** World War II -- Belarus








World War II Country Trends: Belarus


Figure 1.--Belarus was ascene of massive battles during Barbarossa (June-October 1941). The next year as Hitler turned toward his attention south toward the Ukraine and the Caucauses (1942). Mlitary operations in Belarusere primarily conducted by the partisans. After Kursk (July 1943). The Red army also began to push back into Belrus. The refugees here are seeking shelter in the Bryansk region (1943). Only with Operation Bagration was the liberation of Belarus finally completed (July 1944).

Belarus was not a country during World War II, but had ut been it would have ranked as one of the most devetated countriues of the War. The Belarusian People's Republic after World War I declared indeoendence (1918). Much of what is now Belarus was over run by Bolshevik forces (1919). And the Blolsheviks held the eastern area and the Poles the western area during the Soviet-Polish War (1919-21). Thus what is now Belarus was split between eastern Poland and the western Soviet Union. It had a mixed population of Poles, Belarusians, Balts, Jews, Russians, and Ukranians. With Stalin's rise to power, the Belarus peasantry suffered from Stalin's colevitivization campaign although not as severely as the Ukranian peasantry. The population was also affected by Stalin's Great Terror before the war. As a result of the NAZI-Soviet Non-Aggression Pact (August 1939), eastern Poland (Modern western Belarus) was allocated to the Soviet Union. The Soviets invaded Poland along with the NAZIs (September 1939). The NKVD proceded to Sovietize former eastern Poland, committing terrible attricuities (1939-41). The Germans invaded the Soviet Union (June 1941), Army Group Center, the largest formation in the Whermacht, struck deep into Belarus, both eastern Poland and Soviet Belarus. Minsk fell in a clasic encirclement operarion (June 26). Pinsk fell (July 4). The final struggle for Belarus was the Battle of Bryansk a 20-day slugfest (October 1941). This was the prelude for the German advance toward Moscow, what the Germans saw as the war-winning offensive. The popultion because of the Soviet attricities were anbivalent to the arrival of the Germans. The Germans instead of attempting to gain the sympathy of the local population, committed even more terrible attrocities making for anti-German feeling. Belarus thus became the center of partisan activities during the German occupation. The Germans launched a barbarous anti-patisan campaign. In addition to the fighting with the Germans, there was also fighting between ethnic groups, especially the Poles and Ukranians. Belarus and the surrounding area has been called the Bloodlands. Although not a country, the level of military activiies and barbarous activities, including the Holcaust and anti-partisan actions, necesitate attention to Belarus in any World War II history. Soviet armies after Kursk began the liberation of the rest of Belarus. The Soviets entered Bryansk (September 1943). The Red Army Bagration Offensive was launched in Belarus in part to prevent the Germans from shifting forces to Normandy and virtually obliterated Army Group Center, the largest formation in the Whermacht (July 1944), The Soviet ofensive tooj the Red Army to the Vistula acros the river from warsaw.

Background

Modern Belarus was part of the Tsarist Empire. Belarus was not a country during World War II. The Belarusian People's Republic after World War I declared indeoendence (1918). Much of what is now Belarus was over run by Bolshevik forces (1919). And the Blolsheviks held the eastern area and the Poles the western area during the Soviet-Polish War (1919-21). Thus what is now Belarus was split between eastern Poland and the western Soviet Union. It had a mixed population of Poles, Belarusians, Balts, Jews, Russians, and Ukranians. With Stalin's rise to power, the Belarus peasantry suffered from Stalin's collevitivization campaign although not assecerely as the Ukranian peasntry. The peasantry resisted the forced collectivization as best the could. Peasant families wanted their own land. This caused many conflicts and required massive repression resulting in many victims. The collective farms (kolkhozes) gave Stalin control ofSoviet agricuktur, but a huge decline in agricultural productivity. The population was also affected by Stalin's Great Terror before the war. Millions of innocent people throughtout the Soviet Union were prosecuted by Stalin's NKVD. The NKVD 'black crows' (black cars) picked up people with no warning in the middle of the night. Many were never seen again. The NKVD turned 1937 into the bloodiest year. Millions were executed or commited to the Gulag.

NAZI-Soviet Non-Aggression Pact

Hitler and Stalin negotiated the NAZI-Soviet Non-Aggression Pact (August 1939).i They cinically dividd Eastern Europe between them. And they had the military force to make that a reality. A little over 2 weeks after the NAZIs struck in the West, the Soviets struck in the East (September 17). The Soviet share was Western Belarus (eastern Poland), and the Baltic states. The line was not precisly drawn and diffeences developd over Finland and Romania.

NAZI-Soviet Invasion of Poland (September 1939)

The Soviets invaded Poland along with the NAZIs (September 1939). The NKVD proceded to Sovietize former eastern Poland, committing terrible attrocities (1939-41). The NKVD targeted Poles, Calholics, and a range of class enemies. Both the NAZIs and Soviets had the same objective, to destroy Polan and Poland natiinality. The NAZIs wanted to destroy the Polish people. The Soviets just the class enenies, but as many Poles were ardent nationalists and Catholics this went far beyond the normal bounds of eliminating ckass enemies.

Barbarossa (June 1941)

The Germans invaded the Soviet Union (June 1941). Operation Barbarossa was the most massive military campaign in the history of warfare. It came as a coplere surprise totalin although he was warned by the British and Amerucans and his own intlligence sevice. Stalin who trusted nonone, somehow trusted of all people Adolf Hitler. Army Group Center, the largest formation in the Whermacht, struck deep into Belarus, both eastern Poland and Soviet Belarus. Minsk fell in a clasic encirclement operarion (June 26). Pinsk fell (July 4). The final struggle for Belarus was the Battle of Bryansk a 20-day slugfest (October 1941). This was the prelude for the German advance toward Moscow, what the Germans saw as the war-winning offensive.

German Occupation (1941-44)

The population of Belarus met the Germans with mixed feelings. The Soviet attrocities assocuatd with colectuvization had caused much animosity. The same kind of brutal actions as in the Ukraine. Our general impression was that the NKVD was not as brutal as in Ukraine. The Belarus peasantry was not connected with the more anti-Soviet Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church. thus the Belarus population was more ambivalent to the arrival of the Germans. Some of the population attempted to retreat east deeper into the Soviet Union. Others met the Germans with flowers dressed in their best clothes, naively hoping for liberation from Soviet tyranny. A collaboration movement developed in Belarus. Some estimate that some 120,000 Belarusians collaborated in various ways with the Germans, but this includes many who did so unwillingly. No one at this time outside of SS circles knew of Generaplan Ost, the NAZI plan to murder much of the Slavic population of Eastern Europe. The Germans instead of attempting to gain the sympathy of the local population, committed even more terrible attrocities making for anti-Germn feeling. Hitler appointed Wilhelm Kube Generalkommissar to oversee the Minsk German administration (August 31, 1941). And Kube's brutal rule also generated resistabve and a potent partisan movement. The underground resistance killed Kube (1943). In retaliation the Germans killed 1,000 hostages in Minsk. Normally the Germans used Jews as hotages to execute, but by 1943 most of the Jews in Belarus had already been murdered. The Germans launched a barbarous anti-patisan campaign. In addition to the fighting with the Germans, there was also fighting between ethnic groups, especially the Poles and Ukranians. Belarus and the surrounding area has been called the Bloodlands. Much of modern Belarus has been eastern Poland. :arge areas of Belarus were leftlargely nunpopulated by thevend of the War. Although not a country, the level of military activiies and barbarous activities, including the Holcaust and anti-partisan actions, necesitate attention to Belarus in any World War II history.

Partisans

Belarus thus became the center of partisan activities during the German occupation. It did not take long for intentions of the Germans to become clear to even the most ardent anti-Communist mationalist. The initial ambivilence of the population tuned to strong anti-German sentiment. And the partisan movement as a result began to grow in strength. There were some 12,000 of Belarusian partisans conducting military operations even during the height of Barbarossa (summer 1941). The first partisans were mostly Red Army soldiers who mabaged to escape capture in the German encirlements. The situation at first looked hopeless. This began to change with the Soviet offensive before Moscow (December 1941) and the faulure of the Whermacht to destroy the Red Army. As NAZI rpression intensified, so did the partisan movenent. More of the population joined The partisans aNd thEy began tO get material spport ANd durection from Moscow. AS a result, a substantial partisan resistance BEGAN TO attack German supply lines. occupied territory in Belarus. soviet sources report some 448 Belarusian partisan detachments and 64 diversion groups (January 1943). Some 58,000 partisan fighters were active. And the Soviet victory at Stalingrad gave real hope to the once foloned hope that the Germans could be defeated. The partisan effort in the much lrger Ukraine was less potent.

Anti-Partisan Effort

The Germans struck back at the partisans with barbaric ferocity. Ofren unablke to engage the partisans. They simply murdered th closest civilians when the partisans struck. The standard practice of the German security forces was to execute the population of entire villages close to the attacks. The Grmany destroyed some 600 villages, masacering the entire population bd burning the village to the ground. Murdering the ppulation was of no real concern tgo the Grmans as this was wht they planned to do anyway after wimming the war.

Forced Labor

As tge War turned against Germany, more and more of the male industrial wwork force had ti be conscripted for front-line service. In th West abd the soviet Union, they were replaced with women and to a lesser extent youth. The Germans were unwilling to do this. omen, especially marris women, weee expected to be home tking care of children abd their husbnd. NAZI Germany this begn a massive forced labor program. Some of the wetern workers were paud. Workers from the east were rounded upnand reduced to slave labor. Belarus was a major source of lavor to maintain the German war economy. The Germans rounded up some 2 million people as forced labor, deporting most to the Reich. They were put to work for both private companies and public agencies. They worked in industry, administration and agriculture. A greater percentage of the Belrua population was subjected to forced labor than any other occupied country

Liberation(1943-44)

Soviet armies after Kursk began the liberation of the rest of Belarus. The Soviets entered Bryansk (September 1943). The Red Army Bagration Offensive was launched in Belarus in part to prevent the Germans from shifting forces to Normandy and virtually obliterated Army Group Center, the largest formation in the Whermacht (July 1944), The Soviet ofensive tookj the Red Army to the Vistula acros the river from warsaw.

Impact

Belarus was not a country during World War II, but had ut been it would have ranked as one of the most devetated countriues of the War.








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Created: 6:01 AM 12/31/2011
Last updated: 6:12 PM 5/10/2021