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76-582: The film takes place during the Second World War. The film tells about the Belarusian underground , which the Nazis are trying to set against each other. The story unfolds during World War II in a Nazi-occupied Belarusian city, focusing on the resistance efforts of local underground fighters. In a prison basement, Ivan Lobach is brought into a cell filled with captured partisans. Through flashbacks,

152-461: A reward of 100,000 Reichsmarks for assistance in the capture of Tuvia Bielski, and in 1943, led major clearing operations against all partisan groups in the area. Some of these groups suffered major casualties, but the Bielski partisans fled safely to a more remote part of the forest, and continued to offer protection to the non-combatants among their band. During the process of reorganization of

228-1993: A Soviet film of the 1960s is a stub . You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it . This article about a film on World War II is a stub . You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it . Belarusian resistance during World War II Soviet victory [REDACTED] Soviet Union ( partisans ) Nationalist underground in Western Belarus (mostly before 1943) : [REDACTED] Polish Underground State  • UAS (1941—1942)  • Armia Krajowa (1942—1944)  • NAF (1942—1944)  • [REDACTED] Bataliony Chłopskie [REDACTED] Polessye Sich (1942—1943) [REDACTED] UPA 1942—1943) [REDACTED] Belarusian nationalists  • Belarusian SD  [ ru ] (1941)  • BPPM  [ ru ] 1941—1944 Jewish partisans [REDACTED] Nazi Germany Collaborationist organisations and formations : [REDACTED] Belarusian  • Belarusian Polizei  • Belarusian Council of confidences  [ ru ] (1943)  • [REDACTED] Belarusian Central Council (1943—1944)  • Belarusian People's self-help  [ ru ]  • Belarusian corps of self-defence  [ ru ] (1942—1943)  • Novogrudsk escadron  [ ru ] (1943—1944)  • Belarusian Home Defence (1944) [REDACTED] Polish  • Polish Polizei [REDACTED] Ukrainian  • Ukrainian Polizei [REDACTED] [REDACTED] [REDACTED] Baltic Collaborations  [ ru ]  • Lithuanian Polizei  • Latvian Polizei  • [REDACTED] 15th Waffen Grenadier Division of

304-548: A few escapees from the Jewish ghettos or concentration camps , while others, such as Bielski partisans , numbered in the hundreds and included women and children. They were most numerous in Eastern Europe , but groups also existed in occupied France and Belgium , where they worked with the local resistance . Many individual Jewish fighters took part in the other partisan movements in other occupied countries. In total,

380-633: A foray infiltrating the Vilna Ghetto in April 1943 to meet with underground leader Abba Kovner , he stayed with the partisans until the end of the war, fighting the Germans and their collaborators near Lake Narach . The Bielski partisans ' activities were aimed at the Nazis and their collaborators , such as Belarusian volunteer policemen or local inhabitants who had betrayed or killed Jews. They also conducted sabotage missions. The Nazi regime offered

456-535: A large number of partisan groups in the Soviet Union but not much information can be found on them due to Soviet record keeping. In Lithuania, there were four ghettos that remained after the mass murder campaign by the Nazis in 1941. There were armed resistance groups in three of them – Vilna , Švenčionys , and Kovno . The Vilna Ghetto was the site of the first Jewish resistance group known as Fareynikte Partizaner Organizatsye or FPO. The FPO tried to persuade

532-619: A new oppressor, in the ranks of Wolność i Niezawisłość organization. However, after several successful actions against the NKVD units in the area of Białowieża Forest , it became apparent that such actions would result in a total destruction of his unit. Jewish partisans Jewish partisans were fighters in irregular military groups participating in the Jewish resistance movement against Nazi Germany and its collaborators during World War II . A number of Jewish partisan groups operated across Nazi-occupied Europe , some made up of

608-518: A scarce commodity. German uniforms were highly prized trophies: they were warm and served as disguises for future missions. Those who were wounded or maimed or fell ill often did not survive due to the lack of medical help or supplies. Most partisan groups had no physician and treated the wounded themselves, turning to village doctors only as a last resort. The forests also concealed family camps where Jewish escapees from camps or ghettos, many of whom were too young or too old to fight, hoped to wait out

684-422: Is an uncontested fact. It happened regularly.", but at the same time notes that such robberies were their only choice other than starvation. The food situation varied between units, while some faced starvation, others were well supplied and sent their food stocks to Soviet Union. In order to survive, Jews had to put aside traditional dietary restrictions . While friendly peasants provided food, in some cases food

760-402: Is killed during the effort. Other prisoners, including Zhenya, face brutal treatment, but she manages to flee with the help of a friend, using a clever ruse involving her friend's child. The story culminates in tragic sacrifices and fleeting moments of defiance, painting a harrowing picture of courage, betrayal, and resilience in the face of overwhelming oppression. This article related to

836-574: Is strong evidence, that this was decision of the central Soviet authorities, who abstained from the greater buildup of the Partisan forces in West Belarus, and let Polish underground military structures to grow unopposed in these lands in 1941–1942, in the context of relations with the Polish government in exile of Sikorsky. Certain level of military cooperation, imposed by the respective commands,

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912-607: The Generalbezirk Weißruthenien . The German pacification operations were able to curb partisan activity significantly throughout the summer and fall of 1941. The Belarusian Auxiliary Police was established by the Nazis in July 1941 and deployed to murder operations particularly in February–March 1942. The resistance movement first consisted of cut-off Soviet soldiers, some civilians began joining them around

988-677: The Home Army ), and nationalist Belarusian forces opposed to Germany. After the victories of the Wehrmacht against the Red Army in 1941, Belarus was one of the Soviet republics that came under control of Nazi Germany ( Operation Barbarossa ). The official government of the occupation forces was established on August 23, 1941, under the direction of Wilhelm Kube , the German administrator of

1064-745: The Novogrudok area of the Home Army , the Uderzeniowe Bataliony Kadrowe units created a battalion, which became part of the 77th Infantry Regiment of the Home Army, under Boleslaw Piasecki . In February 1944 the battalion had around 700 soldiers (some sources put the number at around 500). The unit took part in the Operation Tempest , fighting the Germans around Lida and Vilnius (see: Wilno Uprising ), where it suffered heavy losses. The 5th Wileńska Brigade of

1140-581: The Operation Ostra Brama , the V Brigade was to attack the Wilno suburb of Zwierzyniec in cooperation with the advancing units of the 3rd Belorussian Front . However, for fear of being arrested with his units by the NKVD and killed on the spot, Zygmunt Szendzielarz – Łupaszko – decided to disobey the orders and instead moved his unit to central Poland. The Operation Ostra Brama was a success and

1216-661: The Polish Government in Exile . At the same time the unit was reorganized and captured enough equipment to fully arm 600 men with machine guns and machine pistols. After the governments of the United Kingdom and United States broke the pacts with Poland and accepted the Polish Committee of National Liberation as the provisional government of Poland, Łupaszka restarted the hostilities – this time against

1292-721: The Soviet partisans in Poland . Eventually the Armia Ludowa (AL) was founded as the main communist-affiliated partisan group in occupied Poland. This group was provided with weapons by the Soviet Union. There were around 30 Jewish partisan detachments and most of these were connected to the AL. About half of these were detachments off in forests. Independent partisan groups also operated in these forests, working to liberate Jews from local ghettos without outside support or coordination. Notably,

1368-554: The Warsaw Ghetto 's Jewish Combat Organization , and included in its ranks Jewish individuals and Jewish units, such as Lukawiecki Partisans commanded by Edmund Łukawiecki and working under the umbrella of the Home Army, as well as the Jewish Platoon Wigry which took part in the 1944 Warsaw Uprising . It also collaborated with Jewish units in self-defence operations. Other Jews joined units affiliated with

1444-615: The 4th Battalion engaged the Germans near the village of Pawly ( Bielsk Podlaski County ). 25 Poles and approximately 40 Germans died. In July 1943 the Uderzeniowe Bataliony Kadrowe units, active in Bezirk Bialystok, consisted of five Battalions. Altogether, there were 200 fighters, and during a number of skirmishes with the Germans (including the 1943 Polish underground raid on East Prussia ), 138 of them were killed. These heavy losses were criticized by

1520-590: The German guard forces in the Army Group "Centre" rear comprised 4 security divisions, 2 SS brigades, 260 companies of different branches of service. The Moscow Battle turned the tide in the morale of the partisans and of the local people in general. However, the real turning point in the development of the partisan movement in Belarus, and, in fact, on the German-occupied territories in general, came in

1596-554: The Home Army, commanded by Zygmunt Szendzielarz (Łupaszko), fought against the German army and SS units in the area of southern Wilno Voivodeship , but was also frequently attacked by the Soviet Partisans paradropped in the area by the Red Army . In April 1944, Zygmunt Szendzielarz was arrested by Lithuanian police and handed over to the German Gestapo. Łupaszko escaped or was released in unknown circumstances at

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1672-563: The Jewish partisans numbered between 20,000 and 30,000. The partisans engaged in guerrilla warfare and sabotage against the Nazi occupation, instigated ghetto uprisings , and freed prisoners. In Lithuania alone, they killed approximately 3,000 German soldiers. They sometimes had contacts within the ghettos, camps, Judenrats , and with other resistance groups , with whom they shared military intelligence . In Eastern Europe, many Jews joined

1748-426: The Jewish scholar Grommer and his daughter Freda from an impending massacre. Though he initially succeeds in escorting them to the forest, they are captured, witnessing the horrifying drowning of hundreds of Jews. As the resistance fights on, their leader Konstantin takes charge of the grain operation, successfully delivering supplies to the starving partisans. In the prison, Freda aids Ivan in an escape attempt, but he

1824-480: The NKVD's Internal Troops , and Soviet sportsmen. When dropped behind German lines, the groups were to organize and guide the local self-established partisan units. Radio operators and intelligence gathering officers were the essential members of each group since amateur fighters could not be trusted with these tasks. Some commanders of these special units (like Dmitry Medvedev ) later became well-known partisan leaders. The Soviet authorities considered Belarus to be of

1900-671: The Red Army, the Soviet secret police NKVD or local Soviet or Communist apparatchiks . These detachments dated back to the early days of World War II: the detachment Starasyel'ski of major Dorodnykh in Zhabinka district (June 23, 1941), the detachment of Vasily Korzh in Pinsk on June 26, 1941 and others. The first awards to the partisans with order of Hero of the Soviet Union occurred on August 6, 1941; they were given to detachment commanders Pavlovsky and Bumazhkov. Throughout 1941,

1976-1092: The SS (1st Latvian)  • Estonian Polizei  • [REDACTED] 3rd Estonian SS Volunteer Brigade (1943—1944) [REDACTED] Russian Collaborants  [ ru ]  • Zuyev Republic  • 1st Russian National Brigade SS "Druzhina"  [ ru ] (1941—1943)  • [REDACTED] RNNA (1942—1943)  • [REDACTED] Kaminski Brigade (1943—1944)  • Cossack Stan  [ ru ] (1943—1944)  • Muravyov's Battalion  [ ru ] (1943—1944) Nationalist underground in Western Belarus (mostly from 1943): [REDACTED] Polish Underground State  • Armia Krajowa (after 1943)  • NAF (after 1943) [REDACTED] Polessye Sich (1941—1942, 1943) [REDACTED] UPA 1943—1944) The Belarusian resistance during World War II opposed Nazi Germany from 1941 until 1944. Belarus

2052-469: The SS (2500 personnel, August 1943). Summarily, about 7 thousand people of miscellaneous anti-Soviet formations joined the Soviet partisan force. About 1.9 thousand specialists and commanders were inserted in the Belarusian lands in 1943. However, the local people comprised the core of the personnel influx in the Soviet partisan force. In late May 1943, Uderzeniowe Bataliony Kadrowe , with permission of

2128-603: The Soviet area was the Minsk Ghetto . The Minsk Ghetto was the fourth largest ghetto in Europe. The group was led by the Jewish communists. The group within the Minsk ghetto was supported by the Jewish council which allowed them to organize a mass escape into the surrounding woods. This escape released between 6,000 and 8,000 Jews, who tried to join existing partisan groups. They were known for their resistance movements. There were

2204-523: The Soviet partisans and he did not want to provoke the Red Army. Regardless, after crossing into Podlaskie and Białystok area in October, the brigade continued the struggle against withdrawing Germans in the ranks of the "Białystok Home Army Area". After the region was overrun by the Soviets, Łupaszka's unit remained in the forests and Łupaszka decided to wait for the outcome of Russo-Polish talks held by

2280-523: The Swirz partisans, founded by brothers Isidore and Hersch Karten, liberated over 400 Jews in Eastern Galicia. The Soviet Union was late in having partisan groups. The first ones started around 1941–1942. These groups mainly appeared in forests, as 6,000–8,000 Jews were able to escape to the forests. Many did not make it, but if they did they joined Soviet partisan detachments. One partisan group in

2356-460: The West Belarus, which was 3.5 less per 10 thousand local people than in the East, and even more so (up to 5–6 factor) if accounting for the much more efficient evacuation measures in the East in 1941. This discrepancy wouldn't be sufficiently explained by the German treatment of local people, nor by the quick German advance in 1941, nor by the social circumstances then existing in these regions. There

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2432-781: The activities of the partisan forces weren't centrally coordinated or logistically provided for until spring of 1942. In order to coordinate partisan operations, the Central Headquarters of the Partisan Movement , headed by Panteleimon Ponomarenko , the Russian-born former head of the Byelorussian Soviet Socialist Republic , was organised on May 30, 1942. The Staff had its liaisons in the Military Councils of

2508-401: The advancing Red Army entered the city on July 15, and the NKVD started to intern all Polish soldiers. In August the commander of all Home Army units in the Wilno area, Gen. Aleksander Krzyżanowski "Wilk" ordered all six brigades under his command to prepare for the Operation Tempest – a plan for an all-national uprising against the German forces occupying Poland. In what became known as

2584-612: The city before Soviet forces could reach it. The Commander of the Home Army district in Vilnius, General Aleksander Krzyżanowski "Wilk" , decided to regroup all the partisan units in the north-eastern part of Poland for the assault, both from inside the city and from the outside. On June 23, two squads of the 5th Wileńska Brigade, commanded by "Maks" and "Rakoczy", attacked the Lithuanian policemen in Dubingiai . The starting date

2660-503: The city was liberated by Polish soldiers, but the Polish commander was then arrested by the Soviets and the majority of his soldiers were sent to Gulags and sites of detention in the Soviet Union. It is uncertain why Szendzielarz was not court-martialled for desertion. It is highly probable that in fact his unit was moved out of the battlefield by Gen. "Wilk" himself, due to the fact that Łupaszka's unit has been long involved in fights with

2736-511: The core of the partisan movement consisted of the straggling remains of the Red Army units destroyed in Operation Barbarossa , personnel of the destruction battalions , and local Communist Komsomol and Soviet apparatchiks. The most common unit of the period was the detachment . The "seed" partisan detachments, diversionist and organizational groups were actively formed and inserted into German-occupied territories beginning in

2812-606: The course of the Soviet Winter 1942 offensive. The Germans treated the local population abysmally (with the notable exception of the fraction of the civil administration headed by Wilhelm Kube ), maintained kolkhozes in East and restored land possessions in West, collecting heavy food taxes, rounded up and sent young people to work in Germany. Overwhelmingly, Jews and even small-scale Soviet activists would feel more secure in

2888-585: The definite split of the local people's sympathies, resulting in the beginning of the organisation of the anti-partisan units with native personnel in 1942. By the November 1942, Soviet partisan units in Belarus numbered about 47,000 personnel. The turning point in the development of the Soviet partisan movement came with the opening of the Vitsyebsk gate in February 1942. The partisan units were included in

2964-450: The end of April. In reprisal actions his brigade captured several dozen German officials and sent several threatening letters to Gestapo but it remains unknown if and how these contributed to his release. On June 12, 1944, General Tadeusz Bór-Komorowski , Commander-in-Chief of the Home Army, issued an order to prepare a plan of liberating Vilnius from German hands. The Home Army districts of Vilnius and Novogrudok planned to take control of

3040-769: The ensuing build-up of the underground Communist Party structures and propaganda activity. Soviet victory at the Battle of Stalingrad , certain curbing of the terror campaign (actually since December 1942, formally in February 1943) and amnesty promised to repenting collaborators were a significant factors in the 1943 growth of the Soviet partisan forces. Desertions from the ranks of the German-controlled Hilfspolizei and military formations strengthened, with sometimes whole units coming over to Soviet partisan side – Volga Tartars battalion (900 personnel, February 1943), Gil-Rodionov 1st Russian People's brigade of

3116-475: The events leading to his capture are revealed. As partisans in the forest face starvation, underground operatives in the city plan a bold operation to seize grain from a warehouse and deliver it to the forest. Ivan and his comrade Ales Dubovik are tasked with the mission, but Dubovik is arrested and fails to meet Ivan. Suspicions arise that Ivan has defected, prompting the group to order his lover, Zhenya, to kill him. However, when Ivan returns, Zhenya cannot carry out

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3192-453: The first directive issuing (directives No.1 of 1941-07-30 and No.2 of 1941-07-01). By the Soviet estimates, in August 1941 about 231 detachments were operating already. The "seed" units, formed and inserted into Belarus, totalled 437 by the end of the 1941, comprising more than 7.2 thousand personnel. However, as the frontline moved further away, the logistical conditions steadily worsened for

3268-698: The frontline in the course of liberation of eastern parts of BSSR (in the end of 1943). After the liberation of BSSR, about 180,000 partisans joined the Soviet Army in 1944. During the 1941—1944 period, the turnaround in the Soviet partisan force in Belarus was about 374,000, about 70,000 in urban underground, and about 400,000 in the reserve of the partisan force. Among Soviet partisans in Belarus were people of 45 different ethnic backgrounds and 4,000 foreigners (including 3,000 Poles, 400 Czechs and Slovaks , 300 Yugoslavians , etc.). Around 65% of Belarusian partisans were local people. On September 22, 1943, Kube

3344-527: The fronts and armies. The territorial Staffs were subsequently created, dealing with the partisan movement in the respective Soviet Republics and in the occupied provinces of the Soviet Russia. Later, the NKVD , SMERSH and GRU began to train special groups of future partisans (effectively special forces units) in the rear and dropping them in the occupied territories. The candidates for these groups were chosen among volunteers from regular Red Army,

3420-592: The ghetto. They organized a large escape from the ghetto that took place over a long period of time. It led to many people escaping and joining outside partisan groups, which eventually led them to create their own. Jewish contribution to the Yugoslav Partisan movement was significant. There were 4,572 Jews listed as partisans, 3,000 of whom were in fighting units. Those who joined were those fleeing deportation, or those that had escaped or had been liberated from concentration and labour camps. One such example

3496-540: The ghettos from which the partisans had escaped, and often using "anti-partisan operations" as pretexts for the extermination of Jews. In some areas, Jewish partisans received support from villagers, but due to widespread antisemitism and fear of reprisal, the Jewish partisans were often on their own. The farmers were struggling to supply all the different forces which were demanding food, at times leading to conflict. As Allan Levine noted, "That Jewish partisans and fugitives were guilty of stealing food from Polish farmers

3572-415: The greatly increased partisan units military capability, which showed, e.g., in the increased number of diversions on the railroads, reaching hundreds of engines and thousands of cars destroyed by the end of the year. In 1942, the terror campaign against the territorial administration, which was manned by the local people ("collaborators and traitors") was additionally emphasized. This resulted, however, in

3648-553: The headquarters of the Home Army, concentrated its forces (200 men) around Wyszkow . The Germans soon found out about it and surrounded the Poles. A skirmish ensued, in which 4 Poles were killed and 8 wounded. German losses were estimated at 15 killed and 22 wounded. Those who were not caught, divided themselves into two groups and headed north, to Bezirk Bialystok . On June 11, 1943, the UBK forces under Major Stanislaw Pieciul ( Radecki ) of

3724-486: The headquarters of the Home Army, who claimed that the UBK was profusely using lives of young Polish soldiers. On August 17, 1943, upon the order of General Tadeusz Bór-Komorowski , the UBK was included into the Home Army. Soon afterwards, all battalions were transferred to the area of Novogrudok . By autumn 1943, the partisan force in BSSR totalled about 153,700, and by the end 1943 about 122,000, with about 30,800 put behind

3800-461: The letter but is forced to kill the editor when he tries to escape. Ziazyula is arrested, but Ivan continues his work with other resistance members, including artist Lyudmila and her sculptor husband Yegor. While Lyudmila paints portraits of German officers as a cover, Yegor's open disdain for the Nazis leads to his imprisonment. Despite torture and manipulation by the prison commander, Yegor refuses to betray his comrades. Meanwhile, Ivan attempts to save

3876-637: The local volunteers. The build-up of the military force was complemented by the ensuing reconstruction of underground Communist Party structures and propaganda activity. Yitzhak Arad was active in the Vilna Ghetto underground movement from 1942 to 1944. In February 1943, he joined the Belarusian partisans in the Vilna Battalion of the Markov Brigade, a primarily non-Jewish unit in which he had to contend with antisemitism . Apart from

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3952-549: The occupants within the Vilna Ghetto to revolt against the Nazis but it failed. This led the group to leave after an armed altercation in September 1943. The partisan group left the ghetto because of a lack of support and went through the sewers to escape to the eastern Lithuanian woods. However the partisan group in the Kovno Ghetto had no intention of fighting in the ghetto itself. They had always planned to fight outside of

4028-439: The order. They witness Dubovik publicly denounce the resistance under Nazi pressure, inciting a chaotic revolt among the crowd. Determined to prove his loyalty, Ivan sets out to uncover the truth about Dubovik’s supposed betrayal. Ivan collaborates with fellow resistance member Ziazyula, securing a letter written by Dubovik from a local pro-Nazi newspaper editor. Under the guise of submitting material for publication, Ivan retrieves

4104-668: The organizational problems, building up the logistics support and gaining influence with the local people. By the incomplete data, in the end of the 1941, 99 partisan detachments and about 100 partisan groups operated in Belarus. In Winter 1941–1942, 50 partisan detachments and about 50 underground organization and groups operated in Belarus. By the incomplete Russian data, in the end of the 1941, 99 partisan detachments and about 100 partisan groups operated in Soviet Belarus. In Winter 1941–1942, 50 partisan detachments and about 50 underground organisations and groups operated there. In

4180-474: The overall Soviet strategical developments shortly after that, and the centralized organizational and logistical support had been organized, with Gate's existence being the very important facilitating factor. See also : Central Headquarters of Partisan Movement , Special Belarusian courses . By the November 1942, Soviet partisan units in Belarus numbered about 47.3 thousand personnel. In January 1943, out of 56,000 partisan personnel, 11,000 were operating in

4256-702: The partisan ranks. The direct boost to the partisan numbers were the Red Army POWs of the local origin, who were let out "to the homes" in Fall 1941, but ordered by Germans to return to the concentration camps in March 1942. In the Spring 1942, the aggregation of the smaller partisan units into brigades began, prompted by the experience of the first year of war. The coordination, numerical buildup, structural rework and now established logistical feed all translated to

4332-410: The partisan units, as the resources ran out, and there was no wide-scale support from over the frontline until March 1942. One outstanding difficulty was the lack of radio communication, which wasn't addressed until April 1942. The support of the local people was also insufficient. So, for several months, partisan units in Belarus were virtually left to themselves. Especially difficult for the partisans

4408-407: The period (1941-12-01), the German guard forces in the Army Group "Centre" rear comprised 4 security divisions, 2 SS brigades, 260 companies of different branches of service. In August 1941, about 231 partisan detachments were operating in the Byelorussian Soviet Socialist Republic . The units totalled 437 by the end of the 1941, comprising more than 7,200 personnel. In the period of December 1941,

4484-463: The population, conducted oral campaigns among them, calling for a struggle against the invaders, and helped unite the locals. Soon it was decided to create a partisan detachment and begin an open armed struggle. The Nazis tracked down Kudryavtsev and one night surrounded the house where he was resting and killed him. The first partisan detachments were composed mostly of Red Army personnel, but also included local people. They were commanded by officers of

4560-464: The ranks of the Soviet partisans : throughout the war, they faced antisemitism and discrimination from the Soviets and some Jewish partisans were killed, but over time, many of the Jewish partisan groups were absorbed into the command structure of the much larger Soviet partisan movement. Soviet partisans arrived in the western Ukraine in 1943, and consisted of Russians, Ukrainians, Poles, and Jews, and were smaller in size than units in Belarus, which

4636-511: The region. The build-up of the Soviet partisan force in the West Belarus was ordered and implemented during 1943, with nine brigades, 10 detachments and 15 operational groups transferred from the Eastern to Western lands, effectively tripling the Partisan force there (to 36,000 in December 1943). It is estimated that c. 10,000–12,000 personnel were transferred, and about same number came from

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4712-667: The right-wing Jewish Military Union (Żydowski Związek Wojskowy, ŻZW) and the left-wing Jewish Combat Organization (Żydowska Organizacja Bojowa, ŻOB) led the uprising separately. Approximately 100,000 Jews fought in the Polish army against Nazi Germany during the German invasion of Poland . They made up 10% of the Polish Army , commensurate with the percentage of Jews within the general population. Approximately 30,000 Jews were killed in that campaign, captured or declared missing. The Polish Home Army provided training and weapons to

4788-491: The summer of 1941. Urban underground groups were formed as a force complementing the activities of partisan units, which operated in rural terrains. As a controlling body, a network of underground Communist structures was actively developed on German-occupied territories, and it received an influx of specially picked Communist activists. By the end of 1941, more than two thousand partisan detachments (with more than 90,000 personnel) operated in German-occupied territories. However,

4864-526: The summer of 1942. From that time until the end of the year, the Central Committee of the Communist Party (Bolsheviks) of Byelorussia formed courses and offices helping those wishing to fight the Nazi Government. Already in July 1941, an underground group in the Vesnitsky village council of the Ushachsky district was created by the head of the Lesinsky outpost of the 13th Berezinsky border detachment ( Russian : 13-го Березинского погранотряда ), Lieutenant Kudryavtsev. Underground workers established relations with

4940-447: The summer of 1944), the Parczew partisans of southeast Poland, and the United Partisan Organization which attempted to start an uprising in the Vilnius Ghetto in Lithuania and later engaged in sabotage and guerrilla operations. Thirty-two Jews from the Mandate for Palestine were trained by the British and parachuted behind enemy lines to engage in resistance activities. In the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising , two groups of partisans,

5016-400: The utmost importance to the development of the Soviet partisan war from the very beginning. The main factors were its geography, with many dense forests and swamps, and its strategic position on the communications going from West to Moscow. In fact, Belorussian Communist bodies in the Eastern provinces of Belarus began to organize and facilitate organization of the partisan units on the day after

5092-456: The war. While some partisan groups required combat readiness and weapons as a condition for joining, many noncombatants found shelter with Jewish fighting groups and their allies. These individuals and families contributed to the welfare of the group by working as craftsmen, cooks, seamstresses and field medics. Jewish partisan groups of note include the Bielski partisans who operated a large "family camp" in Belorussia (numbering over 1,200 by

5168-411: Was assassinated in his Minsk home by a bomb as part of Operation Blow-Up ; the bomb was placed by a Soviet partisan Yelena Mazanik , a Belarusian woman who had managed to find employment in Kube's household as a maid and presumably became his mistress in order to assassinate him. The partisan movement was so strong that by 1943–44 there were entire regions in occupied Belarus, where Soviet authority

5244-443: Was more suitable for partisan warfare. Released Soviet archive data suggest that Jews accounted for 5.2% of the partisans in Ukraine. Jewish partisans had to overcome great odds in acquiring weapons, food, and shelter and in evading capture. They typically lived in dugouts (known in Russian as zemlyankas , землянка ) in forest camps. Nazi reprisals were brutal, employing collective punishment against their supporters and

5320-416: Was noted between Soviet partisans and the Home Army ; the people of Polish nationality were, to a degree, exempted from the terror campaign in 1942. After the break of diplomatic relations between USSR and Polish government in exile in April 1943, the situation changed radically. From this moment on, AK was treated as hostile military force. The build-up of the Soviet partisan force in the Western Belarus

5396-410: Was one of the Soviet republics occupied during Operation Barbarossa . The term Belarusian partisans may refer to Soviet-formed irregular military groups fighting Germany, but has also been used to refer to the disparate independent groups who also fought as guerrillas at the time, including Jewish groups (such as the Bielski partisans and Fareynikte Partizaner Organisatsye ), Polish groups (such as

5472-406: Was ordered and implemented during 1943, with 9 brigades, 10 detachments and 15 operational groups transferred from the Eastern to Western lands, effectively tripling the Partisan force there (to 36.8 thousand in December 1943). It is estimated that c. 10–12 thousand personnel were transferred, and about same number came from the local volunteers. The build-up of the military force was complemented by

5548-416: Was re-established deep inside the German held territories. There were even partisan kolkhozes that were raising crops and livestock to produce food for the partisans. During the battles for liberation of Belarus, partisans were considered the fourth Belarusian front . As early as the spring of 1942 the Soviet partisans were able to effectively harass German troops and significantly hamper their operations in

5624-445: Was set to July 7. Approximately 12,500 Home Army soldiers attacked the German garrison and managed to seize most of the city centre. Heavy street fighting in the outskirts lasted until July 14. In Wilno's eastern suburbs, the Home Army units cooperated with reconnaissance groups of the Soviet 3rd Belorussian Front . General Krzyżanowski wanted to group all of the partisan units into a re-created Polish 19th Infantry Division . However,

5700-435: Was stolen from shops, farms or raided from caches meant for German soldiers. As the war progressed, the Soviet government occasionally airdropped ammunition, counterfeit money and food supplies to partisan groups known to be friendly. Those who managed to flee the ghettos and camps had nothing more than the clothes on their backs, and their possessions often were reduced to rags through constant wear. Clothes and shoes were

5776-521: Was the winter of 1941–1942, with severe shortages in ammunition, medicine and supplies. The actions of partisans were generally uncoordinated. In the circumstances, the German pacification operations in Summer and Fall 1941 were able to curb the partisan activity significantly. Many units went underground, and generally, in the late Fall 1941—early 1942, the partisan units weren't undertaking the significant military operations, limiting themselves to sorting out

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