The German occupation of Belarus, a forgotten history

the soviet movie Massacre: come and see (1985) is a good example of what was the German occupation of Belarusduring the context of World War II, between 1941 and 1944.

Unlike what happened in other countries during World War II, such as France or Poland, what happened in Belarus remains a forgotten story for the great European or North American public. However, it was one of the most active partisan territories in all the occupied areas of the Soviet Union. In it, some of the most outstanding battles of the contest took place. In addition, the Belarusian region suffered like few others from the war, losing a quarter of its population.

the german invasion

The territory of what is currently Belarus had been built as one of the member republics of the Soviet Union in 1920, after the triumph of the Bolshevik Revolution. The capital was established in the historic city of Minsk, which concentrated a diverse multi-ethnic population. Within its limits different populations lived together: Russians, Belarusians, Jews, Poles, etc. Belarus, which was a land rich in minerals, was an eminently agricultural country whose population was concentrated in rural areas. From the point of view of geography, the so-called «White Russia» stands out for the numerous forests, lakes and rivers that make up its landscape.

The Byelorussian Soviet Socialist Republic would see its territory increased after the Soviet annexation of the eastern Polish provinces, at the beginning of World War II. Despite the territorial changes in population, nothing foreshadowed what would happen after 1941.

When On June 22, 1941, the Germans launched Operation Barbarossa and invaded the Soviet Union., a large number of military forces were concentrated in Belarus. Nevertheless, the Blitkrieg“blitzkrieg” in Germansmashed through the Soviet defenses. In addition, a large number of soldiers and officers were taken prisoner. The Red Army lost more than 300,000 troops between dead and prisoners. In addition, about 5,000 main battle tanks and more than 1,000 aircraft were also lost. In those days a climate of surprise, disbelief and chaos prevailed among the Soviet population. In the film Europe, Europe (1990) reflects that context very well.

From day one, the panzers made a spectacular advance from the German-Soviet border. On June 28, German units reached Minsk, although Soviet resistance would not be completely suppressed until a few days later. By the month of August the German forces had already entered the territory belonging to the Russian Soviet Socialist Republic and Belarus became the rearguard of their armies. There were hardly any roads in the region, but its extensive railway network was crucial for military communications between Germany and central Russia.

The ocupation

After the occupation of the entire Byelorussian Soviet Republic was completed, the Germans organized the administration of the territory. A part of it, renamed “General District of White Ruthenia” (Generalbezirk Weißruthenien), was integrated into the Reichskommissariat Ostland — along with Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania — and came under civil administration. The eastern part of the country would be under the direct control of the German military administration, along with other territories. Other fractions of land were awarded to the Reichskommissariat Ukraine or annexed to Germany itself.

the nazi leader Wilhelm Kube was appointed Commissar General for Belarus (Generalkommissar für Weissruthenien). He thus became one of the most outstanding figures of the German occupation. His policy of repression would become brutal. Kube, a fierce anti-Semite, equally hated the Slavic populations and did not hesitate to apply brutal policies of repression against them. He even planned for the Belarusian capital, Minsk, to be razed to the ground after the end of the war and Germanized, being renamed as Asgard (Wilhelm, 1996: 395). At the head of the police and security forces of “White Ruthenia” SS Commander Erich von dem Bach-Zelewski remainedlater replaced by Curt von Gottberg.

The Nazis established ghettos for the Jewish population in various cities, such as Minsk, Vitebsk or Gomel. An additional ghetto was set up in Minsk to house Jews from Austria, Germany and Czechoslovakia that the Germans began moving to the newly conquered areas. The living conditions of the populations confined there were appalling. Despite this, they got worse as time went on. Also, not far from the Belarusian capital Maly Trostinets extermination camp was installed. From a very early age he began to act as a true “death factory”. Before the end of the summer of 1941 the Germans had already launched mass killings against thousands of Soviet civilians. Jews and the communist intelligentsia were among the first victims.

Due to the war situation, life was seriously altered. Many industries had been destroyed by the bombing and many others had been evacuated to the Ural mountains. This, together with the economic disturbances caused by the war, caused high unemployment among the urban population. In rural areas, kolkhoz —collective farms— were maintained by the new authorities, under a regime of military control. Nazi agricultural policies would cause food shortages that would later lead to famines. On the other hand, a large number of young people were brought to Germany as forced labour.

All this, added to the climate of the war, created a breeding ground for the discontent of broad layers of the population. from very soon the Soviets managed to organize a powerful partisan movement in the rear, which caused countless problems for the Germans. However, the Nazis had, on the other hand, the collaboration of numerous civilians and organized groups. The collaborationism was erectedSo, in one of the mainstays of the German occupation in Belarus. The poor economic situation and the flourishing of the black market pushed many Soviet civilians to collaborate with the occupying power. In other cases they were opportunists.

However, the Germans found good disposition among nationalist and/or conservative elements. The historical nationalist politician Radasłaŭ Astroŭski made himself available to the German authorities from the beginning of the German invasion. Astroŭski would come to hold various positions during the following years, such as the presidency of the “Central Belarusian Rada”. Another longstanding nationalist, Wazlau Iwanouski, was appointed mayor of Minsk by the Germans in December 1941.

The Belarusian Central Rada was going to be the main exponent of local collaborationism. This body, created in mid-1943, had in practice little capacity for action. Although allegedly autonomous and a defender of Belarusian interests, it lacked real power and was little more than a decorative element. The Germans were never interested in developing these types of institutions. On the contrary, they focused more on the creation of armed groups that would help consolidate the occupation. Already in July 1941 they set up an auxiliary police force, the so-called Weißruthenische Hilfspolizei. Later, in March 1944, a paramilitary militia composed of Belarusians was organized, which received the name of Weißruthenische Heimwehr.

repression and extermination

Since the beginning of the German occupation in Belarus, they practiced a policy of mass murder against certain groups, such as the Jews or the cadres of the Communist Party. During the summer of 1941 these actions were carried out by the famous Einsatzgruppen —or “special groups”—. But, in a broader and longer range movement, it was about organizing the extermination of all the populations no arias who inhabited Belarus. Once that plan was completed, the territory would be suitable for colonization by Germans.

The German repression was characterized by the intervention of mixed groups made up of regular German military and police, members of the SS and the Gestapo, local collaborators, etc. These commandos, once they reached a town, killed all the inhabitants and then set fire to the buildings. In many cases, these actions sought to destroy the support network for the partisans, mainly in rural areas. But they also sought to implement a policy of extermination against the Slavs. The modus operandi of these groups appears very well reflected, as commented at the beginning of the article, in the film Massacre: come and see (1985), which reconstructs a real case that occurred in 1943.

SS officer Oskar Dirlewanger was to become one of the symbols of Nazi violence in Belarus. At the beginning of 1942 he was posted to the area, heading a unit dedicated to the “fight against banditry.” At the head of this group, he stood out for unleashing a savage campaign of looting, destruction, murder and rape against the civilian population. The so-called “Dirlewanger” brigade was to be responsible for the deaths of some 30,000 Soviet civilians during 1942 and 1943. In addition, hundreds of towns and villages were to be destroyed.

The local collaborators played a prominent role in the repression. Ukrainians, Belarusians, Latvians or Lithuanians enrolled as auxiliary forces as early as 1941. They used to be integrated into auxiliary police units known as Schutzmannschaft. As the war progressed, these collaborationist elements would play an increasingly important role in the repression, always under German direction. On an individual basis, it is worth highlighting the case of the Ukrainian Hryhoriy Vasiura, who took part in hundreds of massacres in Belarus at the head of collaborationist units. He would later command the 118th battalion of the Schutzmannschaftcomposed mainly of Ukrainians.

Parallel to this repressive policy, there was a sharp increase in partisan actions. This led the Germans to launch several anti-partisan campaigns, such as the “Cottbus” operation, between May and June 1943. Numerous collaborationist units (Belorussian, Ukrainian, Latvian, etc.) and the infamous “Dirlewanger” brigade of the German forces intervened. H.H. The German plan led to the destruction of numerous villages and the depopulation of several regions, causing some 20,000 deaths. On the contrary, the partisan infrastructure was not seriously damaged and during that summer the Soviet sabotage actions would intensify.

Resistance behind the rear: the partisans

The Nazi armies had managed to destroy a large number of Soviet units during the advances of June-August 1941, managing to retain numerous prisoners. But many other soldiers remained…