Vlasovites and St. George’s ribbon: truth and myths. Prague uprising - the last crime of the Vlasovites? (IMHO) Why did Vlasov create the ROA

Very contradictory. Over time, historians cannot agree on when the army itself began to form, who the Vlasovites were and what role they played during the war. In addition to the fact that the very formation of soldiers is considered, on the one hand, patriotic, and on the other, treacherous, there is also no exact data on exactly when Vlasov and his soldiers entered the battle. But first things first.

Who is he?

Vlasov Andrey Andreevich was a famous political and military figure. He started on the side of the USSR. Participated in the battle for Moscow. But in 1942 he was captured by the Germans. Without hesitation, Vlasov decided to go over to Hitler’s side and began to collaborate against the USSR.

Vlasov remains a controversial figure to this day. Until now, historians are divided into two camps: some are trying to justify the actions of the military leader, others are trying to condemn. Vlasov's supporters shout furiously about his patriotism. Those who joined the ROA were and remain true patriots of their country, but not of their government.

The opponents long ago decided for themselves who the Vlasovites were. They are confident that since their boss and they themselves joined the Nazis, then they were, are and will remain traitors and collaborators. Moreover, patriotism, according to opponents, is just a cover. In fact, the Vlasovites went over to Hitler’s side only in the name of saving their lives. Moreover, they did not become respected people there. The Nazis used them for propaganda purposes.

Formation

It was Andrei Andreevich Vlasov who first spoke about the formation of the ROA. In 1942, he and Baersky created the “Smolensk Declaration,” which was a kind of “helping hand” for the German command. The document discussed a proposal to found an army that would fight against communism on Russian territory. The Third Reich acted wisely. The Germans decided to report this document to the media in order to create resonance and a wave of discussion.

Of course, such a step was aimed primarily at propaganda. Nevertheless, the soldiers who were part of the German army began to call themselves ROA military men. In fact, this was permissible; theoretically, the army existed only on paper.

Not Vlasovites

Despite the fact that already in 1943, volunteers began to form into the Russian Liberation Army, it was still too early to talk about who the Vlasovites were. The German command fed Vlasov “breakfasts”, and in the meantime gathered everyone who wanted to join the ROA.

At the time of 1941, the project included more than 200 thousand volunteers, but then Hitler did not yet know about such an amount of help. Over time, the famous “Havi” (Hilfswillige - “those willing to help”) began to appear. At first the Germans called them “our Ivans.” These people worked as security guards, cooks, grooms, drivers, loaders, etc.

If in 1942 there were just over 200 thousand Hawis, by the end of the year there were almost a million “traitors” and prisoners. Over time, Russian soldiers fought in the elite divisions of the SS troops.

RONA (RNNA)

In parallel with the Khawi, another so-called army is being formed - the Russian People's Liberation Army (RONA). At that time, one could hear about Vlasov thanks to the battle for Moscow. Despite the fact that RONA consisted of only 500 soldiers, it was a defensive force for the city. It ceased to exist after the death of its founder Ivan Voskoboynikov.

At the same time, the Russian National People's Army (RNPA) was created in Belarus. She was an exact copy of RON. Its founder was Gil-Rodionov. The detachment served until 1943, and after Gil-Rodionov returned to Soviet power, the Germans disbanded the RNNA.

In addition to these “Nevlasovites,” there were also legions that were famous among the Germans and were held in high esteem. And also the Cossacks who fought to form their own state. The Nazis sympathized with them even more and considered them not Slavs, but Goths.

Origin

Now directly about who the Vlasovites were during the war. As we already remember, Vlasov was captured and from there began active cooperation with the Third Reich. He proposed creating an army so that Russia would become independent. Naturally, this did not suit the Germans. Therefore, they did not allow Vlasov to fully implement his projects.

But the Nazis decided to play on the name of the military leader. They called on the Red Army soldiers to betray the USSR and enroll in the ROA, which they did not plan to create. All this was done on behalf of Vlasov. Since 1943, the Nazis began to allow ROA soldiers to express themselves more.

Perhaps this is how the Vlasov flag appeared. The Germans allowed the Russians to use sleeve stripes. They looked like Although many soldiers tried to use the white-blue-red banner, the Germans did not allow it. The remaining volunteers, of other nationalities, often wore patches in the form of national flags.

When the soldiers began wearing patches with the St. Andrew’s flag and the inscription ROA, Vlasov was still far from command. Therefore, this period can hardly be called “Vlasov”.

Phenomenon

In 1944, when the Third Reich began to realize that a lightning war was not working out, and their affairs at the front were completely deplorable, it was decided to return to Vlasov. In 1944, Reichsführer SS Himmler discussed with the Soviet military leader the issue of forming an army. Then everyone already understood who the Vlasovites were.

Despite the fact that Himmler promised to form ten Russian divisions, the Reichsführer later changed his mind and agreed to only three.

Organization

The Committee for the Liberation of the Peoples of Russia was formed only in 1944 in Prague. It was then that the practical organization of the ROA began. The army had its own command and all types of troops. Vlasov was both the chairman of the Committee and the commander-in-chief of which, in turn, both on paper and in practice, were an independent Russian national army.

The ROA had allied relations with the Germans. Although the Third Reich was involved in financing. The money the Germans issued was credit and had to be repaid as soon as possible.

Vlasov's thoughts

Vlasov set himself a different task. He hoped that his organization would become as strong as possible. He foresaw the defeat of the Nazis and understood that after this he would have to represent the “third side” in the conflict between the West and the USSR. The Vlasovites had to implement their political plans with the support of Britain and the United States. Only at the beginning of 1945 was the ROA officially presented as the armed forces of an allied power. Within a month, the fighters were able to receive their own sleeve insignia, and an ROA cockade on their hat.

Baptism of fire

Even then they began to understand who the Vlasovites were. During the war they had to work a little. In general, the army took part in only two battles. Moreover, the first took place against Soviet troops, and the second against the Third Reich.

On February 9, the ROA entered combat positions for the first time. The actions took place in the Oder region. The ROA performed well, and the German command highly appreciated its actions. She was able to occupy Neuleveen, the southern part of Karlsbize and Kerstenbruch. On March 20, the ROA was supposed to seize and equip a bridgehead, and also be responsible for the passage of ships along the Oder. The army's actions were more or less successful.

Already at the end of March 1945, the ROA decided to get together and unite with the Cossack Cavalry Corps. This was done in order to show the whole world their power and potential. Then the West was quite cautious about the Vlasovites. They didn't particularly like their methods and goals.

The ROA also had escape routes. The command hoped to reunite with the Yugoslav troops or break into the Ukrainian Insurgent Army. When the leadership realized the inevitable defeat of the Germans, it was decided to go west on their own to surrender to the Allies there. It later became known that Himmler wrote about the physical elimination of the Committee's leadership. This was precisely the first reason for the escape of the ROA from under the wing of the Third Reich.

The last event that remains in history was the Prague Uprising. Units of the ROA reached Prague and rebelled against Germany along with the partisans. Thus, they managed to liberate the capital before the arrival of the Red Army.

Education

Throughout history, there was only one school that trained soldiers in the ROA - Dabendorf. Over the entire period, 5 thousand people were released - that's 12 issues. The lectures were based on harsh criticism of the existing system in the USSR. The main emphasis was precisely the ideological component. It was necessary to re-educate captured soldiers and raise staunch opponents of Stalin.

This is where real Vlasovites graduated. The photo of the school's badge proves that it was an organization with clear goals and ideas. The school did not last long. At the end of February she had to be evacuated to Gischübel. Already in April it ceased to exist.

Controversy

The main dispute remains what the Vlasov flag was. Many people to this day argue that it is the current state flag of Russia that is the banner of “traitors” and followers of Vlasov. In fact, this is how it is. Some believed that the Vlasov banner was with the St. Andrew's Cross, some individual collaborators used the modern tricolor of the Russian Federation. The latter fact was confirmed even by video and photography.

Questions also began about other attributes. It turns out that the awards of the Vlasovites in one way or another relate to the currently famous dispute about the St. George’s Ribbon. And here it is worth explaining. The fact is that the Vlasov ribbon, in principle, did not exist at all.

Nowadays, it is the St. George ribbon that is attributed to those defeated in the Great Patriotic War. It was used in awards for members of the Committee for the Liberation of the Peoples of Russia and the ROA. And initially it was attached to the Order of St. George back in imperial Russia.

In the Soviet award system there was a guards ribbon. It was a special sign of distinction. It was used to design the Order of Glory and the medal “For Victory over Germany.”

In the commentary to the book dedicated to modern singers of collaboration in Russia, I tried to compare the Vlasovites and Banderaites and give my assessment of modern Vlasov historians, who, like K. Alexandrov, A. Gogun and A. Zubov, are trying to justify the Vlasovites and Banderaites.

This is related to the question posed to me:
“I, an amateur, having learned at school about the arts of Vlasov and Bandera, was horrified, and I still have not changed my opinion, despite more information on the issue.
One can imagine what a person who gained access to the archives learned, incl. and secret.
The question arises - this manipulation, presenting bandits as creatives and so on - does this mean anything?

Now my answer:
1) I would not compare the “art” of the Vlasovites and the Banderaites.
- I know nothing about the atrocities of the Vlasovites. There’s a whole carload about the atrocities of Bandera’s followers.

Besides, the Vlasovites are Russians. Bandera's people are predominantly Galicians. Mostly rural and Uniate animals. Polish slaves who suddenly had the opportunity to deal with those they had previously served.
- Bandera’s followers are radical nationalists, for whom this ideology justified their hatred of others and the desire to rob and kill, while the Vlasovites generally tried not to focus on Nazism, relying on the anti-communist orientation of their activities.

The Vlasovites, in the overwhelming majority of cases, are downtrodden and confused, morally weakened prisoners of concentration camps, who, for the sake of a well-fed life, chose betrayal in order not to die. Among them were ideological enemies of the Soviets and Stalin, or those who were offended. But for the most part, this approach served as a cover for betrayal. Like they fought against communism. From this point of view, it is more difficult with the Vlasovites. But the fact of betrayal is obvious.
In turn, Bandera’s supporters were mostly citizens of Poland. And from this point of view, they did not betray Russia-USSR. They hated her. But hatred was mostly shown towards ordinary people, killing them only because they (1) were of a different nationality or faith, (2) did not share their views, (3) refused to help them, (4) sympathized with the Soviets, ( 5) they simply didn’t like them or had something that Bandera’s supporters wanted to take away.

2) Bandera and Vlasovites are united by two things: they were collaborators, that is, they served the Reich and promoted anti-Sovietism.

3) Modern Vlasovites, such as K. Alexandrov, are already ideological anti-Sovietists and monarchists. Which in my opinion is not a crime. However, I consider their attempts to justify Vlasov’s betrayal by presenting him as a hero and fighter for the liberation of Russia to be scientifically unjustified and criminal for our values. After all, this can be considered only if one does not take into account that:

The ROA was created on the initiative of the Reich command and served its interests almost until the very end;

The Reich leadership planned not to liberate Russia from the USSR, but to create on the territory of the USSR a vital space for the German nation in accordance with the Ost plan, according to which Russia was assigned the role of a colony, and the population was to be reduced to 30 million and subjected to violent degradation to level of uneducated native slaves. a Russian patriot could not wish this for his country. And I consider the explanation that after the defeat of the USSR the Vlasovites would have taken up arms against the Reich too hypothetical.

4) However, I absolutely do not understand the attempt of modern Vlasovites, who position themselves as Russian patriots and Orthodox Christians, to justify Bandera’s terror and ardent sympathy for the Galician Uniates. who slaughtered Russians and Orthodox Christians, believing that only the complete destruction of Russia and Russians could lead to the liberation and prosperity of Ukraine. And here is this position. in my opinion, it is wrong and criminal in all respects. And she should be held accountable.

5) No matter how the Vlasovites explain their position by the fact that they know this topic more than others, in the questions that I raised here, they specifically sag and show that they are enemies of Russia.
At the same time, I do not propose to punish the Vlasovites as enemies of the people. But I consider it wrong and even criminal to leave them the opportunity to conduct their propaganda in schools, universities and the media of the Russian Federation.

The fate of the Vlasovites.

After the tanks of the 1st Ukrainian Front appeared on the outskirts of Prague, the song of the Vlasovites was sung. Neither Vlasov nor his henchmen had any desire to engage in battle with the advancing Red Army in May 1945.
Each one died and was saved alone.
Vlasov, by the way, understood perfectly well that his one and a half divisions did not play any role in the war that Hitler had already lost, and made desperate attempts to “make friends” with the West.
Here's what Hofmann writes about it:
“During the spring of 1945, several attempts were also made to establish direct contact with the advancing Allied forces, this time with the goal of reaching an agreement on surrender with the only condition - not to hand over members of the ROA to the Soviets. In the last days of April in Fussen, where KONR had moved, Vlasov, generals Malyshkin, Zhilenkov, Boyarsky, the authorized German General Aschenbrenner and Captain Strik-Strikfeldt discussed further actions. Everyone was inclined to Aschenbrenner’s proposal to immediately send envoys to the Americans and agree on surrender. On April 29, Major General Malyshkin and Captain Shtrik-Shtrikfeldt (under the name of Colonel Verevkin) crossed the front line as an interpreter. The American officers greeted them quite correctly, but their complete lack of understanding of the problem was immediately revealed (they knew nothing about the ROA). Malyshkin had the opportunity to discuss in detail the problems of the Russian liberation movement with the commander of the 7th Army, General Patch. The conversation revealed the negative attitude of the Americans towards the fact that Russian volunteer units fought in France and Italy against the Allied forces, and Malyshkin had to put a lot of work into convincing them that these volunteers were in German uniforms with the ROA emblem on the left (and not on the right) sleeve were subordinated exclusively to the Germans and had nothing to do with the Vlasov army. After the conversation, General Patch assured Malyshkin of his personal sympathies, but did not dare to take responsibility in resolving these issues. He could only promise to treat the ROA soldiers after the surrender as prisoners of war, but the decision on their future fate remained with Washington...."

Let us note this amusing nonsense of the Vlasov General Malyshkin to the naive American commander of the 7th Army, Patch. Having realized during the conversation that the American had heard that Vlasov’s volunteers fought against the Allied forces on the Western Front and he was very dissatisfied with this circumstance, Malyshkin immediately composed a fairy tale for the gullible American about the fact that those who wore the “ROA” emblem on the left sleeve - these are the “bad guys” who supposedly obeyed the Germans and fought with the Americans.
But those who have this emblem sewn on their right (like him) sleeve are the “good guys”, subordinate exclusively to their heroic general Vlasov and fighting only with the “Stalinist hordes”, on the Eastern Front, protecting Western civilization from them.
The resourceful Malyshkin, of course, did not tell the American that Vlasov himself was subordinate to Reichsführer SS Himmler to the core.
Despite the obvious delusion of his story, Patch seemed to believe Malyshkin and assured the Vlasov emissary “of his personal sympathies.”

Captain Shtrik-Shtrikfeld mentioned by Hofmann (aka “Colonel” of the Vlasov army Verevkin) survived and after the war he wrote a large apologetic book about Vlasov and his “movement.” “For the sake of respectability” in front of the Americans, this Shtrikfeld himself promoted himself from captain to colonel.

Archbishop Metropolitan Anastassy, ​​head of the Orthodox Russian Church Abroad, also tried to help save the ROA. On November 19, 1944, he, together with Metropolitan Seraphim of Germany, served a solemn prayer service in the Orthodox Church in Berlin in honor of the proclamation of the Prague Manifesto. In February 1945, Anastassy, ​​while in Carlsbad, was preparing to travel to Switzerland on church business, and Major General Maltsev, taking advantage of the conversation about the role of military priests in the ROA Air Force, introduced him to Vlasov’s plans to establish contact with the allies and asked him for help. The Metropolitan, who ardently sympathized with the Liberation Movement, assured Maltsev that if the trip to Switzerland took place, he would do everything possible to contact the allies personally or through intermediaries and help his suffering compatriots.
Nothing worked out for this Anastasy and his mission to “save” the Vlasov movement failed.

By the way, the role of the Russian Church Abroad during the Great Patriotic War was largely pro-Hitler and anti-Soviet. Like the Vatican, it supported the German “crusade” to the East. Clearly, these “holy fathers” did not bring any “repentance” to anyone for their support of Hitler and his associates.

(A little about the role of the Vatican in those years. As you know, it is located in Rome, the capital of fascist Italy. Of course, relations between the pope and Mussolini were friendly. On February 10, 1939, Pope Pius XI died. The Vatican Secretary of State, Cardinal Pacelli, was elected as his successor and accepted name Pius XII. The "Old" Pope, Pius XI often praised Mussolini, especially his intervention in the Spanish Civil War "against the Reds", however, he still publicly condemned the racial laws against the Jews.
Pius XII, even more anti-communist than his predecessor, never publicly criticized racial laws).

It is sad that the current leadership of the Russian Orthodox Church (which was so happy about the “historical unification” with the Church Abroad) is becoming politicized before our eyes and is rapidly sliding into the most rabid anti-Sovietism, from which it is a step to Vlasov’s “rehabilitation”...

A very characteristic episode that perfectly shows the REAL ATTITUDE of Soviet officers towards the Vlasovites is given by the same Hofmann:
“At dawn on May 9, the columns of the army headquarters, officer reserve, officer school and other units reached Kaplice and, in the area of ​​the American 2b Infantry Division, freely crossed the American front with all their weapons and gathered in the castle park on the western outskirts of Krumau. Their position was extremely uncertain. If the Soviets had managed, as feared, to break through the one-company American barrier at Krumau, the Russians would have found themselves in a veritable trap in the hillside park. Therefore, Major General Meandrov had to ask permission to immediately continue advancing west... For this purpose, he once again sent Major General Assberg and Colonel Pozdnyakov to the nearest American headquarters. The delegation was also joined by Colonel Guerre, whom Meandrov had relieved of his duties in the ROA and who was heading to General Kestring. The ROA commanders decided that the testimony of Kestring, who was highly respected, would be very useful when they had to prove to the Americans that the ROA was an independent army, dependent on the Germans only in terms of supplies. But the emissaries were soon stopped by the commander of the 101st Infantry Regiment, Colonel Handford. He wanted to send them to the headquarters of Panzer General Nehring, who was in charge of all captured German units in the area. An unpleasant incident occurred at the headquarters of this regiment commander.

The Soviet liaison officer asked Pozdnyakov: “What are you doing here, adjutant of General Vlasov?”, to which Pozdnyakov briefly replied: “I’m saving our units.”
Then the Soviet officer turned to Major General Assberg and with the words: “We know you, General!” * spat on his uniform.

This is how the officers of the victorious Red Army “WELCOMED” the Vlasov generals in May 1945!!!

I must say that this Assberg was lucky.

Another arrogant Vlasovite (SS General Boyarsky), who tried to show his ambition, ended badly in the most literal sense of the word.
Hofmann describes his death as follows:

“Meanwhile, Major General Trukhin and other generals heading to Prague were driving towards their death. On May 5, Major General Boyarsky entered Pribram, which had already been captured by communist partisans two days earlier. Boyarsky was detained and brought to the commander of the “Death to Fascism” detachment, captain of the Soviet army Olesinsky (aka Smirnov), who began to shower him with insults. Boyarsky, a quick-tempered and hot-tempered man, could not restrain himself and slapped the Soviet officer in the face, and he, beside himself with rage, ordered the general to be hanged.”

I don’t think that in reality there was that notorious slap in the face. The caught Boyarsky had no time for such a show off; most likely the Vlasov chronicler lied here for the sake of a catchphrase.

But the current Decree of the Presilium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR allowed the Vlasovite to HANG.
Here is the full text of this historical document:

PRESIDIUM OF THE SUPREME COUNCIL OF THE USSR
DECREE
dated April 19, 1943 N 39
ABOUT PUNISHMENT MEASURES FOR GERMAN-FASCIST VILLAINS GUILTY OF MURDER AND TORTURE OF SOVIET CIVIL POPULATION AND PRISONED RED ARMY MEMBERS, FOR SPIES, TRAITORS TO THE MOTHERLAND FROM SOVIET CITIZENS AND FOR THEIR ACCELERATES
In the cities and villages liberated by the Red Army from the Nazi invaders, many facts of unheard-of atrocities and monstrous violence were discovered, committed by German, Italian, Romanian, Hungarian, Finnish fascist monsters, Hitler's agents, as well as spies and traitors to the motherland from among Soviet citizens against peaceful Soviet citizens. population and captured Red Army soldiers. Many tens of thousands of innocent women, children and elderly people, as well as captured Red Army soldiers, were brutally tortured, hanged, shot, burned alive on the orders of the commanders of military units and units of the gendarme corps of the Nazi army, Gestapo chiefs, burgomasters and military commandants of cities and villages, chiefs camps for prisoners of war and other representatives of the fascist authorities.
Meanwhile, all these criminals, guilty of committing bloody massacres against the civilian Soviet population and captured Red Army soldiers, and their accomplices from the local population are currently being subjected to a measure of retribution that is clearly not consistent with the atrocities they committed.
Bearing in mind that reprisals and violence against defenseless Soviet citizens and captured Red Army soldiers and treason against the motherland are the most shameful and serious crimes, the most heinous atrocities, the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR decides:
1. Establish that German, Italian, Romanian, Hungarian, Finnish fascist villains convicted of committing murders and torture of civilians and captured Red Army soldiers, as well as spies and traitors to the motherland from among Soviet citizens, are punishable by death by hanging.
2. Accomplices from the local population convicted of assisting villains in committing reprisals and violence against the civilian population and captured Red Army soldiers are punishable by exile to hard labor for a term of 15 to 20 years.
3. The consideration of cases of fascist villains guilty of reprisals and violence against the civilian Soviet population and captured Red Army soldiers, as well as spies, traitors to the motherland from among Soviet citizens and their accomplices from the local population, should be assigned to military courts formed under the divisions of the current army consisting of: the chairman of the military tribunal of the division (chairman of the court), the head of the special department of the division and the deputy commander of the division for political affairs (members of the court), with the participation of the division prosecutor.
4. Sentences of military courts attached to divisions shall be approved by the division commander and carried out immediately.
5. The execution of sentences of military courts at divisions - the hanging of those sentenced to death - should be carried out publicly, in front of the people, and the bodies of those hanged should be left on the gallows for several days, so that everyone knows how they are punished and what retribution will befall anyone who commits violence and massacre of the civilian population and who betrays their homeland.
Chairman of the Presidium
Supreme Soviet of the USSR
M. KALININ
Secretary of the Presidium
Supreme Soviet of the USSR
A. GORKIN

And rightly so!

Let us emphasize that already on May 3, BEFORE ANY uprisings in Prague, entire regions of the Czech Republic were controlled by communist partisans, which the “liberators” of the Vlasovites had no idea about at that time. Boyarsky tried to demonstrate his character to the “Stalinist rabble” (apparently his “princely blood” and Tukhachevsky’s manners, with which he trumped so much in front of the Vlasovites, jumped up). But the Vlasov general categorically should not have done this.
He was already hated as a traitor and a German lackey, and when he bucked, Captain Smirnov treated him according to the laws of war, as a traitor: he HANGED him.

“Not very humane,” current advocates of “human rights” and “universal human values” may say about this.
So the time was harsh and merciless then. Many of our soldiers lost their relatives, housing, and property from the actions of Hitler’s “liberators” and their allies.
That’s why our soldiers had a burning hatred for the invaders and their henchmen...

And in “civilized Europe” there was someone to follow as an example: Benito Mussolini, with his last girlfriend, was hanged upside down by the Italian partisans! So Captain Smirnov could still show the Europeans an example of “humanism” by ordering the impudent Boyarsky to be hanged by the neck, in the classical way!

In the photo: B. Mussolini and his last girlfriend Clara Petacci in Milan.
"The bodies of Mussolini, Claretta and other members of the government, shot at the lake in Dongo, are brought to a large square, Piazzale Loreto, near the Central Station in Milan. This place was chosen because several months earlier several partisans were executed there by the Nazis. 14 corpses were hanged by their feet on an iron fence in front of a gas station, and a huge crowd gathered in the square attacked them, hurling insults, kicking and spitting on them, mostly old and elderly women, mothers of young partisans who were captured and shot. the Germans or Mussolini's fascist militia."

It has become a household name, synonymous with inhuman cruelty. About 100 thousand Cossacks served in the ranks of the army and special services of Nazi Germany - the overwhelming majority were yesterday's Soviet people who went to serve Hitler. As a rule, the Germans used them as punitive forces, saboteurs and police units.

In the USSR, the role of collaborators in the war on the side of Germany was hushed up, since the very fact that about 1 million Soviet people served Hitler was inconvenient. This allowed many to call the Great Patriotic War the “second Civil War.”

The desire to take revenge on “the Bolsheviks, the Jews and Stalin personally” led to the fact that units of Soviet collaborators often surpassed the German punitive detachments in their cruelty. Thus, the RONA unit, led by the head of the Lokotsky Republic, Kaminsky, suppressed the uprising in Warsaw in 1944 so inhumanely that the Germans were forced to eliminate this commander “for cruelty.”

(Cossack chops down captured partisans, Belarus, 1943)

A special role in Hitler’s punitive detachments was played by the Cossacks, whose cruelty was explained by the Germans themselves by the fact that they adhered to “primitive Aryan traditionalism” - the Cossacks’ ancestry was traced back to the East German tribe of the Goths. The Cossacks themselves, as the Germans believed, were at the level of development of the Ostrogoths of the 6th-7th centuries, a time when ideas about goodness and morality were at an embryonic level.

In Europe, the Cossacks were noted for punitive operations in Northern Italy and the Balkans. Their cruelty in suppressing the local partisan movement knew no bounds, which forced the same troops of the Yugoslav Resistance leader Josip Broz Tito simply not to take the Cossacks prisoner - they were killed on the spot.

Czechoslovakia suffered the least among all the countries of Eastern and Central Europe in World War II. She surrendered to Hitler without a fight, and her liberation was almost bloodless. The Czechs themselves number only about 300 war victims (the Slovaks number several tens of thousands, since their units fought on Hitler’s side on the Eastern Front). And part of these victims occurred as a result of punitive operations of Soviet collaborators.

The first operation was called the “Semetesh tragedy”; it happened on April 20, 1945. What distinguishes it from many other cases is that there was no punitive operation planned in advance by the German command. A unit of eastern volunteers from the Vlasov ROA began this action at their own discretion. On this day, in the village, Vlasovites killed 21 men aged from 16 to 51 years. 13 houses were burned.

The tragedy was preceded by the following. Most of the men in the village were planning to go to the arable land in the morning. Suddenly an explosion was heard. At this time, a group of ten Vlasovites was passing through the village from Povazhye to Turzovka. Those walking ahead were blown up by a mine, two were killed. When the Vlasovites came to their senses, they were overcome with rage. They, threatening with weapons, took men and young boys out of their houses, and set the buildings themselves on fire. Women and children were forbidden to extinguish burning houses at gunpoint. The men were lined up in threes and taken to the edge of the forest, where they were shot with a machine gun. The killers, to make sure that their victims were really dead, finished them off with pistol shots to the head. And yet one person remained alive - Stefan Cipar, whose testimony about the massacre in Semetesh became the basis for subsequent historical documentation of the events.

The second operation is the “Salash tragedy”. It occurred in the Czech Republic in the village of Salas on April 29, 1945. And again the punitive forces were parts of the ROA.

A Soviet-Polish sabotage detachment operated in this village. He captured General Dietrich von Müller, commander of the 16th Panzer Division, in the nearby town of Khoštice. A company of Vlasovites was sent by the Germans to destroy the detachment. Not finding a saboteur, they decided to take out their anger on the defenseless and innocent peasants of the village of Salash.

The Vlasovites captured 20 men who were at field work on the morning of April 29. 19 of them were shot, and one managed to escape, and he later testified about the last minutes of the lives of the victims. Soon after the massacre, Mrs. Spichakova arrived at this place, bringing lunch to her husband. As an unwanted witness to what happened, she was killed by the punitive forces and became the twentieth victim.

According to a similar scheme, the Vlasovites killed some of the civilians in the Slovak villages of Polomka and Valcha.

But the most notorious tragedy was the punitive operation in the Czech village of Zakrov. It was carried out by the 574th Kuban Cossack battalion.

This unit was formed from Soviet collaborators in December 1942 in Shepetovka, in January 1943 it became part of the 11th Kuban Cossack Regiment. From the very beginning, the unit was used by the Germans as a punitive unit.

In January-October 1943, the regiment carried out security service in the Brest-Kovel area, and was pretty battered by the partisans. Already at this time, the Cossack regiment “marked itself” with punitive operations against peaceful villages.

In November 1943, the regiment was renamed the 574th Cossack battalion. This was already an experienced team, trained as partisans.

The battalion retreated along with German units, and in 1944 it was assigned to the 1st Tank Army of the Wehrmacht - its task was to clear the rear and maintain communications.

The battalion was called Feuermittel (“Igniter”) - in fact it was the Wehrmacht special forces.

In April 1945, the battalion's strength was about 600 people, all companies were motorized. The battalion was commanded by Captain Panin, his deputy was Lieutenant Cherny. The liaison officer is the German captain Dietrich. In addition to the Cossacks, about 10% of the battalion's strength were Belarusians from the remnants of the Jagdkommandos - small punitive detachments that fought the partisans.

A young resident of the village of Zakrov, Antonin Glir, blurted out to the Cossack corporal Petrov that villagers were gathering in the house of postman Oldrich Oher and were planning to create a partisan detachment. Captain Panin decided to conduct a punitive operation in Zakrov on April 18. The reason for the action was the search for the killers of the recently shot forester Iv Shtolba from the neighboring village of Veselichka.

After 21:00 on April 18, 1945, the village was surrounded by 350 soldiers of the 574th Cossack battalion. The Cossacks set up machine gun nests 200-400 steps from the village and opened fire from rifles and machine guns from all sides. The soldiers approached the village and began throwing hand grenades. Soon a fire broke out in the peasant house of Frantisek Schwarz, but the villagers contained the fire. However, this estate was immediately set on fire again. When local residents again tried to put out the fire or save livestock, they began to shoot at them. Some of them were arrested and placed in one house, where they were guarded. To make it impossible to extinguish the fire, the Cossacks threw grenades into the fire, which exploded one by one. Under cover of fire, the Cossacks robbed and carried out arrests - mostly men and teenagers - until the morning hours.

The next morning, the men over 50 were released without questioning. The rest - 23 people - were lined up in groups of three and taken to Velki Uezd. There the Cossacks locked them in a small building in the courtyard of the town hall - in a former stable.

The interrogation began, led by Lieutenant Petrov. Two days of beatings and torture followed. Four prisoners were released. The remaining 19 people, after two days of torture, with broken limbs and broken faces, were thrown into a truck and taken into the forest to the secluded place of Kiyanice. This happened on the evening of April 20. They stopped at a wooden barn and brought a German priest, Fr. Shuster from Slavkov, and asked him to sprinkle the wooden hut as a grave. When the priest saw the bloodied and mutilated faces and bodies of the brought men, he felt sick and refused to perform the ceremony. The Germans and Cossacks then poured tar into the barn, threw the prisoners there, covered them with firewood, poured gasoline on top of the bodies and set them on fire. While the barn was burning, the place was guarded by Cossacks. When everything burned down, the remains were buried in the forest by the German border police from Kozlov.

On May 5, 1945, the village of Zakrov and the area around it was liberated by Red Army units. Then they found traces of the Zakrov martyrs. These were the remains of charred bodies dug up by fellow villagers of the dead. A medical examination found that most of the dead were burned alive. It was also established that none of the femur bones found were intact. The bones were broken by the Cossacks during inhuman torture during interrogations.

On May 14, 1945, the remains of the victims were placed in one coffin and, in front of a large crowd of people, were buried at the Trshitsky cemetery. A monument was erected at the mass grave with the names and photographs of the martyred.

What happened to the punitive Cossack unit? After the action in Zakrow, the fighters of the 574th battalion concentrated their forces on hunting partisans in the forests near Velke Uezd and Lipnik nad Becva. An informant told them that partisans often met in a tavern in Přestavlki. The tavern was surrounded on April 30, and there was a shootout between the partisans and the Cossacks, in which three of the latter were wounded. The Cossacks set the tavern on fire with a panzerfaust. The next day, the Cossacks killed 7 local residents and burned 5 houses.

On May 1, a company of Cossacks was sent from Velke Uezd to Přerov, where an uprising broke out. The uprising was suppressed, and its participants - 21 people, including residents of Olomouc - were shot on May 2 at the training ground in Laztsy.

On May 2, the Cossacks began to retreat to the west; on May 6, they surrendered to the Americans. Captain Panin and about 40 other Cossacks were able to avoid extradition to the USSR and left mainly for Latin America. Panin died in 1989 in Buenos Aires at the age of 80. The rest of the Cossacks ended up in the USSR, about 20 people were sentenced to death, about 400 punishers received from 10 to 25 years in the Gulag, and the vast majority of them were released under an amnesty in honor of the 10th anniversary of the Victory in 1955.

Vlasovites, or fighters of the Russian Liberation Army (ROA) are controversial figures in military history. Until now, historians cannot come to a consensus. Supporters consider them fighters for justice, true patriots of the Russian people. Opponents are unconditionally confident that the Vlasovites are traitors to the Motherland, who went over to the side of the enemy and mercilessly destroyed their compatriots.

Why did Vlasov create the ROA?

The Vlasovites positioned themselves as patriots of their country and their people, but not of the government. Their goal was supposedly to overthrow the established political regime in order to provide people with a decent life. General Vlasov considered Bolshevism, in particular Stalin, the main enemy of the Russian people. He associated the prosperity of his country with cooperation and friendly relations with Germany.

Treason

Vlasov went over to the enemy’s side at the most difficult moment for the USSR. The movement that he promoted and in which he recruited former Red Army soldiers was aimed at the destruction of the Russians. Having sworn an oath of allegiance to Hitler, the Vlasovites decided to kill ordinary soldiers, burn down villages and destroy their homeland. Moreover, Vlasov presented his Order of Lenin to Brigadeführer Fegelein in response to the loyalty shown to him.

Demonstrating his devotion, General Vlasov gave valuable military advice. Knowing the problem areas and plans of the Red Army, he helped the Germans plan attacks. In the diary of the Minister of Propaganda of the Third Reich and the Gauleiter of Berlin, Joseph Goebbels, there is an entry about his meeting with Vlasov, who gave him advice, taking into account the experience of defending Kyiv and Moscow, on how best to organize the defense of Berlin. Goebbels wrote: “The conversation with General Vlasov inspired me. I learned that the Soviet Union had to overcome exactly the same crisis that we are overcoming now, and that there is certainly a way out of this crisis if you are extremely decisive and do not give in to it.”

In the wings of the fascists

Vlasovites took part in brutal massacres of civilians. From the memoirs of one of them: “The next day, the commandant of the city, Shuber, ordered all the state farmers to be expelled to Chernaya Balka and the executed communists to be properly buried. So stray dogs were caught, thrown into the water, the city was cleared... First from Jews and merry ones, at the same time from Zherdetsky, then from dogs. And bury the corpses at the same time. Trace. How could it be otherwise, gentlemen? After all, it’s not already the forty-first year - it’s the forty-second year! Already the carnival, joyful tricks had to be slowly hidden. It was possible before, in a simple way. Shoot and throw on the coastal sand, and now - bury! But what a dream!”
ROA soldiers, together with the Nazis, smashed partisan detachments, talking about it with gusto: “At dawn they hung captured partisan commanders on poles of a railway station, then continued to drink. They sang German songs, hugged their commander, walked through the streets and touched the frightened nurses! A real gang!

Baptism of fire

General Bunyachenko, who commanded the 1st Division of the ROA, received an order to prepare the division for an attack on a bridgehead captured by Soviet troops with the task of pushing Soviet troops back to the right bank of the Oder in this place. For Vlasov’s army it was a baptism of fire - it had to prove its right to exist.
On February 9, 1945, the ROA entered its position for the first time. The army captured Neuleveen, the southern part of Karlsbize and Kerstenbruch. Joseph Goebbels even noted in his diary “the outstanding achievements of General Vlasov’s troops.” ROA soldiers played a key role in the battle - thanks to the fact that the Vlasovites noticed in time a camouflaged battery of Soviet anti-tank guns ready for battle, the German units did not become victims of the bloody massacre. Saving the Fritz, the Vlasovites mercilessly killed their compatriots.
On March 20, the ROA was supposed to seize and equip a bridgehead, as well as ensure the passage of ships along the Oder. When during the day the left flank, despite strong artillery support, was stopped, the Russians, whom the exhausted and dispirited Germans were waiting with hope, were used as a “fist”. The Germans sent Vlasovites on the most dangerous and obviously failed missions.

Prague Uprising

The Vlasovites showed themselves in occupied Prague - they decided to oppose the German troops. On May 5, 1945, they came to the aid of the rebels. The rebels demonstrated unprecedented cruelty - they shot at a German school with heavy anti-aircraft machine guns, turning its students into a bloody mess. Subsequently, the Vlasovites retreating from Prague clashed with the retreating Germans in hand-to-hand combat. The result of the uprising was the robberies and murders of the civilian population and not only the Germans.
There were several versions of why the ROA took part in the uprising. Perhaps she tried to earn the forgiveness of the Soviet people or sought political asylum in liberated Czechoslovakia. One of the authoritative opinions remains that the German command issued an ultimatum: either the division carries out their orders, or it will be destroyed. The Germans made it clear that the ROA would not be able to exist independently and act according to its convictions, and then the Vlasovites resorted to sabotage.
The adventurous decision to take part in the uprising cost the ROA dearly: about 900 Vlasovites were killed during the fighting in Prague (officially - 300), 158 wounded disappeared without a trace from Prague hospitals after the arrival of the Red Army, 600 Vlasov deserters were identified in Prague and shot by the Red Army