Management Soviet Union Almost immediately after the attack, Germany sought to use the partisan movement to fight the enemy. Already June 29, 1941 a joint directive was issued by the Council of People's Commissars of the SSR and the Central Committee of the All-Union Communist Party (Bolsheviks) “Party and Soviet organizations front-line areas,” which spoke about the need to use guerrilla warfare to fight Germany. But from the very first days, party bodies began to create small partisan detachments, numbering no more than two to three dozen people.
State security agencies also began forming detachments. The 4th departments of the NKVD directorates of the republics, territories and regions, created at the end of August 1941, were responsible for the partisan movement through the NKVD, subordinate to the specially created 2nd department (from January 1942 - 4th Directorate) of the NKVD of the USSR.
On September 21, 1941, the first secretary of the Communist Party of Belarus (Bolsheviks) P.K. Ponomarenko sent a note to I.V. Stalin, in which he insisted on the need to create a single body to lead the partisan movement. In December, Ponomarenko met with Stalin, and he seemed to approve of his idea. However, then, mainly because of L.P. Beria, who sought to ensure that the partisan movement was headed by the NKVD, the project was rejected.
It seemed to the country’s leadership that for successful development partisan movement The efforts of the NKVD officers are enough. However, developments have shown that this is clearly not enough...
Before the creation of the Central Headquarters of the partisan movement, it was managed along several lines. Firstly, through the NKVD - through the already mentioned 4th departments . Secondly, according to party and Komsomol line. Thirdly, along the line military intelligence. As a result, this led to inconsistency and unnecessary interdepartmental rivalry.
By the spring of 1942, the need to create a coordinating body that would take over the leadership of the partisan movement became obvious. May 30, 1942 “in order to unite the leadership of the partisan movement behind enemy lines and for further development of this movement”, by GKO Resolution No. 1837, the Central Headquarters of the Partisan Movement (TSSHPD) was created at the Headquarters of the Supreme High Command. At the last moment, Stalin removed V. T. Sergienko from the draft resolution of the State Defense Committee, who was planned to be made the head of the new body, appointing P. K. Ponomarenko as the head of the Central Staff (Sergienko eventually became his deputy). At the same time, the Ukrainian, Bryansk, Western, Kalinin, Leningrad and Karelo-Finnish headquarters of the partisan movement were created. A little later, on August 3, the Southern Headquarters was created, and on September 9, the Belarusian Headquarters. Around the same time or a little later, the Stalingrad, Estonian, Latvian, Lithuanian, Voronezh and Crimean headquarters were created.
It is worth saying that the number of partisans operating simultaneously under regional headquarters varied greatly. If many tens and sometimes more than a hundred thousand partisans operated under the republican headquarters, then under others, for example, Krymsky, there were no more than a few thousand.
After the creation of the TsShPD and regional headquarters, the 4th departments of the NKVD focused mainly on sending sabotage detachments and reconnaissance.
The leadership of partisan headquarters, as a rule, was carried out by a “triumvirate” consisting of the first secretary of the regional committee, the head of the regional department of the NKVD and the head of the intelligence department of the corresponding front. The chief of staff, as a rule, was either the secretary of the corresponding regional committee or the head of the regional department of the NKVD. At each regional headquarters of the partisan movement there was a radio center that communicated with controlled partisan detachments and the Central Broadcasting Division.
Training personnel for partisan warfare in the occupied territories was one of the main tasks of the TsShPD. Republican and large regional partisan headquarters had their own special partisan schools. Already in the summer of 1941, the Operations and Training Center operated Western Front, since July 1942 it became Central School No. 2 (later the Central School for the Training of Partisan Personnel). In addition to it, the Central Special Purpose School No. 105 (trained intelligence officers), Central Special School No. 3 (trained radio operators), as well as the Higher Operational School for Special Purposes (VOSHON), which trained demolitions, were subordinate to the TsShPD. The duration of training in special schools was 3 months. This relatively long training set special schools apart from the 5–10-day courses that took place at the beginning of the war. In total, from June 1942 to February 1944, 6,501 people graduated from the TsShPD partisan schools, and together with the special schools of the regional headquarters of the partisan movement - more than 15 thousand people.
The staff of the TSSHPD was relatively small. Initially it consisted of 81 people. Together with the permanent and variable staff of special schools, a central radio center and a reserve collection point, the total staff of the Central Shpd by October 1942 reached 289 people, but by the beginning of December 1942 it was reduced to 120. Along with it, the staff of partisan special schools also underwent a reduction .
Initially, the TSSHPD included an operational department, an intelligence and information department, a personnel department, a communications department, a logistics department, Common department. However, over time, the structure of the digital broadband network has undergone significant changes.
On September 6, 1942, “in order to strengthen the leadership of the partisan movement behind enemy lines,” GKO Resolution No. 2246 established the post of Commander-in-Chief of the partisan movement, which was filled by K. E. Voroshilov. Now the TsShPD functioned under him, and all memos to Stalin were submitted under the signatures of Ponomarenko and Voroshilov. Researchers believe that the approval of the post of Commander-in-Chief contributed to strengthening the role of the army in the partisan movement. However, this innovation did not last long; the course towards the militarization of partisan detachments led to a conflict between Voroshilov and Ponomarenko, who had different views on the development of the partisan movement and who, moreover, with the advent of Voroshilov, had every reason to fear for his position.
On November 19, 1942, Stalin had a meeting on the development of the partisan movement, as a result of which GKO decree No. 2527 was issued. According to it, “in the interests of greater flexibility in the leadership of the partisan movement and to avoid excessive centralization,” the post of Commander-in-Chief was eliminated, and the TsShPD returned to the previous mode of operation. K. E. Voroshilov served as Commander-in-Chief of the partisan movement for just over two months.
Another significant, albeit temporary, change in the organization of the partisan movement is associated with Voroshilov’s tenure as Commander-in-Chief of the partisan movement. On October 9, 1942, an order was issued by the People's Commissar of Defense on the abolition of the institution of commissars in the army. It was extended to include partisans, but P.K. Ponomarenko opposed this and, soon after Voroshilov’s resignation, wrote a note to Stalin in which he advocated the return of the commissars. Ultimately, on January 6, 1943, the institution of commissars in partisan detachments was restored.
The future of Ponomarenko and the Central Headquarters after Voroshilov’s departure was not cloudless. On February 7, 1943, GKO decree No. 3000 “On the disbandment of the Central Headquarters of the Partisan Movement” was issued. According to it, the leadership of the partisan movement was to pass to the Central Committee of the Communist Parties of the Union Republics, regional committees and regional headquarters of the partisan movement. The property of the TsShPD was supposed to be divided between local headquarters. The German historian B. Musyal believes that the disbandment of the TsShPD occurred due to the opposition of L. Beria, and also, probably, V. Molotov or G. Malenkov.
The Chief of the Central Staff once again managed to defend his brainchild: on April 17, 1943, GKO decree No. 3195 was issued on the restoration of the TsShPD. However, after its re-establishment, the Ukrainian headquarters of the partisan movement left the subordination of the Central Headquarters and began to report directly to the Headquarters of the Supreme High Command, although it had to continue to send its reports to the Central Shpd.
The reason for the isolation of the USHPD should be sought in the personal relationships of party leaders. Ponomarenko was at odds with the first secretary of the Communist Party of the Ukrainian SSR N.S. Khrushchev and the deputy head of the USHPD I.G. Starinov. The changes also affected the states. After the re-establishment of the Central Shipping Operations Center, only 65 responsible and 40 technical employees remained.
After re-establishment, the Central Headquarters of the Partisan Movement lived without any major shocks until its disbandment on January 13, 1944. According to GKO Resolution No. 4955, issued on that day, the Central Headquarters of the Partisan Movement, as having fulfilled its function, was liquidated, and its property and personnel of the central partisan schools were distributed at other headquarters.
However, the republican headquarters of the partisan movement continued to operate. The Belarusian headquarters was disbanded on October 18, 1944. Until December 31, 1944, the Ukrainian headquarters of the partisan movement operated, subordinate to which were detachments operating on the territory of the Ukrainian SSR. In addition, the USHPD was actually one of the initiators of the deployment of the partisan movement outside the Soviet Union.
In May 1944, the USHPD transferred Polish partisan detachments operating on the territory of Ukraine to the Polish headquarters of the partisan movement. Many USHPD personnel were delegated to train the wards of the Headquarters of the Partisan Movement of Poland. USHPD participated in the creation of the Main Headquarters of the partisan movement in Slovakia, and many Ukrainian partisan detachments were soon sent to the adjacent territories of Czechoslovakia.
The partisan movement on the territory of the USSR during the Second World War became massive, covering large sections of the population of the Soviet Union. According to the personnel department of the Central Shpd, 287 thousand partisans took part in the partisan struggle (excluding Ukraine) from 1941 to February 1944.
The damage to the Germans inflicted by the partisans is difficult to reliably estimate. According to the final reports of the TsShPD, compiled before the liquidation of the headquarters, the partisans killed more than 550 thousand German soldiers and officers, 37 generals, destroyed more than 7 thousand locomotives, 87 thousand cars, 360 thousand kilometers of rails.
Although in the light modern research these figures are considered to be greatly exaggerated, the role of the partisan movement in the fight against Hitler's Germany difficult to overestimate. The partisans diverted significant enemy forces that could have been used at the front. The role of the TsShPD is great in the success of the partisan movement. Although, as can be seen from the one given here brief history The Central Headquarters, its creation and development became possible not thanks to the presence of a clearly thought-out and planned plan among the Soviet leadership. military strategist, and was the result of constant improvisation, the TsShPD became the body on whose shoulders fell the coordination of the actions of many partisan detachments and the proper training of partisan personnel. And the successful development of the partisan movement in 1942–1944. – in many respects it is his merit.
Soviet partisans are an integral part of the anti-fascist movement Soviet people who fought using guerrilla warfare methods against Germany and its allies in the temporarily occupied territories of the USSR during the Great Patriotic War.
From the very first days of the war, the Communist Party gave the partisan movement a focused and organized character. The directive of the Council of People's Commissars of the USSR and the Central Committee of the All-Union Communist Party of Bolsheviks dated June 29, 1941 required: “In areas occupied by the enemy, create partisan detachments and sabotage groups to fight units of the enemy army, to incite partisan war everywhere, to blow up bridges, roads, damage telephone and telegraph communications, arson of warehouses, etc. “. The main goal of the partisan war was to undermine the front in the German rear - disruption of communications and communications, the work of its road and railway communications, set out in
Resolution of the Central Committee of the All-Union Communist Party of Bolsheviks of July 18, 1941 “On the organization of the struggle in the rear of German troops.”
Considering the deployment of the partisan movement as one of the most important conditions defeat of the fascist invaders, the Central Committee of the All-Union Communist Party of Bolsheviks obliged the Central Committee of the Communist Parties of the republics, regional, regional and district party committees to lead the organization of partisan struggle. To lead the partisan masses in the occupied areas, it was proposed to select experienced, combative, completely devoted to the party and proven comrades. The struggle of Soviet patriots was led by 565 secretaries of regional, city and district party committees, 204 chairmen of regional, city and district executive committees of workers' deputies, 104 secretaries of regional, city and district Komsomol committees, as well as hundreds of other leaders. Already in 1941, the struggle Soviet people behind enemy lines, they led 18 underground regional committees, more than 260 district committees, city committees, district committees and other underground organizations and groups, in which there were 65,500 communists.
In the development of the partisan movement important role played by the 4th Directorate of the NKVD of the USSR, created in 1941, under the leadership of P. Sudoplatov. Subordinate to him was the Separate Special Purpose Motorized Rifle Brigade of the NKVD of the USSR, from which reconnaissance and sabotage detachments were formed and sent behind enemy lines. As a rule, they then turned into large partisan detachments. By the end of 1941, more than 2,000 partisan detachments and sabotage groups, with a total number of over 90,000 partisans, were operating in enemy-occupied territories. In order to coordinate the combat activities of the partisans and organize their interaction with the Red Army troops, special bodies were created.
P.A. Sudoplatov
A striking example of group action special purpose was the destruction of the headquarters of the 59th Wehrmacht division along with the head of the Kharkov garrison, Lieutenant General Georg von Braun. Mansion at st. Dzerzhinsky No. 17 was mined with a radio-controlled landmine by a group under the command of I.G. Starinov and detonated by radio signal in October 1941. Later, Lieutenant General Beinecker was also destroyed by a mine. . I.G. Starinov
Mines and non-recoverable landmines designed by I.G. Starinova were widely used for sabotage operations during the Second World War.
radio-controlled mine I.G. Starinova
To lead the partisan war, republican, regional and regional headquarters of the partisan movement were created. They were headed by secretaries or members of the Central Committee of the communist parties of the union republics, regional committees and regional committees: Ukrainian headquarters - T.A. Strokach, Belorussky - P.Z. Kalinin, Litovsky - A.Yu. Snechkus, Latvian - A.K. Sprogis, Estonian - N.T. Karotamm, Karelsky - S.Ya. Vershinin, Leningradsky - M.N. Nikitin. The Oryol Regional Committee of the All-Union Communist Party of Bolsheviks was headed by A.P. Matveev, Smolensky - D.M. Popov, Krasnodar - P.I. Seleznev, Stavropolsky - M.A. Suslov, Krymsky - V.S. Bulatov. The Komsomol made a great contribution to the organization of partisan warfare. Its governing bodies in the occupied territory included M.V. Zimyanin, K.T. Mazurov, P.M. Masherov and others.
By decree of the State Defense Committee of May 30, 1942, the Central Headquarters of the Partisan Movement (TsShPD, Chief of Staff - Secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Belarus (Bolsheviks) P.K. Ponomarenko) was organized at the Headquarters of the Supreme High Command.
.jpg)
The measures taken by the party made it possible to significantly improve the leadership of partisan detachments and supply them with the necessary material means, to ensure clearer interaction between the partisans and the Red Army.
at a partisan airfield.
Z and during its existence, the TsShPD sent to partisan detachments 59,960 rifles and carbines, 34,320 machine guns, 4,210 light machine guns, 2,556 anti-tank rifles, 2,184 50-mm and 82-mm mortars, 539,570 hand-held anti-personnel and anti-tank grenades, a large number of ammunition, explosives, medicines, food and other necessary equipment. The central and republican schools of the partisan movement trained and sent more than 22,000 various specialists behind enemy lines, including 75% demolitions, 9% organizers of the underground and partisan movement, 8% radio operators, 7% intelligence officers.
The main organizational and combat unit of the partisan forces was a detachment, which usually consisted of squads, platoons and companies, numbering several dozen people, and later up to 200 or more fighters. During the war, many units united into partisan brigades and partisan divisions numbering up to several thousand fighters. Light weapons predominated in armament (both Soviet and captured), but many detachments and formations had mortars, and some had artillery. All persons who joined partisan formations took the partisan oath; as a rule, strict military discipline was established in the detachments. Party and Komsomol organizations were created in the detachments. The actions of the partisans were combined with other forms of national struggle behind enemy lines - the actions of underground fighters in cities and towns, sabotage of enterprises and transport, disruption of political and military events carried out by the enemy.
at the headquarters of the partisan brigade
group of partisans
partisan with a machine gun
The forms of organization of partisan forces and the methods of their actions were influenced by physical and geographical conditions. Vast forests, swamps, and mountains were the main basing areas for partisan forces. Here partisan regions and zones arose where they could widely use various ways struggle, including open battles with the enemy. In the steppe regions, large formations operated successfully only during raids. The small detachments and groups that were constantly stationed here usually avoided open clashes with the enemy and caused damage to him mainly through sabotage.
The following elements can be distinguished in guerrilla tactics:
Sabotage activities, destruction of enemy infrastructure in any form (rail war, destruction of communication lines, high-voltage lines, destruction of bridges, water pipelines, etc.);
Intelligence activities, including undercover activities;
Political activity and Bolshevik propaganda;
Destruction of fascist manpower and equipment;
Elimination of collaborators and heads of the Nazi administration;
Recovering and saving items Soviet power in occupied territory;
Mobilization of the combat-ready population remaining in the occupied territories and the unification of surrounded military units.
V.Z. Korzh
On June 28, 1941, the first battle was fought near the village of Posenichi partisan detachment under the command of V.Z. Korzha. To protect the city of Pinsk from the northern side, a group of partisans was deployed on the Pinsk-Logoshin road. The partisan detachment commanded by Korzh was ambushed by 2 German tanks with motorcyclists. It was reconnaissance from the 293rd Wehrmacht Infantry Division. The partisans opened fire and destroyed one tank. During the battle, the partisans captured two Nazis. This was the first partisan battle of the first partisan detachment in the history of the Great Patriotic War!
On July 4, 1941, Korzh’s detachment met a German cavalry squadron 4 km from Pinsk. The partisans let the Germans close and opened accurate fire. Dozens of fascist cavalrymen died on the battlefield. In total, by June 1944, Pinsk partisan unit under the command of V.Z Korzh, they defeated 60 German garrisons in battles, derailed 478 railway trains, and blew up 62 railways. bridge, destroyed 86 tanks, 29 guns, and disabled 519 km of communication lines. By decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR dated August 15, 1944, for the exemplary performance of command assignments in the fight against the Nazi invaders behind enemy lines and the courage and heroism displayed, Vasily Zakharovich Korzh was awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union with the Order of Lenin and the medal “ Golden Star“ for No. 4448.
In August 1941, 231 partisan detachments were already operating on the territory of Belarus. Leaders of the Belarusian partisan detachment
“Red October” - commander Fyodor Pavlovsky and commissar Tikhon Bumazhkov - on August 6, 1941, the first partisans were awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union.
In the Bryansk region, Soviet partisans controlled vast territories in the German rear. In the summer of 1942, they actually controlled an area of 14,000 square kilometers. The Bryansk Partisan Republic was formed.
guerrilla ambush
In the second period of the Second World War (autumn 1942 - end of 1943), the partisan movement deep behind enemy lines expanded. Shifting their base from the Bryansk forests to the west, the partisan formations crossed the Desna, Sozh, Dnieper, and Pripyat rivers and began to strike at the enemy’s most important communications in his rear. The partisan attacks provided enormous assistance to the Red Army, diverting large fascist forces to themselves. In the midst of it Battle of Stalingrad In 1942-1943, the actions of partisan detachments and formations significantly disrupted the supply of enemy reserves and military equipment to the front. The actions of the partisans turned out to be so effective that the fascist German command sent against them in the summer and autumn of 1942 144 police battalions, 27 police regiments, 8 infantry regiments, 10 SS security police and punitive divisions, 2 security corps, 72 special units, up to 15 infantry German and 5 infantry divisions of their satellites, thereby weakening their forces at the front. Despite this, the partisans managed to organize more than 3,000 crashes of enemy trains during this period, blew up 3,500 railway and highway bridges, destroyed 15,000 vehicles, about 900 bases and warehouses with ammunition and weapons, up to 1,200 tanks, 467 aircraft, 378 guns.
punitive officers and policemen
partisan region
partisans on the march
By the end of the summer of 1942, the partisan movement had become a significant force, and organizational work was completed. The total number of partisans was up to 200,000 people. In August 1942, the most famous of the partisan commanders were summoned to Moscow to participate in a general meeting.
Commanders of partisan formations: M.I. Duca, M.P. Voloshin, D.V. Emlyutin, S.A. Kovpak, A.N. Saburov
(from left to right)
Thanks to the efforts of the Soviet leadership, the partisan movement turned into a carefully organized, well-controlled and united military and political force. Head of the Central Headquarters of the Partisan Movement at Headquarters, Lieutenant General P.K. Ponomarenko became a member of the General Staff Red Army.
PC. Ponomarenko
TsShPD - on the left P.K. Ponomarenko
The partisan detachments operating in the front line came under direct subordination to the command of the corresponding army occupying this section of the front. The detachments operating in the deep rear of the German troops were subordinate to headquarters in Moscow. Officers and enlisted personnel of the regular army were sent to partisan units as instructors for the training of specialists.
guerrilla movement control structure
In August - September 1943, according to the TsShPD plan, 541 detachments of Russian, Ukrainian and Belarusian partisans simultaneously took part in the first operation to destroy the enemy’s railway communications in“Rail War”.
The purpose of the operation was to disrupt the work of the railway by massive and simultaneous destruction of rails. transport, thereby disrupting the supply of German troops, evacuation and regrouping and thus assisting the Red Army in completing the defeat of the enemy in the Battle of Kursk in 1943 and the deployment of a general offensive on the Soviet-German front. The leadership of the “rail war” was carried out by the TsShPD at the Supreme Command Headquarters. The plan called for the destruction of 200,000 rails in the rear areas of Army Groups Center and North. To carry out the operation, 167 partisan detachments of Belarus, Leningrad, Kalinin, Smolensk, Oryol regions numbering up to 100,000 people.
The operation was preceded by careful preparation. The sections of the railway designated for destruction were distributed among partisan formations and detachments. Only from June 15 to July 1, 1943, aviation dropped 150 tons of special profile bombs, 156,000 m of fuse cord, 28,000 m of hemp wick, 595,000 detonator caps, 35,000 fuses, a lot of weapons, ammunition and medicines at partisan bases. Mining instructors were sent to the partisan detachments.
railway alignment canvases
The “Rail War” began on the night of August 3, just at a time when the enemy was forced to intensively maneuver its reserves in connection with the unfolding counteroffensive Soviet troops and its development into a general offensive along the entire front. In one night, over a vast area of 1000 km along the front and from the front line to the western borders of the USSR, more than 42,000 rails were blown up in depth. Simultaneously with the “Rail War,” active operations on enemy communications were launched by Ukrainian partisans, who, according to the plan for the spring-summer period of 1943, were tasked with paralyzing the work of the 26 largest railways. nodes in the rear of Army Group “South”, including Shepetovsky, Kovelsky, Zdolbunovsky, Korostensky, Sarnensky.
attack on the railway station
In the following days, the partisans' actions in the operation intensified even more. By September 15, 215,000 rails had been destroyed, which amounted to 1,342 km of single-track railway. ways. On some railways On the roads, traffic was delayed for 3-15 days, and the Mogilev-Krichev, Polotsk-Dvinsk, Mogilev-Zhlobin highways did not work during August 1943. During the operation, Belarusian partisans alone blew up 836 military trains, including 3 armored trains, disabled 690 steam locomotives, 6,343 wagons and platforms, 18 water pumps, and destroyed 184 railways. bridges and 556 bridges on dirt and highway roads, destroyed 119 tanks and 1,429 vehicles, and defeated 44 German garrisons. The experience of the “Rail War” was used by the headquarters of the partisan movement in the autumn-winter period of 1943/1944 in the “Concert” operations and in the summer of 1944 during the offensive of the Red Army in Belarus.
blown up railway compound
Operation Concert was carried out by Soviet partisans from September 19 to the end of October 1943. The purpose of the operation was to hamper the operational transportation of fascist German troops by massively disabling large sections of railways; was a continuation of Operation Rail War; was carried out according to the TsShPD plan at the Headquarters of the Supreme High Command and was closely connected with the upcoming offensive of Soviet troops in the Smolensk and Gomel directions and the battle for the Dnieper. 293 partisan formations and detachments from Belarus, the Baltic states, Karelia, Crimea, Leningrad and Kalinin regions, totaling over 120,000 partisans, were involved in the operation; it was planned to undermine more than 272,000 rails. In Belarus, 90,000 partisans were involved in the operation; they had to blow up 140,000 rails. The TsShPD intended to throw 120 tons of explosives and other cargo to the partisans of Belarus, and 20 tons each to the Kalinin and Leningrad partisans. Due to sharply deteriorating weather conditions at the start of the operation, only 50% of what was planned was transferred to the partisans, and therefore it was decided to begin mass sabotage on September 25. However, some of the partisan detachments that had reached the initial lines according to the previous order could no longer take into account the changes in the timing of the operation and began to implement it on September 19. On the night of September 25, widespread actions were carried out according to plan“Concert”, covering 900 km along the front and 400 km in depth. On the night of September 19, Belarusian partisans blew up 19,903 rails and on the night of September 25, another 15,809 rails. As a result, 148,557 rails were undermined. Operation Concert intensified the struggle of the Soviet people against the Nazi invaders in the occupied territories. During the war, the influx of local population into partisan detachments increased.
partisan operation “Concert” 
An important form of partisan action was the raids of partisan formations on the rear of the fascist invaders. The main goal These raids were aimed at increasing the scope and activity of popular resistance to the occupiers in new areas, as well as striking at large railways. nodes and important military-industrial facilities of the enemy, reconnaissance, providing fraternal assistance to the peoples of neighboring countries in their liberation struggle against fascism. Only on instructions from the headquarters of the partisan movement, more than 40 raids were carried out, in which over 100 large partisan formations took part. In 1944, 7 formations and 26 separate large detachments of Soviet partisans operated in the occupied territory of Poland, and 20 formations and detachments in Czechoslovakia. The raids of partisan formations under the command of V.A. had a great influence on the scope of the partisan struggle and increased its effectiveness. Andreeva, I.N. Banova, P.P. Vershigory, A.V. Germana, S.V. Grishina, F.F. Cabbages, V.A. Karaseva, S.A. Kovpaka, V.I. Kozlova, V.Z. Korzha, M.I. Naumova, N.A. Prokopyuk, V.V. Razumova, A.N. Saburova, V.P. Samson, A.F. Fedorova, A.K. Flegontova, V.P. Chepigi, M.I. Shukaeva and others.
Putivl partisan detachment (commander S.A. Kovpvk, commissar S.V. Rudnev, chief of staff G.Ya. Bazyma), operating in the occupied territory of several regions Russian Federation, Ukraine and Belarus in 1941-1944 was created on October 18, 1941 in the Spadshchansky forest, Sumy region. During the first weeks of the occupation, the detachments of Kovpak and Rudnev, numbering two to three dozen people each, acted independently and had no communication with each other. By the beginning of autumn, Rudnev, following Kovpak’s first sabotages, was on his trail, met with him and offered to merge both detachments. Already on October 19-20, 1941, the detachment repelled the offensive of a punitive battalion with 5 tanks, on November 18-19 - the second punitive offensive, and on December 1, it broke through the blockade ring around the Spadshchansky forest and made the first raid into the Khinel forests. By this time, the combined detachment had already grown to 500 people.
Sidor Artemyevich Kovpak
Semyon Vasilievich Rudnev
In February 1942, a detachment of S.A. Kovpaka, transformed into the Sumy Partisan Unit (Union of Partisan Detachments of the Sumy Region), returned to Spadshchansky Forest and from here undertook a series of raids, as a result of which a vast partisan region was created in the northern regions of the Sumy Region and in the adjacent territory of the RSFSR and BSSR. By the summer of 1942, 24 detachments and 127 groups (about 18,000 partisans) were operating on its territory.
dugout at a partisan base
Interior view of the dugout
The Sumy partisan unit included four detachments: Putivlsky, Glukhovsky, Shalyginsky and Krolevetsky (based on the names of the districts of the Sumy region where they were organized). For secrecy, the connection was called military unit 00117, and detachments - battalions. Historically, the units had unequal numbers. As of January 1943, while based in Polesie, the first battalion(Putivl detachment) numbered up to 800 partisans, the other three had 250-300 partisans each. The first battalion consisted of ten companies, the rest - 3-4 companies each. The companies did not arise immediately, but were formed gradually, like partisan groups, and often arose along territorial lines. Gradually, with the departure from their native places, the groups grew into companies and acquired a new character. During the raid, companies were no longer distributed on a territorial basis, but according to military expediency. So in the first battalion there were several rifle companies, two companies of machine gunners, two companies of heavy weapons (with 45-mm anti-tank guns, heavy machine guns, battalion mortars), a reconnaissance company, a company of miners, a platoon of sappers, a communications center and the main utility unit.
partisan cart
In 1941-1942, Kovpak's unit carried out raids behind enemy lines in the Sumy, Kursk, Oryol and Bryansk regions, and in 1942-1943 - a raid from the Bryansk forests to Right Bank Ukraine in the Gomel, Pinsk, Volyn, Rivne, Zhitomir and Kiev regions. The Sumy partisan unit under the command of Kovpak fought through the rear of the fascist German troops for more than 10,000 km, defeating enemy garrisons in 39 settlements. Raids S.A. Kovpak played big role in the development of the partisan movement against the German occupiers.
partisan raid
“Partisan Bears”
On June 12, 1943, the partisan unit S.A. Kovpak set out on a military campaign in the Carpathian region. By the time they reached the Carpathian roadstead, the formation consisted of 2,000 partisans. It was armed with 130 machine guns, 380 machine guns, 9 guns, 30 mortars, 30 anti-tank rifles. During the raid, the partisans fought 2,000 km, destroyed 3,800 Nazis, blew up 19 military trains, 52 bridges, 51 warehouses with property and weapons, disabled power plants and oil fields near Bitkov and Yablonov. By Decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR datedOn January 4, 1944, for the successful implementation of the Carpathian raid, Major General Kovpak Sidor Artemyevich was awarded the second Gold Star medal of the Hero of the Soviet Union.
Partisans took part in the liberation of the cities of Vileika, Yelsk, Znamenka, Luninets, Pavlograd, Rechitsa, Rostov-on-Don, Simferopol, Stavropol, Cherkassy, Yalta and many others.
The activities of clandestine combat groups in cities and towns caused great damage to the enemy. Underground groups and organizations in Minsk, Kiev, Mogilev, Odessa, Vitebsk, Dnepropetrovsk, Smolensk, Kaunas, Krasnodar, Krasnodon, Pskov, Gomel, Orsha, as well as other cities and towns showed examples of selfless struggle against the fascist invaders. Sabotage, a hidden struggle to disrupt the enemy's political, economic and military activities, were the most common forms of mass resistance to the occupiers of millions of Soviet people.
Soviet intelligence officers and underground fighters committed hundreds of acts of sabotage, the targets of which were representatives of the German occupation authorities. Only with direct participation special units The NKVD carried out 87 acts of retaliation against Hitler's executioners responsible for carrying out the extermination policy in the east. On February 17, 1943, security officers killed the regional Gebitsk Commissioner Friedrich Fenz. In July of the same year, intelligence officers eliminated Gebietskommissar Ludwig Ehrenleitner. The most famous and significant of them is rightfully considered the liquidation of the Commissioner General of Belarus, Wilhelm Kube. In July 1941, Cuba was appointed General Commissioner of Belarus. Gauleiter Kube was particularly cruel. On the direct orders of the Gauleiter, a Jewish ghetto was created in Minsk and a concentration camp in the village of Trostenets, where 206,500 people were exterminated. For the first time, fighters from the NKGB sabotage and reconnaissance group of Kirill Orlovsky tried to destroy him. Having received information that Kube was going to hunt on February 17, 1943 in the Mashukovsky forests, Orlovsky organized an ambush. In a hot and fleeting battle, the scouts destroyed Gebietskommissar Fenz, 10 officers and 30 SS soldiers. But Kube was not among the dead (at the last moment he did not go hunting). And yet, on September 22, 1943, at 4.00 am, the underground fighters managed to destroy the General Commissioner of Belarus, Wilhelm Kube, with a bomb explosion (the bomb was planted under Kube’s bed by the Soviet underground worker Elena Grigorievna Mazanik).
E.G. Mazanik
The legendary career intelligence officer Nikolai Ivanovich Kuznetsov (pseudonym - Grachev) with the beginning of the Second World War, at his personal request, was enrolled in the Special Group of the NKVD. In August 1942, N.I. Kuznetsov was sent behind enemy lines to the “Winners” partisan detachment (commander D.M. Medvedev), which operated on the territory of Ukraine. Appearing in the occupied city of Rivne under the guise of a German officer - Chief Lieutenant Paul Siebert, Kuznetsov was able to quickly make the necessary contacts.
N.I. Kuznetsov N.I. Kuznetsov - Paul Siebert
Using the trust of fascist officers, he learned the locations of enemy units and the directions of their movement. He managed to obtain information about the German missiles “V-1” and “V-2”, reveal the location of A. Hitler’s headquarters “Werewolf” (“Werewolf”) near the city of Vinnitsa, and warn the Soviet command about the upcoming offensive Hitler's troops in the Kursk region (Operation “Citadel”), about the impending assassination attempt on the heads of government of the USSR, USA and Great Britain (I.V. Stalin, D. Roosevelt, W. Churchill) in Tehran. In the fight against the Nazi invaders N.I. Kuznetsov showed extraordinary courage and ingenuity. He acted as a people's avenger. He committed acts of retaliation against many fascist generals and senior officers endowed with great powers of the Third Reich. He destroyed the chief judge of Ukraine Funk, the imperial adviser to the Reichskommissariat of Ukraine Gall and his secretary Winter, the vice-governor of Galicia Bauer, generals Knut and Dargel, kidnapped and took to the partisan detachment the commander of the punitive forces in Ukraine, General Ilgen. March 9, 1944 N.I. Kuznetsov died when he was surrounded by Ukrainian nationalists-Bendera in the village of Boryatin, Brodovsego district, Lviv region. Seeing that he couldn’t break through, he used the last grenade to blow himself up and the Benderites who surrounded him. By a decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR dated November 5, 1944, Nikolai Ivanovich Kuznetsov was posthumously awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union for exceptional courage and bravery in carrying out command assignments..jpg)
monument to N.I. Kuznetsov
grave of N.I. Kuznetsova
The underground Komsomol organization “Young Guard”, which operated during the Second World War in the city of Krasnodon, Voroshilovgrad region of Ukraine, temporarily occupied by Nazi troops, will forever remain in the memory of the Soviet people (there is no need to identify it with the modern “well done” from “M.G.”, who have nothing in common with the dead heroes). The “Young Guard” was created under the leadership of the party underground led by F.P. Lyutikov. After the occupation of Krasnodon (July 20, 1942), several anti-fascist groups arose in the city and its environs, led by Komsomol members I.V. Turkevich (commander), I.A. Zemnukhov, O.V. Koshevoy (commissioner), V.I. Levashov, S.G. Tyulenev, A.Z. Eliseenko, V.A. Zhdanov, N.S. Sumskoy, U.M. Gromova, L.G. Shevtsova, A.V. Popov, M.K. Petlivanova.
young guards
In total, more than 100 underground workers united in the underground organization, 20 of them were communists. Despite the harsh terror, the “Young Guard” created an extensive network of combat groups and cells throughout the Krasnodon region. The Young Guards issued 5,000 anti-fascist leaflets of 30 titles; liberated about 100 prisoners of war who were in a concentration camp; burned the labor exchange, where lists of people scheduled for export to Germany were kept, as a result of which 2,000 Krasnodon residents were saved from being taken into fascist slavery, destroyed vehicles with soldiers, ammunition, fuel and food, prepared an uprising with the aim of defeating the German garrison and moving towards the attackers units of the Red Army. But the betrayal of the provocateur G. Pochentsov interrupted this preparation. At the beginning of January 1943, arrests of members of the Young Guard began. They bravely withstood all the torture in fascist dungeons. During January 15, 16, and 31, the Nazis threw 71 people alive and dead into the pit of coal mine No. 5, 53 m deep. On February 9, 1943, O.V. Koshevoy, L.G. Shevtsova, S.M. Ostapenko, D.U. Ogurtsov, V.F. Subbotin, after brutal torture, was shot in the Thunderous Forest near the city of Rovenka. Only 11 underground fighters managed to escape from pursuit by the gendarmerie. By decree of the Presidium of the USSR Armed Forces of September 13, 1943, U.M. Gromova, M.A. Zemnukhov, O.V. Koshevoy, S, G. Tyulenev and L.G. Shevtsova was posthumously awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union.
monument to the Young Guards
The list of heroes of the partisan struggle and the partisan underground is endless, so on the night of June 30, 1943, underground Komsomol member F. Krylovich blew up the Osipovichi railway station. train with fuel. As a result of the explosion and resulting fire, four military trains were destroyed, including a train with Tiger tanks. The occupiers lost that night at the station. Osipovichi 30 “Tigers”.
monument to underground fighters in Melitopol
The selfless and selfless activities of the partisans and underground fighters received national recognition and high praise from the CPSU and the Soviet government. More than 127,000 partisans were awarded the medal“Partisan of the Patriotic War” 1st and 2nd degree. Over 184,000 partisans and underground fighters were awarded orders and medals of the Soviet Union, and 248 people were awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union.
Medal “Partisan of the Patriotic War”
Since the time of Khrushchev’s “thaw,” a myth was born about the NKVD barrage detachments, which shot retreating units of the Red Army with machine guns. After the collapse of the USSR, these nonsense flourished in full bloom.
In addition, supporters of this lie also claim that the majority of the population of the USSR did not want to fight, they were forced to defend the Stalinist regime “on pain of death.” By doing this they insult the memory of our valiant ancestors.
During the battle for Tallinn, the detachment not only stopped and brought back those fleeing, but also held the defense itself. It was especially difficult on August 27, some units of the 8th Army fled, the barrier detachment stopped them, a counterattack was organized, the enemy was driven back - this played a decisive role in the successful evacuation of Tallinn. During the battles for Tallinn, more than 60% of the detachment’s personnel and almost all the commanders died! And these are cowardly scum who shoot their own?
In Kronstadt the detachment was restored, and from September 7 it continued its service. Special departments of the Northern Front also fought against bandits.
By the beginning of September 1941, the military situation again became sharply complicated, so the Headquarters, at the request of the commander of the Bryansk Front, General A. I. Eremenko, allowed the creation of barrier detachments in those divisions that had proven themselves to be unstable. A week later this practice was extended to all fronts. The number of detachments was one battalion per division, one company per regiment. They were subordinate to the division commander and had vehicles for movement, several armored cars and. Their task was to assist commanders and maintain discipline and order in the units. They had the right to use it to stop the flight and eliminate the initiators of the panic.
That is, their difference from the barrier detachments under special departments of the NKVD, which were created to fight deserters and suspicious elements, is that army detachments were created in order to prevent the unauthorized escape of units. They were larger (a battalion per division, not a platoon), and were staffed not by NKVD soldiers, but by Red Army soldiers. They had the right to shoot the initiators of panic and flight, and not to shoot those running.
According to data as of October 10, 1941, special departments and detachments detained 657,364 people, of which 25,878 people were arrested, of which 10,201 people were shot. The rest were again sent to the front.
Barrage detachments also played a role in the defense of Moscow. In parallel with the defensive divisional battalions, there were detachments of special departments. Similar units were created by the territorial bodies of the NKVD, for example, in the Kalinin region.
Battle of Stalingrad
In connection with the breakthrough of the front and the Wehrmacht’s access to the Volga and the Caucasus, on July 28, 1942, the famous order No. 227 of the NKO was issued. According to it, it was prescribed to create 3-5 barrier detachments (200 fighters in each) in the armies, placing them in the immediate rear of unstable units. They also received the right to shoot alarmists and cowards in order to restore order and discipline. They were subordinate to the Military Councils of the armies, through their special departments. The most experienced commanders of special departments were placed at the head of the detachments, and the detachments were provided with transport. In addition, barrage battalions in each division were restored.
By order of the People's Commissariat of Defense No. 227, on October 15, 1942, 193 army detachments were created. From August 1 to October 15, 1942, these detachments detained 140,755 Red Army soldiers. 3,980 people were arrested, 1,189 of them were shot, the rest were sent to penal units. Most of the arrests and detentions were on the Don and Stalingrad fronts.
The barrage detachments played an important role in restoring order and returned a significant number of military personnel to the front. For example: on August 29, 1942, the headquarters of the 29th Infantry Division was surrounded (due to a breakthrough German tanks), the units, having lost control, retreated in panic. The barrage detachment of Lieutenant GB Filatov stopped the fleeing people and returned them to defensive positions. On another section of the division’s front, Filatov’s barrier detachment stopped the enemy’s breakthrough.
On September 20, the Wehrmacht occupied part of Melikhovskaya, and the combined brigade began an unauthorized retreat. The barrage detachment of the 47th Army of the Black Sea Group of Forces restored order in the brigade. The brigade returned to its position and, together with the barrier detachment, drove back the enemy.
That is, the barrier detachments did not panic in critical situations, but restored order and fought the enemy themselves. 13 September 112th rifle division under enemy attack, she gave up her positions. The barrier detachment of the 62nd Army under the command of State Security Lieutenant Khlystov repelled enemy attacks for four days and held the line until reinforcements arrived. On September 15-16, the barrier detachment of the 62nd Army fought for two days in the area of the Stalingrad railway station. The detachment, despite its small numbers, repulsed the enemy’s attacks and itself counterattacked and surrendered the line intact to units of the approaching 10th Infantry Division.
But there was also the use of barrier detachments for purposes other than their intended purpose; there were commanders who used them as linear units, because of this, some detachments lost most of their personnel and had to be formed anew.
During the Battle of Stalingrad there were detachments three types: army, created by order No. 227, restored divisional barrage battalions and small detachments of special departments. As before, the overwhelming majority of detained fighters returned to their units.
Kursk Bulge
By decree of the Council of People's Commissars of April 19, 1943, the Directorate of Special Departments of the NKVD was again transferred to the NKO and the NKVMF and reorganized into the Main Counterintelligence Directorate "Smersh" ("Death to Spies") of the People's Commissariat of Defense of the USSR and the Counterintelligence Directorate "Smersh" of the People's Commissariat of the Navy.
On July 5, 1943, the Wehrmacht began its offensive, some of our units wavered. The barrier detachments fulfilled their mission here too. From July 5 to July 10, barrier detachments of the Voronezh Front detained 1,870 people, 74 people were arrested, and the rest were returned to their units.
In total, the report of the head of the Counterintelligence Directorate of the Central Front, Major General A. Vadis, dated August 13, 1943, indicated that 4,501 people were detained, of which 3,303 were sent back to units.
On October 29, 1944, by order of the People's Commissar of Defense I.V. Stalin, the barrier detachments were disbanded due to changes in the situation at the front. Personnel were replenished with rifle units. In the last period of their existence, they no longer acted according to their profile - there was no need. They were used to guard headquarters, communication lines, roads, to comb the forest; personnel were often used for logistical needs - as cooks, storekeepers, clerks, and so on, although the personnel of these detachments were selected from the best soldiers and sergeants, awarded medals and orders, who had extensive combat experience.
Summarize: barrier detachments carried out the most important function, they detained deserters and suspicious persons (among whom there were spies, saboteurs, and Nazi agents). In critical situations, they themselves entered into battle with the enemy. After the situation at the front changed (after the Battle of Kursk), the barrage detachments actually began to serve as commandant companies. To stop the fleeing, they had the right to shoot over the heads of the retreating, shoot the initiators and leaders in front of the line. But these cases were not widespread, only individual. There is not a single fact that the fighters of the barrage detachments shot to kill their own people. There are no such examples in the memoirs of front-line soldiers. In addition, they could prepare an additional defensive line in the rear to stop the retreating ones and so that they could gain a foothold on it.
The barrage detachments made their contribution to the overall Victory, honestly fulfilling their duty.
Sources:
Lubyanka in the days of the battle for Moscow: materials from the USSR state security agencies from Central Archive FSB of Russia. Comp. A. T. Zhadobin. M., 2002.
“Arc of Fire”: The Battle of Kursk through the eyes of Lubyanka. Comp. A. T. Zhadobin et al. M., 2003.
State security bodies of the USSR in the Great Patriotic War. M., 2000.
Toptygin A.V. Unknown Beria. M., St. Petersburg, 2002.
The partisan movement (partisan war 1941 - 1945) is one of the sides of the resistance to the USSR fascist troops Germany and allies during the Great Patriotic War.
The partisan movement during the Great Patriotic War was very large-scale and, most importantly, well organized. It differed from other popular uprisings in that it had a clear command system, was legalized and subordinated to Soviet power. The partisans were controlled by special bodies, their activities were prescribed in several legislative acts and had goals described personally by Stalin. The number of partisans during the Great Patriotic War numbered about a million people; more than six thousand different underground detachments were formed, which included all categories of citizens.
The purpose of the guerrilla war of 1941-1945. – destruction of infrastructure German army, disruption of food and weapons supplies, destabilization of the entire fascist machine.
The beginning of the guerrilla war and the formation of partisan detachments
Guerrilla warfare is an integral part of any protracted military conflict, and quite often the order to start a guerrilla movement comes directly from the country's leadership. This was the case with the USSR. Immediately after the start of the war, two directives were issued, “To the Party and Soviet organizations of the front-line regions” and “On the organization of the struggle in the rear of German troops,” which spoke of the need to create popular resistance to help the regular army. In fact, the state gave the go-ahead for the formation of partisan detachments. A year later, when the partisan movement was in full swing, Stalin issued an order “On the tasks of the partisan movement,” which described the main directions of the underground’s work.
An important factor for the emergence of partisan resistance was the formation of the 4th Directorate of the NKVD, in whose ranks special groups were created that were engaged in subversive work and reconnaissance.
On May 30, 1942, the partisan movement was legalized - the Central Headquarters of the partisan movement was created, to which local headquarters in the regions, headed, for the most part, by the heads of the Central Committee of the Communist Party, were subordinate. The creation of a single administrative body gave impetus to the development of large-scale guerrilla warfare, which was well organized, had a clear structure and system of subordination. All this significantly increased the efficiency of the partisan detachments.
Main activities of the partisan movement
- Sabotage activities. The partisans tried with all their might to destroy the supply of food, weapons and manpower to the headquarters of the German army; very often pogroms were carried out in the camps in order to deprive the Germans of sources fresh water and get kicked out of the place.
- Intelligence service. An equally important part of underground activity was intelligence, both on the territory of the USSR and in Germany. The partisans tried to steal or find out the secret plans of the German attack and transfer them to headquarters so that Soviet army was prepared for attack.
- Bolshevik propaganda. An effective fight against the enemy is impossible if the people do not believe in the state and do not follow common goals, so the partisans actively worked with the population, especially in the occupied territories.
- Fighting. Armed clashes occurred quite rarely, but still partisan detachments entered into open confrontation with the German army.
- Control of the entire partisan movement.
- Restoration of USSR power in the occupied territories. The partisans tried to raise an uprising among Soviet citizens who found themselves under the yoke of the Germans.
Partisan units
By the middle of the war, large and small partisan detachments existed almost throughout the entire territory of the USSR, including the occupied lands of Ukraine and the Baltic states. However, it should be noted that in some territories the partisans did not support the Bolsheviks; they tried to defend the independence of their region, both from the Germans and from the Soviet Union.
An ordinary partisan detachment consisted of several dozen people, but with the growth of the partisan movement, the detachments began to consist of several hundred, although this happened infrequently. On average, one detachment included about 100-150 people. In some cases, units were united into brigades in order to provide serious resistance to the Germans. The partisans were usually armed with light rifles, grenades and carbines, but sometimes large brigades had mortars and artillery weapons. The equipment depended on the region and the purpose of the detachment. All members of the partisan detachment took the oath.
In 1942, the post of Commander-in-Chief of the partisan movement was created, which was occupied by Marshal Voroshilov, but the post was soon abolished and the partisans were subordinate to the military Commander-in-Chief.
There were also special Jewish partisan detachments, which consisted of Jews who remained in the USSR. The main purpose of such units was to protect the Jewish population, which was subjected to special persecution by the Germans. Unfortunately, very often Jewish partisans faced serious problems, since anti-Semitic sentiments reigned in many Soviet detachments and they rarely came to the aid of Jewish detachments. By the end of the war, Jewish troops mixed with Soviet ones.
Results and significance of guerrilla warfare
Soviet partisans became one of the main forces resisting the Germans and largely helped decide the outcome of the war in favor of the USSR. Good management of the partisan movement made it highly effective and disciplined, allowing the partisans to fight on par with the regular army.
The partisan movement during the Great Patriotic War was massive. Thousands of residents of the occupied territories joined the partisans in order to fight the invader. Their courage and coordinated actions against the enemy made it possible to significantly weaken him, which influenced the course of the war and brought a great victory to the Soviet Union.
The partisan movement during the Great Patriotic War was a mass phenomenon in the occupied fascist Germany territory of the USSR, which was characterized by the struggle of people living on the occupied lands against the forces of the Wehrmacht.
Partisans are the main part of the anti-fascist movement, the Resistance of the Soviet People. Their actions, contrary to many opinions, were not chaotic - large partisan detachments were subordinate to the governing bodies of the Red Army.
The main tasks of the partisans were to disrupt the enemy's road, air and railway communications, as well as to undermine the operation of communication lines.
Interesting! As of 1944, over one million partisans were operating in the occupied lands.
During the Soviet offensive, partisans joined the regular troops of the Red Army.
Beginning of the guerrilla war
It is now well known what role the partisans played in the Great Patriotic War. Partisan brigades began to be organized in the first weeks of hostilities, when the Red Army was retreating with huge losses.
The main goals of the Resistance movement were set out in documents dating from June 29 of the first year of the war. On September 5, they developed a wide list that formulated the main tasks for the fight in the rear of German troops.
In 1941, a special motorized rifle brigade was created, which played a vital role in the development of the partisan movement during the Great Patriotic War. Separate sabotage groups (usually several dozen people) were specially sent behind enemy lines in order to replenish the ranks of partisan groups.
The formation of partisan detachments was caused by the brutal Nazi regime, as well as the removal of civilians from enemy-occupied territory to Germany for hard work.
In the first months of the war, there were very few partisan detachments, since most of the people took a wait-and-see attitude. Initially, no one supplied the partisan detachments with weapons and ammunition, and therefore their role at the beginning of the war was extremely small.
In the early autumn of 1941, communication with the partisans in the deep rear improved significantly - the movement of partisan detachments intensified significantly and began to be more organized. At the same time, the interaction of the partisans with the regular troops of the Soviet Union (USSR) improved - they took part in battles together.
Often, the leaders of the partisan movement during the Great Patriotic War were ordinary peasants who had no military training. Later, the Headquarters sent its own officers to command the detachments.
In the first months of the war, the partisans gathered in small detachments of up to several dozen people. After less than six months, the fighters in the detachments began to number hundreds of fighters. When the Red Army went on the offensive, the detachments turned into entire brigades with thousands of defenders of the Soviet Union.
The largest detachments arose in the regions of Ukraine and Belarus, where German oppression was especially severe.
Main activities of the partisan movement
An important role in organizing the work of resistance units was the creation of the Headquarters of the Partisan Movement (TsSHPD). Stalin appointed Marshal Voroshilov to the post of commander of the Resistance, who believed that their support was the key strategic goal of the spacecraft.
In the small partisan detachments there were no heavy weapons - light weapons predominated: rifles;
- rifles;
- pistols;
- machine guns;
- grenades;
- light machine guns.
Large brigades had mortars and other heavy weapons, which allowed them to fight against enemy tanks.
The partisan and underground movement during the Great Patriotic War seriously undermined the work of the German rear, reducing the combat effectiveness of the Wehrmacht in the lands of Ukraine and the Belarusian SSR.
Partisan detachment in destroyed Minsk, photo 1944
Partisan brigades were mainly engaged in blowing up railways, bridges and trains, making the rapid transfer of troops, ammunition and provisions over long distances unproductive.
The groups that were engaged in subversive work were armed with powerful explosives; such operations were led by officers from specialized units of the Red Army.
The main task of the partisans during the fighting was to prevent the Germans from preparing a defense, undermine morale and inflict such damage on their rear from which it is difficult to recover. Undermining communications - mainly railways, bridges, killing officers, depriving communications and much more - seriously helped in the fight against the enemy. The confused enemy could not resist, and the Red Army was victorious.
Initially, small (about 30 people) units of partisan detachments took part in large-scale offensive operations of the Soviet troops. Then entire brigades joined the ranks of the spacecraft, replenishing the reserves of the troops weakened by the battles.
As a conclusion, we can briefly highlight the main methods of struggle of the Resistance brigades:
- Sabotage work (pogroms were carried out in the rear of the German army) in any form - especially in relation to enemy trains.
- Intelligence and counterintelligence.
- Propaganda for the benefit of the Communist Party.
- Combat assistance by the Red Army.
- Elimination of traitors to the motherland - called collaborators.
- Destruction of enemy combat personnel and officers.
- Mobilization of civilians.
- Maintaining Soviet power in the occupied areas.
Legalization of the partisan movement
The formation of partisan detachments was controlled by the command of the Red Army - the Headquarters understood that sabotage work behind enemy lines and other actions would seriously ruin the life of the German army. The headquarters contributed to the armed struggle of the partisans against the Nazi invaders, and assistance increased significantly after the victory at Stalingrad.
If before 1942 the mortality rate in partisan detachments reached 100%, then by 1944 it had dropped to 10%.
Individual partisan brigades were controlled directly by senior leadership. The ranks of such brigades also included specially trained specialists in sabotage activities, whose task was to train and organize less trained fighters.
The support of the party significantly strengthened the power of the detachments, and therefore the actions of the partisans were directed to help the Red Army. During any offensive operation The enemy should have expected an attack from the rear.
Sign operations
The Resistance forces carried out hundreds, if not thousands, of operations in order to undermine the enemy's combat capability. The most notable of them was combat operation"Concert".
More than one hundred thousand soldiers took part in this operation and it took place over a vast territory: in Belarus, Crimea, the Baltic states, the Leningrad region, and so on.
The main goal is to destroy the enemy's railway communication so that he will not be able to replenish reserves and supplies during the battle for the Dnieper.
As a result, the efficiency of railways decreased by a catastrophic 40% for the enemy. The operation stopped due to the lack of explosives - with more ammunition, the partisans could have caused much more significant damage.
After the victory over the enemy on the Dnieper River, the partisans began to participate en masse in major operations, starting in 1944.
Geography and scale of movement
Resistance units gathered in areas where there were dense forests, gullies and swamps. In the steppe regions, the Germans easily found the partisans and destroyed them. In difficult areas they were protected from the German numerical advantage.
One of the large centers of the partisan movement during the Great Patriotic War was in Belarus.
Belarusian partisans in the forests terrified the enemy, attacking suddenly when the Germans could not repulse the attack, and then also quietly disappearing.
Initially, the situation of the partisans on the territory of Belarus was extremely deplorable. However, the victory near Moscow, and then the winter offensive of the spacecraft, significantly raised their morale. After the liberation of the capital of Belarus, a partisan parade took place.
No less large-scale is the Resistance movement on the territory of Ukraine, especially in Crimea.
The cruel attitude of the Germans towards the Ukrainian people forced people en masse to join the ranks of the Resistance. However, here partisan resistance had its own characteristic features.
Very often the movement was aimed not only at fighting against the fascists, but also against the Soviet regime. This was especially evident in the territory of Western Ukraine; the local population saw the German invasion as liberation from the Bolshevik regime, and en masse went over to the side of Germany.
Participants in the partisan movement became national heroes, for example, Zoya Kosmodemyanskaya, who died at the age of 18 in German captivity, becoming the Soviet Joan of Arc.
The struggle of the population against Nazi Germany took place in Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia, Karelia and other regions.
The most ambitious operation carried out by the Resistance fighters was the so-called “Rail War”. In August 1943, large sabotage formations were transported behind enemy lines, and on the first night they blew up tens of thousands of rails. In total, more than two hundred thousand rails were blown up during the operation - Hitler seriously underestimated the resistance of the Soviet people.
As mentioned above, Operation Concert, which followed the Rail War and was associated with the offensive of the spacecraft forces, played an important role.
The partisan attacks became massive (warring groups were present on all fronts); the enemy could not react objectively and quickly - the German troops were in panic.
In turn, this caused executions of the population who assisted the partisans - the Nazis destroyed entire villages. Such actions encouraged even more people to join the Resistance.
Results and significance of guerrilla warfare
It is very difficult to fully assess the contribution of the partisans to the victory over the enemy, but all historians agree that it was extremely significant. Never before in history has the Resistance movement gained such a massive scale - millions of civilians began to stand up for their Motherland and brought it victory.
Resistance fighters not only undermined railways, warehouses and bridges - they captured the Germans and handed them over to Soviet intelligence so that they would learn the enemy’s plans.
At the hands of the Resistance, the defensive capacity of the Wehrmacht forces on the territory of Ukraine and Belarus was seriously undermined, which simplified the offensive and reduced losses in the ranks of the spacecraft.
Children-partisans
The phenomenon of child partisans deserves special attention. boys school age wanted to fight the invader. Among these heroes it is worth highlighting:
- Valentin Kotik;
- Marat Kazei;
- Vanya Kazachenko;
- Vitya Sitnitsa;
- Olya Demesh;
- Alyosha Vyalov;
- Zina Portnova;
- Pavlik Titov and others.
Boys and girls were engaged in reconnaissance, supplied brigades with supplies and water, fought in battle against the enemy, blew up tanks - did everything to drive away the Nazis. Children partisans of the Great Patriotic War did no less than adults. Many of them died and received the title of “Hero of the Soviet Union.”
Heroes of the partisan movement during the Great Patriotic War
Hundreds of members of the Resistance movement became “Heroes of the Soviet Union” – some twice. Among such figures, I would like to highlight Sidor Kovpak, the commander of a partisan detachment who fought on the territory of Ukraine.
Sidor Kovpak was the man who inspired the people to resist the enemy. He was the military leader of the largest partisan formation in Ukraine and thousands of Germans were killed under his command. In 1943, for his effective actions against the enemy, Kovpak was given the rank of major general.
Next to him it is worth placing Alexey Fedorov, who also commanded a large formation. Fedorov operated on the territory of Belarus, Russia and Ukraine. He was one of the most wanted partisans. Fedorov made a huge contribution to the development of guerrilla warfare tactics, which were used in subsequent years.
Zoya Kosmodemyanskaya, one of the most famous female partisans, also became the first woman to receive the title of “Hero of the Soviet Union.” During one of the operations, she was captured and hanged, but she showed courage to the end and did not betray the plans of the Soviet command to the enemy. The girl became a saboteur despite the commander’s words that 95% of the entire staff would die during operations. She was given the task of burning ten settlements, in which they were based German soldiers. The heroine was unable to fully carry out the order, since during the next arson she was noticed by a village resident who handed the girl over to the Germans.
Zoya became a symbol of resistance to fascism - her image was used not only in Soviet propaganda. The news of the Soviet partisan even reached Burma, where she also became a national hero.
Awards for members of partisan detachments
Since the Resistance played an important role in the victory over the Germans, a special award was established - the medal “Partisan of the Patriotic War”.
First class awards were often given to fighters posthumously. This applies, first of all, to those partisans who were not afraid to act in the first year of the war, being in the rear without any support from the spacecraft forces.
As war heroes, partisans appeared in many Soviet films devoted to military themes. Among the key films are the following:
"Rising" (1976).
"Konstantin Zaslonov" (1949).
The trilogy “The Thought of Kovpak”, published from 1973 to 1976.
“Partisans in the steppes of Ukraine” (1943).
“In the woods near Kovel” (1984) and many others.
The above-mentioned sources say that films about partisans began to be made during military operations - this was necessary so that people would support this movement and join the ranks of the Resistance fighters.
In addition to films, the partisans became heroes of many songs and ballads that highlighted their exploits and carried the news about them among the people.
Now streets and parks are named after famous partisans, thousands of monuments have been erected throughout the CIS countries and beyond. A striking example– Burma, where the feat of Zoya Kosmodemyanskaya is honored.
