mind. Many of the partisans units were formed from shatered remanents of Red Army divisions that managed to elude capture by the Germans. These men included many ethnic Russians, helping to ensure Soviet cointrol. Stalin placed the partian units under NKVD control. The Soviets eventually dropped men and supplies to reinforce the partisan units. The Soviets infiltrated trough German lines were focused on installing the Soviet tri-partie command structure (orgtroika) which included Soviet state, Party, and NKVD officers. Other partisan units were formed by local civilians. Here NAZI barbarity and eventually military successes helped to generate local recruits. The virtually inpeetrable Pripet Marshes were a major center of partisan activity. Eventually the partisans as the military situation in the East changed were transferred to Red Army control. Partisan units were still relatively weak, but grew exponentially in 1943 and early 44.

The Rail War

The Supreme Soviet declared the Rail War (July 14, 1943). Partisans forced had been significantly expanded in many areas. The objective was to disrupt rail traffic in the occupied areas. The Soviet Union had a very primative highweay system. The Wehrmach relied haevily on moving men and equipment by rail. The result was a significant disruption of Wehrmah supplies. In only one night, the rail network in one areas (Briansk, Orel, and Gomel) was severed in 5,800 places (July 20, 1943). This was an area through which German supply lines ran for the forces fighting at Kursk (July 1943). Kursk was one of the pivotal battles on the Eastern Front.

NAZI Anti-Partisan Campaigns

German anti-Partisan activities varied over time. The orders issued by OKW were very harsh--The Commissar Order and Barbarossa Decree. The propensity for violence on the part of German officers varied. One author describes a prevalent "guerrillaphobia". [Shepherd] Many officers were consvinced that oartisans could divert the Wehrmacht from the Schwerpunk and could only be defeated by the most ruthless application of force. This was a prevalebt belief within the Reichwehr even before Hitler seized power. And after seizing power, he moved to polticize the Wehrmacht. NAZI supporters were promoted and officers of the Imperial Army that believed in chilverous conduct were shunted aside. Added to this, the anti-Semetic and anti-Slavic NAZI idelogy set up a condition in which ahti-partisan operations would be waged with unprecedented barbarity. Some authors suggests that the anti-partisan operations were conducted at least in part as pat of the NAZI goal of reducing Jewish and Slavic populations. Another factor that has to be considered is the limited resources that the Germans palced in anti-partisan activities and the huge area involved. This set up very different circustances than in the West. Three groups were involved in the anti-partisan operations: the Wejrmct, the SS, and the Reich Labor Front. The Wehrmacht placed its anti-partisan operations in the hands of Security Divisions not prepared for front line operations. In additions, units resting behind the frontlines might be attached temporarily to SS units for anti-partisan operations. The SS Einsatzgruppen after anialiting Jewish communities were deployed for anti-partisan units. SS combat units were also deployed for anti-partisan units. These units included formations recruited from anti-Soviet local people, and Muslims. Another major participant in the anti-partisan operations was Fritz Sauckel's Reich Plenipotentiary for the Mobilization of Labor. The three groups often independently without any coordination. One author believes that the Wehrmact Security Divisions and SS units often cooperated, but there was little cooperation with the Sauckel's Labor Organization. German anti-parisan operations can be divided into three periods in which anti-partisan operatins varied. First was Barbarossa (June-December 1941). Here Soviet partisans were weak and poorly organized. The Germans expecting a quick victory acted brutally without any consideration of the long-term impact of their actions. Second was the 1942 campaign. After the Soviet offensive before Moscow (December 1941), it became clear that the Eastern campaign would not be a short one. Some Wehrmacht commanders began to defy orders and attempted a degree of moderation to pacify thir areas. [Shepherd] Third, during the retreat west following Stalingrad, retreating units often acted brutally, both killing large numbers of people, but destroying any thing that might be useful. At the same time, expanding Soviet partisan actions brought vicious reprisals. German anti-partisan operations were especially severe in 1944. SS orgganized operations would sweep areas designated as "band infested". They would descend on towns and villages, in some cases killing the entire population and buring the communirt to the ground. Depending on the commander, the children and in some cases the women would be spared. The survivors were transported west to the Reich where they were interned in concentration camps, including camps like Auschwitz. These sweeps while barbaric apparently did effectively reduce partisan activity.

Regional Operations

Partisan activity varied greatly from region to region in the German-occupied East. By far thge most intense area of ctivity was the area occupied by Army Group Center, easern Poland (Belarus) and the western Russian areas. One Belarus source reports, "Over the period of 1418 days of German occupation of Belarus 1,255 partisan detachments were formed and lead military actions in Belarus with 374,000 fighters. Additionally approximately 400,000 of locals supported partisan movement. In the cities 70,000 people were involved in the underground resistance. During the three years of war on occupied territory of Belarus (June 1941 - July 1944) Belarusian partisans and underground resistance fighters have killed or incapacitated more than 500,000 of Nazis. 11,128 of German trains following to Russian East Front, as well as 34 armored battle trains were blown up or derailed by Belarusian partisans. 29 railway stations, 948 Military Headquarters, 18,700 cars and trucks, 819 railway and 4,710 auto bridges were destroyed by Belarusian partisans." [VG Group] We can not confirm the actual numbers, but this was definitely an area of intense partisan activity.

Military Impact

They Soviet partisans were an important part of the Great Patriotic War. Partisans killed thousands of German soldiers, but the major contribution was in disrupting Wehrmacht supply lines. Not only did this make supplying front line troops difficult, but it forced the Wehrmact to deply an important part of its combat strength in rear areas to secure supply lines. This was especially important in 1941-43. As the tide turned on the Eastern Front, the importance of the partisans declined as the Red Army became an effective fighting force. The partisans even in the later phases of the War was still significant and were a cotinuing drain on the Wehrmacht as it retreated west.

Children

There have in recent years been considerable press treatment of child soldiers. Many horrific accounts describe the damage done to society and the children themselves. There is a considerable Soviet litrature on the Resistance and part of that includes the role of children in the Resistance. Here we see a Soviet text book, in this case a reader for children learning English (figure 1). One very important difference between modern child soldiers and Soviet children in the Resistance is the goal of the NAZIs in the occupied East. It was not just the Jews that were targets of NAZI genocude, but there were plans to kill millions of Slavs and to deport or enslave those that were allowed to live. In such a circumstance the participation of children in the Resistance is much more understandable.

Sources

Shepherd, Ben. War in the Wild East: The German Army and Soviet Partisans. (Cambridge: Harvard University Press, 2004), 368p.

Slepyan, Kenneth. The War behind the Eastern Front: The Soviet Partisan Movement in North-West Russia, 1941-1944

VG Group (Belarusian scientists and professionals abroad). 'Partisan Resistance in Belarus during World War II,' Virtual Guide to Belarus.

Westermann, Edward B. The War Behind the Eastern Front: The Soviet Partisan Movement in North-West Russia 1941-44.





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Created: January 31, 2004
Last updated: 9:38 AM 8/15/2014