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73-659: The Armia Ludowa was formed from the Gwardia Ludowa ("People's Guard") to aid the creation of a pro-Soviet communist government in Poland and, along with the National Armed Forces , refused to join the structures of the Polish Underground State and Home Army . It participated in a number of uprisings and supported Red Army offensives through Poland. The Armia Ludowa became part of

146-770: A guerrilla army . During its existence, the Ukrainian Insurgent Army fought against the Poles and the Soviets as their primary opponents, although the organization also rarely fought against the Germans starting in February 1943. From late spring 1944, the UPA and Organization of Ukrainian Nationalists -B (OUN-B)—faced with Soviet advances—also cooperated in many instances with German forces and Soviet forces against

219-464: A competing government for Poland. Communist Polish partisans became increasingly involved in the creation of a pro-Soviet communist government in Poland. In 1942, the communist Polish Workers' Party (PPR) created the Gwardia Ludowa (GL, "People's Guard") as a paramilitary force. The PPR was the favoured party of the Soviets in Poland and received the bulk of its aid. Along with a portion of

292-573: A few and just in between 1941 and 1944. In Ukraine and southeastern Poland, the Poles fought against the Ukrainian nationalists and UPA ( Ukrainian Insurgent Army ) to protect the ethnic Poles from mass murder visited upon them during the massacres of Poles in Volhynia and Eastern Galicia . They were aided, until after the war was over, by the Soviet partisans. At least 60,000 Poles lost their lives,

365-621: A heroic death while trying to prevent the blowing up of the Elizabeth Bridge. They forged papers, protected the Ferdinánd-bridge, took over vehicles, weapons and multiple factories. The Ukrainian Insurgent Army ( Ukrainian : Українська Повстанська Армія (УПА) , Ukrayins’ka Povstans’ka Armiya; UPA) was a Ukrainian nationalist paramilitary and later partisan army that engaged in a series of guerrilla conflicts during World War II in concert with Nazi Germany against

438-546: A mere nuisance to those of a major factor in the general situation. In many parts of occupied Europe, the enemy was suffering losses at the hands of partisans that he could ill afford. Nowhere were these losses heavier than in Yugoslavia. By late 1944, the total forces of the Partisans numbered 650,000 men and women organized in four field armies and 52 divisions , which engaged in conventional warfare . By April 1945,

511-591: A much poorer support network than the Home Army, which was supported by the Polish Underground State. Soviet air drops did not supply foodstuffs, often leading partisans to resort to forced requisitions, which is described by modern historians as " banditry ". It often targeted mansions and churches, and there were also incidents of its soldiers murdering Jews or fighting among themselves. In one of its most secret and controversial actions, agents of

584-555: A prominent role in the history of the Polish People's Republic after the war's end and was known for his ultra-nationalist and antisemitic attitude. This Polish military article is a stub . You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it . Partisan (military) A partisan is a member of a domestic irregular military force formed to oppose control of an area by a foreign power or by an army of occupation by some kind of insurgent activity. The term can apply to

657-420: A united, independent national state on Ukrainian ethnic territory. Violence was accepted as a political tool against foreign as well as domestic enemies of their cause, which was to be achieved by a national revolution led by a dictatorship that would drive out the occupying powers and set up a government representing all regions and social groups. The organization began as a resistance group and developed into

730-532: Is often recognized as the first partisan unit of World War II. The situation amongst the Polish partisans and the situation of the Polish partisans were both complicated. The founding organizations that led to the creation of the Home Army or Armia Krajowa , also known as AK, were themselves organized in 1939. Home Army was the largest Polish partisan organization; moreover, organizations such as peasant Bataliony Chłopskie , created primarily for self—defense against

803-543: The Armia Ludowa on 17 February 1944 seized an important document archive of the Polish Underground State. Documents of importance to the communist activists were taken, and the remainder was turned over to a Gestapo agent, who had been duped into participating in the operation. Seven members of the Polish Underground State were taken prisoner by the Germans in a cleanup operation and likely executed soon afterward. On 21 July 1944, seven months after it came into existence,

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876-708: The Armia Ludowa was integrated into the Polish Military in the USSR and formed the new People's Army of Poland ( Ludowe Wojsko Polskie , LWP ). After the Red Army and the Soviet-organized 1st Polish Army entered Poland late in 1944 and early 1945, most People's Army members joined the communist 1st Polish Army. After the war, many of its members joined the ranks of the Ministry of Public Security of

949-822: The Armia Ludowa was much smaller than the Home Army, though it much better armed as a result of Soviet air drops ; it might have even had a surplus of weaponry. It also had less strict discipline. The commander of the Armia Ludowa was General Michał Rola-Żymierski , and the chief of staff was a member of the Central Committee of the Polish Workers' Party , Colonel Franciszek Jóźwiak . According to Armia Ludowa' s claims, it carried out about 900 operations, killing 20,000 Germans, derailing 350 trains, and destroying 79 bridges. However, these exploits were significantly exaggerated by communist propaganda in

1022-539: The Blackshirts , marched on Rome , seized power, and the following day Mussolini became Duce (Prime Minister) of Italy. He thenceforth established a dictatorship centered around his fascist doctrine, and in 1936 Mussolini formed the Axis powers with Nazi Germany . In July 1943, fascist Italy crumbled ; Mussolini was turned in by the monarchy and placed under arrest by his government. On 8 September 1943, when

1095-835: The French Resistance like Elek Tamás and Botzor József. The Sovereignty movement took over multiple newspapers including the Népszava, the Magyar Nemzet, and the Szabad Szó, to propagate anti-fascist and anti-german sentiment. Their main goal being to break away from the Axis powers . Most of these groups were decentralised, multiple paramilitary groups worked in Budapest in parallel. The most famous of which operated in Angyalföld , under Gidófalvy Lajos, who died

1168-595: The French emperor to retreat from Russia after invading in 1812 (e.g., the activities of Denis Davydov ). The Boers also deployed the concept of partisan warfare with their kommandos during the Second Boer War of 1899–1902. Imperial Russia also made use of partisans in World War I , for example Stanisław Bułak-Bałachowicz . On 28 October 1922, Benito Mussolini and his fascist paramilitary troops,

1241-680: The German invasion of the Soviet Union in 1941, communist supporters in Poland, aided by Soviet advisers, had formed partisan units and created their own independent underground organization, whose aims were to support the Red Army against German forces. In 1943, following revelations about the Katyn massacre and the Polish government-in-exile's insistence on investigation, the Soviet Union broke off diplomatic relations and intended to establish

1314-723: The National Armed Forces , this communist-led underground was one of the military resistance organizations in Poland that refused to join the structures of the Polish Underground State, and its military arm, the Home Army ( Armia Krajowa ). On 1 January 1944, the State National Council ( Krajowa Rada Narodowa , KRN ) replaced the Gwardia Ludowa with the People's Army ( Armia Ludowa ). The KRN intended to gain volunteers from other groups. Upon its establishment,

1387-573: The People's Republic of Poland . Historian Piotr Gontarczyk estimates that only about 5–10% of the officially-recorded actions really took place, and that most instances of fighting the German military were defending from German anti-partisan operations, with instances of attacking Germans on its own initiative being very rare. Rather than engaging military targets, it preferred softer targets such as German administration offices. That changed in 1944, when

1460-545: The Polish People's Republic , or the Milicja Obywatelska . The Armia Ludowa were hailed as heroes in the Polish People's Republic and often the subject of early communist propaganda in Poland . State media exaggerated its size and role during the war, typically at the expense of the Home Army, who involvement was minimised and criticised. Although its size and actions were much smaller in number than

1533-700: The Red Army , with the availability of firearms led to it swiftly reaching a strength of 3,000 fighters. It was connected to the NKVD , the intelligence services of the Soviet Union , to the point that some of its military actions were commanded by NKVD colonels . It was tasked with fighting against Nazi Germany by means of partisan warfare, sabotage, and reprisal actions. The full size partisan detachments were formed in May 1942 although foray groups were organized earlier. They operated near Piotrków and Radom . By

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1606-538: The Soviet Union to support the Red Army and Polish communists against Nazi Germany . It became the largest partisan force in Poland which refused to join the structures of the Polish Underground State loyal to the London -based Polish government-in-exile . The Gwardia Ludowa was incorporated into the larger Armia Ludowa in January 1944. The Gwardia Ludowa was created on 6 January 1942 with military aid from

1679-637: The Soviet Union , Czechoslovakia , and both Underground and Communist Poland . The group was the military wing of the Organization of Ukrainian Nationalists — Bandera faction (the OUN-B), originally formed in Volyn in the spring and summer of 1943. Its official date of creation is 14 October 1942, day of Intercession of the Theotokos feast. The OUN's stated immediate goal was the re-establishment of

1752-450: The Union of Lithuanian Freedom Fighters , noted the following: The right eye is covered with haematoma, on the eyelid there are six stab wounds made, judging by their diameter, by a thin wire or nail going deep into the eyeball. Multiple haematomas in the area of the stomach, a cut wound on a finger of the right hand. The genitalia reveal the following: a large tear wound on the right side of

1825-691: The armistice of Cassibile was announced, Germans invaded Italy and liberated Mussolini, putting him in charge of the Italian Social Republic , a collaborationist regime and puppet state of the Third Reich. Subsequently, the Italian resistance movement , alongside the Italian Co-Belligerent Army , fought the German and Fascist forces. One of the most important episodes of resistance by Italian armed forces after

1898-522: The " Partisan Rangers " of the American Civil War of 1861–1865. In that war, Confederate States Army Partisan leaders , such as John S. Mosby , Jesse James , William Quantrill , or Bloody Bill Anderson , operated along the lines described by von Ewald (and later by both Jomini (1779–1869) and Clausewitz (1780–1831)). In essence, 19th-century American partisans were closer to commando or ranger forces raised during World War II than to

1971-691: The "partisan warfare" ( French : petite guerre , lit.   'little war') in the Netherlands campaigns of 1673-1678 during the Franco-Dutch War of 1672-1678. Some of the practices of ninjas in feudal Japan resembled irregular partisan warfare. De Jeney , a Hungarian military officer who served in the Prussian Army as captain of military engineers during the Seven Years' War of 1756–1763, produced one of

2044-588: The GL/AL grew stronger and began engaging the German military more actively. According to the historian Mieczysław B. Biskupski , the Armia Ludowa was less concerned with fighting the Germans than with fighting the Home Army. The Armia Ludowa took part in the Warsaw Uprising , with official claims holding that some 1,800 of its soldiers fought there, but modern research suggests the actual number to have been about 500. Although well armed, it struggled with

2117-433: The Germans in reprisal. GL was divided into partisan units and garrison units assembled for quick ambushes, after which the garrison members returned to their homes. By the end of 1942 GL had approximately 5,000 men, including, at least nominally, every member of the Polish Workers' Party . By late 1943 the number rose to about 10,000. Among them approximately 1,700 were partisans, and the rest were part-time combatants. For

2190-737: The Germans. The Apollo movie theatre in Radom was attacked on 22 November 1942; the Deutsches Haus in April 1943. In Kraków and Kielce the Nur für Deutsche coffee houses were bombed in December 1942 and February 1943 respectively. The German administration building in Rzeszów was bombed also in February. Most of GL operations resulted in great number of Polish and Jewish hostages being shot by

2263-568: The Great Patriotic War propaganda. In East Karelia , most partisans attacked Finnish military supply and communication targets, but inside Finland proper, almost two-thirds of the attacks targeted civilians, killing 200 and injuring 50, mostly women, children and elderly. The Yugoslav Partisans or the National Liberation Army (officially the National Liberation Army and Partisan Detachments of Yugoslavia),

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2336-613: The Holocaust [...] those who won our loyalty and helped us with their slim forces were the Polish Communists [...] They hated the Poland of the fascistic Sanacja and sought someone to lean on. [...] They were first of all Polish patriots who wanted to see a new Poland; and they were the only force we could rely on because of their attitude toward us, toward our Jewish group". Polish-Israeli historians Israel Gutman and Shmuel Krakowski report that in many regions of Poland,

2409-427: The Home Army, propaganda espoused the myth that the reverse was the case. Since the fall of communism in Poland in 1989, the legacy of the Armia Ludowa has been reconsidered, mainly as its leadership took orders from the Soviet Union and represented Soviet, not Polish, interests. The Polish Institute of National Remembrance , in its official description of the Gwardia Ludowa / Armia Ludowa , goes so far as to declare

2482-617: The Iron Curtain – including the information provided by the Lithuanian partisans. Former members of the Lithuanian Territorial Defense Force, Lithuanian Liberty Army, Lithuanian Armed Forces , Lithuanian Riflemen's Union formed the basis of Lithuanian partisans. Farmers, Lithuanian officials, students, teachers, and even pupils joined the partisan movement. The movement was actively supported by

2555-622: The Liberation of Lithuania (Lithuanian: Vyriausiasis Lietuvos išlaisvinimo komitetas , VLIK), was created on 25 November 1943. VLIK published underground newspapers and agitated for resistance against the Nazis. The Gestapo arrested the most influential members in 1944. After the reoccupation of Lithuania by the Soviets, VLIK moved to the West set its goal to maintain non-recognition of Lithuania's occupation and dissemination of information from behind

2628-519: The Lithuanians as pl. stribai , from the Russian : izstrebiteli – destroyers , i.e., the destruction battalions ), used shock tactics such as displaying executed partisans' corpses in village courtyards to discourage further resistance. The report of a commission formed at a KGB prison a few days after the 15 October 1956, arrest of Adolfas Ramanauskas ("Vanagas"), chief commander of

2701-631: The Marshal of Poland Rydz-Śmigły on 16 September 1939. The first sabotage groups were created in Warsaw on 18 September 1939. Each battalion was to choose 3 soldiers who were to sabotage the enemy's war effort behind the front lines. The sabotage groups were organized before Rydz-Śmigły's order was received. Independently, the Separated Unit of the Polish Army created in late 1939 in Poland

2774-670: The Nazi German abuse, or the armed wing of the Polish Socialist Party and most of the nationalist National Armed Forces did subordinate themselves, before the end of the World War II, to the very Home Army. The communist Gwardia Ludowa remained indifferent and even hostile towards the Home Army, and of two Jewish organizations, the Jewish Military Union did cooperate with the Home Army, when

2847-454: The Partisans numbered over 800,000. Shortly before the end of the war, in March 1945, all resistance forces were reorganized into the regular armed force of Yugoslavia and renamed the Yugoslav Army. It would keep this name until 1951, when it was renamed Yugoslav People's Army . Postwar Yugoslavia was one of only two European countries that were largely liberated by its own forces during World War II. It received significant assistance from

2920-403: The People's Guard was the only allied force the Jewish partisans could rely on, and list ten Jewish partisan units that joined the People's Guard, alongside thirteen ethnically mixed partisan units of the People's Guard. According to Dariusz Libionka , "the fundamental difference between the AK [ Armia Krajowa ] and GL-AL [Gwardia Ludowa- Armia Ludowa ] with regard to their attitude towards Jews

2993-537: The Polish communists. Hundreds of Hungarians fought in the Slovak National Uprising notably in the Nógrádi and Petőfi groups (after Petőfi Sándor , Hungarian poet from the Hungarian War of Independence ). They also appeared in significant numbers in 20 other units, but unfortunately this did not have an effect on the Kassa declaration (Kassai nyilatkozat). Many activists fought abroad like Kilián György activist and soldier in Poland or Szalvai Mihály politician, who fought in Moscow and Yugoslavia. Many have been martyrs in

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3066-402: The Soviet Union during the liberation of Serbia , and substantial assistance from the Balkan Air Force from mid-1944, but only limited assistance, mainly from the British, prior to 1944. At the end of the war, no foreign troops were stationed on its soil. Partly as a result, the country found itself halfway between the two camps at the onset of the Cold War . Among the three Baltic countries,

3139-439: The Soviet Union which de facto controlled it and its predecessors. In September 1939, the Second Polish Republic was invaded by both Nazi Germany and the Soviet Union , one month after the signing of the Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact . On 1 September, the Germans launched their invasion of Poland from the west, considered the beginning of World War II . On 17 September, the Soviets launched their own invasion of Poland from

3212-399: The Soviet partisans as well as fought against the Lithuanian Nazi collaborators. The Poles failed to defeat the Soviet Partisans, but did achieve a decisive victory against the Lithuanian Nazi collaborators, Battle of Murowana Oszmianka . Afterwards, about half of the Polish partisans in Lithuania assisted the invading Soviet Army, and many ended up mistreated and even killed by the Soviets and

3285-423: The Soviets. In spite of the ideological enmity, the Home Army did launch a massive sabotage campaign after the Germans began Operation Barbarossa . Amongst other acts of sabotage, the Polish partisans damaged nearly 7,000 locomotives, over 19,000 railway cars, over 4,000 German military vehicles and built-in faults into 92,000 artillery projectiles as well as 4710 built-in faults into aircraft engines, just to mention

3358-409: The armed fighters while the organizational sector was tasked with passive resistance , including supply of food, information, and transport to Vanagai . In the middle of 1944, the LLA had 10,000 members. The Soviets killed 659 and arrested 753 members of the LLA by 26 January 1945. Founder Kazys Veverskis was killed in December 1944, the headquarters were liquidated in December 1945. This represented

3431-434: The armistice was the battle of Piombino , Tuscany . On 10 September 1943, during Operation Achse , a small German flotilla, commanded by Kapitänleutnant Karl-Wolf Albrand, tried to enter the harbor of Piombino but was denied access by the port authorities. Eventually, after a drawn-out period of combat, the Italian partisans achieved victory. This was assisted by the fall of the Third Reich , which effectively nullified

3504-411: The attacks from German occupation, the ensuing uprising of 25 April 1945 which pushed out all remaining German forces, the fall of Genoa and Milan on April 26, that of Turin two days after. That same day, Mussolini was captured; he was executed on April 28 by Italian partisan Walter Audisio . German forces in Italy officially surrendered on May 2. The order to organize partisan groups was issued by

3577-606: The consolidation of Soviet rule through ambush, sabotage, assassination of local Communist activists and officials, freeing imprisoned guerrillas, and printing underground newspapers. On 1 July 1944, Lithuanian Liberty Army (LLA) declared a state of war against the Soviet Union and ordered all its able members to mobilize into platoons, stationed in forests and not leave Lithuania. The departments were replaced by two sectors – operational, called Vanagai (Hawks or Falcons; abbreviated VS), and organizational (abbreviated OS). Vanagai , commanded by Albinas Karalius (codename Varenis), were

3650-466: The east. There was no formal declaration of war by either side, but Polish forces were defeated within a month and forced the Polish state to operate in exile and underground. Poland itself was divided into spheres of influence and annexed by the two powers roughly along the Curzon Line . The Polish government-in-exile established in London maintained contacts with the Polish Underground State , its representatives in Occupied Poland . Following

3723-402: The end of the year, the organisation was divided onto seven administrative districts including Warsaw , Lublin , Radom - Kielce , Kraków , Łódź , Silesia and Lwów . First major operations of GL consisted of disassembling train tracks. Until December 1942 some 50 railway lines were damaged resulting in 30 German supply trains being disabled. Some 30 insurgents were caught and hanged, but

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3796-435: The failure of highly centralized resistance, as the organization was too dependent on Veverskis and other top commanders. In 1946 remaining leaders and fighters of LLA started to merge with Lithuanian partisans. In 1949 all members of presidium of Union of Lithuanian Freedom Fighters - captain Jonas Žemaitis-Tylius, Petras Bartkus-Žadgaila, Bronius Liesys-Naktis ir Juozas Šibaila-Merainis came from LLA. Supreme Committee for

3869-695: The field element of resistance movements . The most common use in present parlance in several languages refers to occupation resistance fighters during World War II , especially under the Yugoslav partisan leader Josip Broz Tito . The initial concept of partisan warfare involved the use of troops raised from the local population in a war zone (or in some cases regular forces) who would operate behind enemy lines to disrupt communications, seize posts or villages as forward-operating bases, ambush convoys, impose war taxes or contributions, raid logistical stockpiles, and compel enemy forces to disperse and protect their base of operations. George Satterfield has analyzed

3942-399: The first manuals of partisan tactics in the 18th century: The Partisan, or the Art of Making War in Detachment... (English translation published in London in 1760.) Johann von Ewald described techniques of partisan warfare in detail in his Abhandlung über den kleinen Krieg ("Treatise on little war", Cramer: Cassel, 1785). The concept of partisan warfare would later form the basis of

4015-468: The first organizers of the Jewish resistance in Warsaw Ghetto . During the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising People's Guard attacked German units near the Ghetto walls and attempted to smuggle weapons, ammunition, supplies, and instructions into the Ghetto. After the uprising was over, GL helped Jews to escape Ghetto and some Jewish militants joined the units of GL. The leader of the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising , Yitzhak Zuckerman , wrote in his memoirs: "During

4088-412: The invading Germans, Soviets, and Poles in the hope of creating an independent Fascist Ukrainian state. The UPA committed ethnic cleansing of the Polish population of Volhynia and East Galicia . Soviet partisans during World War II, especially those active in Belarus , effectively harassed German troops and significantly hampered their operations in the region. As a result, Soviet authority

4161-418: The leftist and pro-Soviet Jewish Combat Organization did not. Both Jewish combat organizations staged the Ghetto uprising in 1943. Armia Krajowa staged Warsaw Uprising in 1944, amongst other activities. Bataliony Chłopskie fought mainly in Zamość Uprising . The Polish partisans faced many enemies. The main enemies were the Nazi Germans, Ukrainian nationalists, Lithuanian Nazi collaborators, and even

4234-426: The majority of them civilians, men, women, and children. Some of the victims were Poles of Jewish descent who had escaped from the ghetto or death camp . The majority of the Polish partisans in Ukraine assisted the invading Soviet Army. Few of them were mistreated or killed by the Soviets or the Polish communists. In Lithuania and Belarus, after a period of initial cooperation, the Poles defended themselves against

4307-405: The most part, the GL carried out acts of sabotage, including the sabotage of German rail transport. GL took part in the Zamość uprising - a series of partisan actions against the forced Expulsion of Poles by Nazi Germany from the Zamość region. Since the formation of GL, its soldiers worked together with Jewish partisans . In Warsaw, Polish communists like Józef Lewartowski were ones of

4380-450: The new Polish People's Army of the Soviet Polish Armed Forces in the East after seven months of existence. The Armia Ludowa was heroized in the Polish People's Republic with its size and actions being exaggerated in propaganda in communist Poland . Since the fall of communism in Poland, the Armia Ludowa has been classified as a Soviet partisan movement rather than part of the Polish resistance due to their close affiliation with

4453-675: The number of units grew to over 30 in the same time. The most prominent sabotage action took place on 16 November 1942 along the railway line Radom – Łuków – Terespol , where five trains and a bridge were destroyed with the use of Soviet explosives. Another five trains were derailed around Oświęcim on 25 February 1943. Throughout the year, trains were damaged around Warsaw in Olszynka Grochowska, Elsnerów, Legionowo , Żyrardów and Żywczyn. In total, Gwardia Ludowa caused damage to 169 trains in 1943, as well as 113 train stations, resulting in 55 temporary line shut-downs. GL retaliation actions included throwing grenades into buildings frequented by

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4526-433: The organisation as part of the Soviet partisans, rather than the Polish resistance. Gwardia Ludowa The People's Guard ( GL ; Polish : Gwardia Ludowa ; Polish pronunciation: [ˈɡvardja luˈdɔva] ) was a communist partisan force of the Polish Workers' Party (PPR) active in Occupied Poland during World War II from 1942 to 1944. The Gwardia Ludowa was established with sponsorship from

4599-456: The organization comprised some 10,000 members. By the end of July 1944, when much of Poland had been occupied by the Red Army, there were some 20,000–30,000 members, with 5,000 of them being Soviet nationals . Lower estimates quote about 14,000 as its peak strength, whereas high estimates double the middle number, up to 50,000–60,000. About 6,000 of them were active full-time partisans while the remainder were reservists . Whatever its exact size,

4672-454: The partisan forces which would operate in Nazi-occupied Europe . Mosby-style fighters would have been legally considered uniformed members of their state's armed forces. Partisans in the mid-19th century were substantially different from raiding cavalry , or from unorganized/semi-organized guerrilla forces . Russian partisans played a crucial part in the downfall of Napoleon . Their fierce resistance and persistent inroads helped compel

4745-404: The populace, killing entire families. The war crimes committed in Finland by Soviet partisans were investigated by the National Bureau since 1999. However, Russia refused access to Soviet archives and the investigation ended in 2003. Partisan warfare was routinely distorted in the Soviet Union. According to historian Veikko Erkkilä the Russian attitude towards civilian atrocities has been marred by

4818-414: The resistance was best organized in Lithuania, where guerrilla units controlled whole regions of the countryside until 1949. Their armaments included Czech Skoda guns , Russian Maxim heavy machine guns , assorted mortars and a wide variety of mainly German and Soviet light machine guns and submachine guns . When not in direct battles with the Red Army or special NKVD units, they significantly delayed

4891-535: The scrotum and a wound on the left side, both testicles and spermatic ducts are missing. Juozas Lukša was among those who managed to escape to the West; he wrote his memoirs in Paris - Fighters for Freedom. Lithuanian Partisans Versus the U.S.S.R. and was killed after returning to Lithuania in 1951. Pranas Končius (code name Adomas ) was the last Lithuanian anti-Soviet resistance fighter, killed in action by Soviet forces on 6 July 1965 (some sources indicate he shot himself in order to avoid capture on 13 July). He

4964-600: The society and the Catholic church. It is estimated that by the end of 1945, 30,000 armed people stayed in forests in Lithuania. The partisans were well-armed. During the 1945-1951 Soviet repressive structures seized from partisans 31 mortars, 2,921 machine guns, 6,304 assault rifles, 22,962 rifles, 8,155 pistols, 15,264 grenades, 2,596 mines, and 3,779,133 cartridges. The partisans usually replenished their arsenal by killing istrebiteli , members of Soviet secret police forces or by purchasing ammunition from Red Army soldiers. Every partisan had binoculars and few grenades. One grenade

5037-445: The southern part of this region, however, Jews hiding in the forests were killed by a People's Guard unit. On 1 January 1944, by a decree of the Krajowa Rada Narodowa , the communist government installed by Stalin , the Gwardia Ludowa became a part of the newly formed Armia Ludowa . The prominent commanders and GL chiefs of staff were Marian Spychalski , Franciszek Jóźwiak , Franciszek Zubrzycki, and Mieczysław Moczar who played

5110-403: Was Europe's most effective anti-Nazi resistance movement . It was led by the Communist Party of Yugoslavia during World War II . Its commander was Marshal Josip Broz Tito . They were a leading force in the liberation of their country during the People's Liberation War of Yugoslavia . By the middle of 1943 partisan resistance to the Germans and their allies had grown from the dimensions of

5183-414: Was re-established deep inside the German-held territories. In some areas partisan collective farms raised crops and livestock to produce food. However this was not usually the case and partisans also requisitioned supplies from the local populace, sometimes involuntarily. According to many anti Soviet accounts, Soviet partisans in Finland were known to have attacked villages and indiscriminately targeted

5256-655: Was that Jews could function in GL while retaining their identity, while in the AK they could not". According to Shmuel Krakowski, the People's Guard's attitude towards the Jewish families hiding in the forests was not uniform. In the northern part of the Lublin region , local People's Guard units helped Jewish partisans to protect a large camp of Jewish families in the Parczew forests. In

5329-510: Was usually saved to blow themselves and their faces to avoid being taken as prisoners, since the physical tortures of Soviet MGB/NKVD were very brutal and cruel, and be recognized, to prevent their relatives from suffering. Captured Lithuanian Forest Brothers themselves often faced torture and summary execution while their relatives faced deportation to Siberia (cf. quotation ). Reprisals against anti-Soviet farms and villages were harsh. The NKVD units, named People's Defense Platoons (known by

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