Russian troops fought on the side of the Nazis. Who fought in World War II, which countries were involved in the conflict, and who was on which side? Security corps of the army rear areas of the Wehrmacht

Original taken from special c How many nations fought against the USSR on Hitler's side?

Very often, the Great Patriotic War is called only an episode of the Second World War, while noting that this episode is appropriate to call the Soviet-German War. That is, the war between the Third Reich and the USSR. But who did the Soviet Union actually fight with? And was this a one-on-one battle?

When liberals and other entertaining historians start shouting about senseless losses, “we were filled with meat” and “we should drink Bavarian”, they usually like to confirm their theses about the “mediocrity and criminality” of the Soviet leadership and command by comparing the Wehrmacht and the Red Army. Like, the Red Army had more people, but they were being crushed all the time, and there were more tanks, and planes and other pieces of hardware, and the Germans were burning everything. Without forgetting, however, to talk about one “rifle for three”, “shafts of shovels” and the rest of the crap from the category of “Solzhenitsyn’s fairy tales”.

By June 1941, on the border with the USSR, the Wehrmacht had 127 divisions, two brigades and one regiment in three army groups and Army Norway. These troops numbered 2 million 812 thousand people, 37,099 guns and mortars, 3,865 tanks and assault guns.

Together with Germany, Finland, Slovakia, Hungary, Romania and Italy were preparing to enter the war with the USSR.

Finland - 17.5 divisions with a total strength of 340 thousand 600 people, 2047 guns, 86 tanks and 307 aircraft;

Slovakia - 2.5 divisions with a total strength of 42 thousand 500 people, 246 guns, 35 tanks and 51 aircraft;

Hungary - 2.5 divisions with a total strength of 44 thousand 500 people, 200 guns, 160 tanks and 100 aircraft;

Romania - 17.5 divisions with a total strength of 358 thousand 100 people, 3255 guns, 60 tanks and 423 aircraft;

Italy - 3 divisions with a total strength of 61 thousand 900 people, 925 guns, 61 tanks and 83 aircraft.

That is, almost a million people in 42.5 divisions, with 7 thousand guns, 402 tanks, and almost a thousand aircraft. A simple calculation shows that on the Eastern Front alone, the allies of Hitler’s Axis, or it would be more correct to call them that, had 166 divisions, numbering 4 million 307 thousand people with 42601 pieces of artillery of various systems, as well as 4171 tanks and assault guns and 4846 aircraft.

So: 2 million 812 thousand only for the Wehrmacht and 4 million 307 thousand total, taking into account the forces of the Allies. One and a half times more. The picture is changing dramatically. Is not it?

Yes, the armed forces Soviet Union by the summer of 1941, when the inevitability of war became obvious, they were the largest army in the world. In fact, a hidden mobilization was carried out. By the beginning of the war, the Soviet armed forces numbered 5 million 774 thousand soldiers. Specifically in ground forces there were 303 divisions, 16 airborne and 3 rifle brigades. The troops had 117,581 artillery systems, 25,784 tanks and 24,488 aircraft.

Does it seem like there is superiority? However, all of the above forces of Germany and its allies were deployed in the immediate 100-kilometer zone along the Soviet borders. While in the western districts of the Red Army there was a group of 3 million people, 57 thousand guns and mortars and 14 thousand tanks, of which only 11 thousand were serviceable, as well as about 9 thousand aircraft, of which only 7.5 thousand were serviceable.

Moreover, in the immediate vicinity of the border, the Red Army had no more than 40% of this number in more or less combat-ready condition.

From the above, if you are not tired of the numbers, it clearly follows that the USSR fought more than just Germany. Just like in 1812, not only with France. That is, there can be no talk of any “filled with meat”.

And this continued for almost the entire war, until the second half of 1944, when the allies of the Third Reich collapsed like a house of cards.

Add here, in addition to the direct allied countries, foreign units of the Wehrmacht, the so-called “national SS divisions”, a total of 22 volunteer divisions. During the war, 522 thousand volunteers from other countries served in them, including 185 thousand Volksdeutsche, that is, “foreign Germans.” The total number of foreign volunteers amounted to 57% (!) of the Waffen-SS. Let's list them. If this bothers you, then just evaluate the number of lines and geography. All of Europe is represented, with the possible exception of the principalities of Luxembourg and Monaco, and that’s not a fact.

1. Albania: 21st SS Mountain Division "Skanderbeg" (1st Albanian);

2. Belgium: 27th SS Volunteer Grenadier Division "Langemarck" (1st Flemish), 28th SS Volunteer Panzergrenadier Division "Wallonia" (1st Walloon), SS Flemish Legion;

3. Bulgaria: Bulgarian anti-tank brigade of SS troops (1st Bulgarian);

4. UK: Free Arabian Legion, British volunteer corps, Indian SS Volunteer Legion "Free India";

5. Hungary: 17th SS Corps, 25th SS Grenadier Division "Hunyadi" (1st Hungarian), 26th SS Grenadier Division (2nd Hungarian), 33rd SS Cavalry Division (3rd Hungarian );

6. Denmark: 11th SS Volunteer Panzergrenadier Division "Nordland", 34th Volunteer Grenadier Division "Landstorm Nederland" (2nd Dutch), Free SS Corps "Danmark" (1st Danish), SS Volunteer Corps "Schalburg";

7. Italy: 29th SS Grenadier Division "Italy" (1st Italian);

8. Netherlands: 11th SS Volunteer Panzergrenadier Division "Nordland", 23rd SS Volunteer Motorized Division "Nederland" (1st Dutch), 34th Volunteer Grenadier Division "Landstorm Nederland" (2nd Dutch) , Flemish SS Legion;

9. Norway: Norwegian SS Legion, Norwegian SS Ski Ranger Battalion, Norwegian SS Legion, 11th SS Volunteer Panzergrenadier Division “Nordland”;

10. Poland: Gural SS Volunteer Legion;

11. Romania: 103rd SS Tank Fighter Regiment (1st Romanian), SS Grenadier Regiment (2nd Romanian);

12. Serbia: Serbian SS Volunteer Corps;

13. Latvia: Latvian Legionnaires, Latvian SS Volunteer Legion, 6th SS Corps, 15th SS Grenadier Division (1st Latvian), 19th SS Grenadier Division (2nd Latvian);

14. Estonia: 20th SS Grenadier Division (1st Estonian);

15. Finland: Finnish SS Volunteers, Finnish Volunteer Battalion of SS Troops, 11th Volunteer SS Panzergrenadier Division “Nordland”;

16. France: French SS Legionnaires, 28th Volunteer Panzergrenadier Division of the SS "Wallonia" (1st Walloon), 33rd Grenadier Division of the SS "Charlemagne" (1st French), Legion "Bezen Perrot" (recruited from Breton nationalists);

17. Croatia: 9th SS Mountain Corps, 13th SS Mountain Division "Handjar" (1st Croatian). 23rd SS Mountain Division "Kama" (2nd Croatian);

18. Czechoslovakia: Gural SS Volunteer Legion

19. Galicia: 14th SS Grenadier Division "Galicia" (1st Ukrainian).
20. Belarus: 1st and 2nd SS Grenadier Divisions, and 10 more formations from battalion to squadron and police detachments
21. Russia: 29th and 30th SS Grenadier Divisions (Russians), Russian Liberation Army (ROA) and 13 more units from corps to brigade and police detachments. In addition, the Udel-Ural Legion was formed, in which representatives of the peoples living on the territory of Russia fought: Bashkirs, Udmurts, Mordovians, Chuvash, Mari), as well as the Dagestan Legion.
22. Georgia: Georgian Legion of the Wehrmacht
23-29. middle Asia: Turkestan Legion (Karachais, Kazakhs, Uzbeks, Turkmen, Kyrgyz, Uighurs, Tatars)
30.Azerbaijan: Azerbaijan Legion (14 battalions)

Scandinavian 5th tank division SS "Viking" - Netherlands, Denmark, Belgium, Norway;

Balkan 7th SS Volunteer Mountain Division "Prinz Eugen" - Hungary, Romania, Serbia.

24th SS Mountain Infantry (Cave) Division "Karstjäger" - Czechoslovakia, Serbia, Galicia, Italy;

36th SS Grenadier Division "Dirlewanger" - recruited from various criminals European countries.

Also worth mentioning is “hiwi,” from the German Hilfswilliger, meaning “willing to help.” These are volunteers who enlisted directly in the Wehrmacht. They served in auxiliary units. But this does not mean non-combat. For example, anti-aircraft crews for the Luftwaffe were formed from the Khivi.

The very diverse national composition of the troops opposing the Red Army speaks very eloquently National composition prisoners of war who ended up in our captivity by the end of the war. The simple fact is that there were more Danes, Norwegians and even French prisoners on the Eastern Front than participated in the resistance to the Nazis in their homeland.

And we haven’t even touched on the topic of economic potential that worked for the German military machine. First of all, these are Czechoslovakia, the pre-war leader in arms production in Europe, and France. And this is artillery, weapon and tanks.

For example, the Czech arms concern Skoda. Every third German tank that took part in Operation Barbarossa was produced by this company. First of all, this is the LT-35, which received the designation Pz.Kpfw in the Wehrmacht. 35(t).

Moreover, after the annexation of Czechoslovakia, German specialists discovered two new experimental LT-38 tanks in the Skoda workshops. After reviewing the drawings, the Germans decided to put the tank into service and began its serial production.

The production of these tanks continued almost until the end of the war, only from the end of 1941 they began to be produced as a base for German self-propelled guns. More than half of the German self-propelled guns had a Czech base.

The French, in turn, provided the Germans with their ship repair facilities. The German submarines, the menace of Allied Atlantic convoys, the so-called “Dönitz Wolf Packs,” were based and undergoing repairs on the southern coast of France and in Middle-earth near Marseille. Moreover, ship repair crews organized competitions to see who could repair the boat the fastest. Doesn't seem like forced work, under pressure, right?

So who did the USSR fight with in the Great Patriotic War? The answer is: with military units formed from representatives of at least 32 nationalities and peoples of the world.

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IN modern Russia at every opportunity from television screens: in the news, historical programs or some kind of show, they like to reproach their neighbors for the fact that during the Second World War, SS units, police units or organizations supporting anti-Bolshevik, anti-Soviet sentiments were formed on their territory.

First of all, it goes to the Lithuanians, Latvians, Estonians, with their SS divisions, formed one, respectively, in each of these countries - Lithuania, Estonia, Latvia. And also the SS division “Galicia” formed on the territory of Ukraine is especially mentioned in these programs or broadcasts. At the same time, cynically keeping silent about their own SS units formed from Russians. If it were the will of the current fighters against the “Bandera” and “forest brothers”, they would no doubt try to erase the Vlasov ROA from their own history.

To finally appear in all their glory, the one and only fighters for saving the world during the Second World War.
However, history does not tolerate the subjunctive mood. And the truth, no matter how bitter and unpleasant it is, and no matter how much one wants to hide it, the current generation of Russians cannot avoid, gloss over or embellish.

And, in addition to the already notorious ROA - the Russian Liberation Army, under the leadership of the former Soviet general Vlasov A.A., who, by the way, made a significant contribution to the victory of Soviet troops near Moscow in 1941 and commanded the 2nd Shock Army before being captured by the Germans, there are also other little-known divisions and SS units formed from Russians. Little known primarily to the Russian fighters themselves and their collaborators. Yes Yes.

Unlike the Latvians or Estonians and Ukrainians, who were only one division at most, there were not even several Russian SS units.

Here they are:

• SS Volunteer Regiment "Varyag".
• 1st Russian national SS brigade "Druzhina".
• 15th SS Cossack Cavalry Corps.
• 29th SS Grenadier Division "RONA" (1st Russian).
• 30th SS Grenadier Division (2nd Russian).
• 36th SS Grenadier Division "Dirlewanger".

CORPS OF SS TROOPS OF THE MAIN OPERATIONAL DIRECTORATE OF THE SS FHA-SS

• 15th Cossack Russian Corps of SS troops FHA-SS - 3 divisions, 16 regiments.
• SS FHA-SS (TROOP-SS)
• 29th Russian FHA-SS - 6 regiments.
• 30th Russian FHA-SS, 1st formation 1944, - 5 regiments.

BRIGADES OF THE MAIN DIRECTORATE OF IMPERIAL SECURITY SS RSHA-SS

• 1st Russian National SS Brigade "Druzhina" - 3 regiments, 12 battalions.
• 1st Guards Brigade ROA "Sonderkommando Љ113" SD - 1 battalion, 2 companies.
• SS Brigade of the Center for Anti-Bolshevik Struggle (CPBB) - 3 battalions.
• Reconnaissance and sabotage unit Main Team"Russia - Center" of the Sonderstaff "Zeppelin" RSHA-SS - 4 special forces units.

As you can see, there are Russian SS divisions and regiments and corps and brigades, and even reconnaissance and sabotage formations. So why do modern Russian “Herodotus”, when they brand Estonians, Latvians or Ukrainians with shame on the next May 9th, do not remember the Russian SS units?
Everything is very simple. Such an example does not fit with the image of the Russian soldier-liberator (as if only Russians served in the Red Army and there were no Ukrainians, no Belarusians, no Georgians, no Armenians, no Latvians or Estonians), the only one who was not tainted by connections with the German fascism.
And, you can argue and prove for as long as you like whether they participated or did not participate in punitive operations against civilians, whether they reached the size of a full-blooded division or not, whether they fought at all or were just on paper, but the fact remains - Russian divisions There were SS and they fought on the side of the Third Reich.
But, in addition to the Russian SS units themselves, who fought on Hitler’s side with weapons in their hands, there were other military units and units consisting of Russians in the Wehrmacht’s service. Which, according to the already established “good” tradition, the new Russian historians and patriots themselves “forget” to talk about. Meanwhile, as they say, there is something to see. Eg:

MAIN COLLABORATION FORMATIONS. ARMED FORCES OF THE "UNION STATE"

• Armed forces of the Congress of the Liberation of the Peoples of Russia (KONR) (1 army, 4 corps, 8 divisions, 8 brigades).
• Russian Liberation Army of the Congress of the Liberation of the Peoples of Russia (3 divisions, 2 brigades).

"ARMY" OF THE WEHRMACHT

• Russian Liberation Army of the Wehrmacht - 12 security corps, 13 divisions, 30 brigades.
• Russian Liberation People's Army - 5 regiments, 18 battalions.
• Russian National People's Army - 3 regiments, 12 battalions.
• Russian National Army - 2 regiments, 12 battalions.

AVIATION BODY

• Air Force KONR (Aviation Corps KONR) - 87 aircraft, 1 air group, 1 regiment.

SECURITY CORPS OF THE ARMY REAR AREAS OF THE VERMACHT

• 582nd Security (Russian) Corps of the Wehrmacht - 11 battalions.
• 583rd Security (Estonian-Russian) Corps of the Wehrmacht - 10 battalions.
• 584th Security (Russian) Corps of the Wehrmacht - 6 battalions.
• 590th Security Cossack (Russian) Corps of the Wehrmacht - 1 regiment, 4 battalions.
• 580th Security Cossack (Russian) Corps of the Wehrmacht - 1 regiment, 9 battalions.
• 532nd Security (Russian) Corps of the Wehrmacht - 13 battalions.
• 559th Security (Russian) Corps of the Wehrmacht - 7 battalions.

EASTERN LEGIONS OF THE WEHRMACHT

• Russian Legion "White Cross" of the Wehrmacht - 4 battalions.

ABWERH DIVISIONS

• “Special Division “Russia”” by General Smyslovsky - 1 regiment, 12 battalions.

ABWERH BRIGADES

• Brigade "Graukopf" - "RNNA" of General Ivanov - 1 regiment, 5 battalions.

WEHRMACHT DIVISIONS OF SPECIAL PURPOSE

• 442nd Special Purpose - 2 ROA regiments.
• 136th Special Purpose - 2 ROA regiments.
• 210th Special Purpose Stationary Infantry (Coastal Defense) - 1 regiment, 2 separate ROA battalions.

"NATIVE" SECURITY CORPS AND SELF-DEFENSE

• Russian security corps of the Wehrmacht in Serbia - 1 brigade, 5 regiments.
• Russian "People's Guard" of the General Commissariat "Moscow" (Rear Area of ​​Army Group "Center") - 13 battalions, 1 cavalry division.

(RUSSIAN-CROATIAN)

• 15th Mountain Rifle Corps special purpose 2nd Tank Army:
• Russians - 1 security corps, 5 regiments, Croatian - 2 divisions, 6 regiments.
• 69th Special Purpose Corps of the 2nd Tank Army: Russians - 1 division, 8 regiments, Croatian - 1 division, 3 regiments.

Thus, the majority, both in the foreign SS units and divisions, were Russians, and in the Wehrmacht units itself, the majority of the collaborators were the same Russians. But how many Russians, at least approximately, fought on the side of Hitler and the Third Reich? Is it even possible to calculate their total number? I guess, yes.

According to various estimates by different researchers, the total number of Russians who fought on the side of the Third Reich ranges from zero (actually the calculations of today’s ardent Russian patriots, who manage to classify all Russian SS units and divisions as Ukrainians, Belarusians and Latvians with Georgians) and up to two million. But, most likely, the truth, as always, is somewhere in the middle, between these two figures.

Moreover, the Germans themselves, as of 1943, put the total number of Russians who fought on the side of the Third Reich at 800 thousand people.

So, for example, Vlasov’s army itself was not very large. His two divisions, which had already been formed, represented no more than 40 thousand fighters. Plus there was another poorly armed and not yet fully formed third division. This is approximately 10-12 thousand more soldiers.

Adjoining Vlasov was the Cossack corps of General Helmut von Panivitz, which became part of the ROA. These are 45 thousand Cossacks who fought in Yugoslavia. It included the Russian corps, formed from emigrants, who fought in Serbia: about six thousand people. In total there are about 120 thousand people. This is what was actually called ROA.

Thus, the ROA alone produced approximately 120 thousand Russians who fought on Hitler’s side.

By adding to these 120 thousand all the other known Russian SS divisions, security regiments and units, formations and detachments, we will just reach the figure of 1 million Russians!!! soldier on the side of the Third Reich. In general, if we take into account that soldiers died in battles and reinforcements were constantly sent to military units, then to these 800 thousand - a million, we can safely add another 200-300 thousand Russians.

A very remarkable thing about the actual number of Russians who fought on Hitler’s side is the fact that when in 1943, Hitler demanded that all Russians be removed from the Eastern Front and transferred to the Western Front, the generals grabbed their heads: this was impossible, because every fifth on the Eastern Front was Russian then.

So it turns out that those who today so vigorously vilify their neighbors for collaborating with the fascist regime were themselves the most massive and loyal supporters of the Third Reich and Hitler during the Second World War. Perhaps this is precisely what explains the incomprehensible craving in modern Russia for neo-Nazi symbols and ideology.

So maybe it’s enough to reproach others for the speck in their eye, when they themselves have a log sticking out of each eye?

Although this is not even in the realm of science fiction. Because then you will have to recognize the past as it really was, and this is neither partial nor heroic and not as idealistic as it has been portrayed for more than 70 years. And as one said Soviet comrade from the top: “Who needs your truth if it interferes with life.”

This is how the current and subsequent generations of Russians will most likely live, basing their knowledge of history primarily on myths, silence, and in some places outright lies.

WHO AND IN WHAT QUANTITY OF THE PEOPLES OF THE USSR FOUGHT ON THE SIDE OF FASCIST GERMANY Our opponents (and for me – enemies) along that front line in Novorossiya, in defiance of our identification of them with genetic traitors - Bandera’sites, give some crazy figures about a million, otherwise and two Russians who fought on the side of the Germans. Some even agree that this amount of the Russian population of the USSR fought in the Vlasov army alone. Follow the materials in the group. There will be a continuation of the topic below. I will display data on those who collaborated with the fascists as a percentage of the number of peoples mentioned below, according to the 1939 census. Very interesting data is obtained. And for Ukrainians as well. Almost ahead of the rest. And they were far ahead of the Russians in terms of the number of traitors. 3 times ahead. The vaunted Cossack women also turned out to be among the leaders in traitors. It’s in vain that Kolya Kozitsyn crucifies that they have always stood guard over the people. More often people were sold or robbed, as in Novorossiya now. The Kazan Tatars were pleased, they were in last place in terms of the number of collaborators. This was a revelation for me. But the Crimeans are in the lead, crests are far behind, having 4.6%, compared to the Ukrainians, with their 0.9% of the population in 1939. I didn't expect anything else. I know how en masse they surrendered to the Germans during the Patriotic War. They were not evicted from Crimea for their pretty eyes. Russians, by the way, accounted for 0.3% of those collaborating with the Germans. The descendants of Bandera and Shukhevych are sad. And now on the topic of who sold the Motherland and how. And for how many pieces of silver. Even talking about two million Russians who fought against the Bolshevik regime (the essence is against their people), they probably also count 700 thousand emigrants. Despite the fact that not all of them were ethnic Russians. These figures are cited for a reason - they serve as an argument for the assertion that the Great Patriotic War is the essence of the Second Civil War of the Russian people against the hated Stalin. What can I say? If it really happened that a million Russians stood under the tricolor banner and fought tooth and nail against the Red Army for a free Russia, shoulder to shoulder with their German allies, then we would have no choice but to admit that yes, The Great Patriotic War truly became the Second Civil War for the Russian people. But was it so? To figure out whether this is true or not, you need to answer several questions: how many of them were there, who were they, how did they get into the service, how and with whom did they fight, and what motivated them? WHOM TO COUNT? Cooperation between Soviet citizens and the occupiers took place in different forms, both in terms of the degree of voluntariness and the degree of involvement in the armed struggle - from the Baltic SS volunteers who fought fiercely near Narva, to the “Ostarbeiters” forcibly driven to Germany. I believe that even the most stubborn anti-Stalinists will not be able, without bending their hearts, to enroll the latter in the ranks of fighters against the Bolshevik regime. Typically, these ranks include those who received rations from the German military or police department, or held weapons received from the hands of the Germans or pro-German local government. That is, to the maximum potential fighters against the Bolsheviks include: foreign military units of the Wehrmacht and SS; eastern security battalions; Wehrmacht construction units; Wehrmacht support personnel, they are also “our Ivans” or Hiwi (Hilfswilliger: “voluntary helpers”); auxiliary police units (“noise” - Schutzmannshaften); border guard; “air defense assistants” mobilized to Germany through youth organizations HOW MANY ARE THERE? We will probably never know the exact numbers, since no one really counted them, but some estimates are available to us. A lower estimate can be obtained from the archives of the former NKVD - until March 1946, 283,000 “Vlasovites” and other collaborators in uniform were transferred to the authorities. The upper estimate can probably be taken from Drobyazko’s works, which serve as the main source of figures for proponents of the “Second Civil” version. According to his calculations (the method of which, unfortunately, he does not disclose), the following passed through the Wehrmacht, SS and various pro-German paramilitary and police forces during the war years: 250,000 Ukrainians 70,000 Belarusians 70,000 Cossacks 150,000 Latvians 90,000 Estonians 50,000 Lithuanians 70,000 Central Asians 12, 000 Volga Tatars 10,000 Crimean Tatars 7,000 Kalmyks 40,000 Azerbaijanis 25,000 Georgians 20,000 Armenians 30,000 North Caucasian nationalities Since the total number of all former Soviet citizens who wore German and pro-German uniforms is estimated at 1.2 million, the share of Russians (excluding Cossacks) remains about 310,000 people. There are, of course, other calculations that give a smaller total number, but let’s not mince words, let’s take Drobyazko’s estimate from above as the basis for further reasoning. WHO WERE THEY? Hiwi and construction battalion soldiers can hardly be considered civil war fighters. Of course, their work freed them up for the front German soldiers, but this applies to the same extent to “Ostarbeiters”. Sometimes hiwi received weapons and fought alongside the Germans, but such cases in the unit's combat logs are described more as a curiosity than as a mass phenomenon. It is interesting to count how many there were who actually held weapons in their hands. The number of hiwi at the end of the war Drobiazko gives about 675,000, if we add construction units and take into account the loss during the war, then I think we will not be much mistaken in assuming that this category covers about 700-750,000 people out of a total of 1.2 million. This is consistent with with a share of non-combatants among Caucasian peoples , in the calculation presented by the headquarters of the eastern troops at the end of the war. According to him, of the total number of 102,000 Caucasians who passed through the Wehrmacht and SS, 55,000 served in the legions, Luftwaffe and SS and 47,000 in hiwi and construction units. It should be taken into account that the share of Caucasians enrolled in combat units was higher than the share of Slavs. So, out of 1.2 million who wore German uniforms, only 450-500 thousand did so while holding weapons. Let's now try to calculate the layout of the actual combat units of the eastern peoples. 75 Asian battalions (Caucasians, Turks and Tatars) were formed (80,000 people). Taking into account 10 Crimean police battalions (8,700), Kalmyks and special units, there are approximately 110,000 “combat” Asians out of a total of 215,000. This completely hits the Caucasians separately with the layout. The Baltic states endowed the Germans with 93 police battalions (later partly consolidated into regiments), with a total number of 33,000 people. In addition, 12 border regiments (30,000) were formed, partly staffed by police battalions, followed by three SS divisions (15, 19 and 20) and two volunteer regiments, through which perhaps 70,000 men passed. Police and border regiments and battalions were partly recruited to form them. Taking into account the absorption of some units by others, in total about 100,000 Balts passed through the combat units. In Belarus, 20 police battalions (5,000) were formed, of which 9 were considered Ukrainian. After the introduction of mobilization in March 1944, police battalions became part of the army of the Belarusian Central Rada. In total, the Belarusian Regional Defense (BKA) had 34 battalions, 20,000 people. Having retreated in 1944 along with German troops, these battalions were consolidated into the Siegling SS Brigade. Then, on the basis of the brigade, with the addition of Ukrainian “policemen”, the remnants of the Kaminsky brigade and even the Cossacks, the 30th SS Division was deployed, which was later used to staff the 1st Vlasov Division. Galicia was once part of the Austro-Hungarian Empire and was seen as potentially German territory. It was separated from Ukraine, included in the Reich, as part of the General Government of Warsaw, and put in line for Germanization. On the territory of Galicia, 10 police battalions (5,000) were formed, and subsequently a recruitment of volunteers for the SS troops was announced. It is believed that 70,000 volunteers showed up at the recruiting sites, but so many were not needed. As a result, one SS division (14th) and five police regiments were formed. Police regiments were disbanded as needed and sent to replenish the division. Galicia's total contribution to the victory over Stalinism can be estimated at 30,000 people. In the rest of Ukraine, 53 police battalions (25,000) were formed. It is known that not most of of them became part of the 30th SS Division, the fate of the rest is unknown to me. After the formation in March 1945 of the Ukrainian analogue of the KONR - the Ukrainian National Committee - the Galician 14th SS Division was renamed the 1st Ukrainian and the formation of the 2nd began. It was formed from volunteers of Ukrainian nationality recruited from various auxiliary formations; about 2,000 people were recruited. About 90 security “ostbattalions” were formed from Russians, Belarusians and Ukrainians, through which approximately 80,000 people passed, including the “Russian National People’s Army”, which was reformed into five security battalions. Among other Russian military formations, one can recall the 3,000-strong 1st Russian national brigade of the SS Gil (Rodionov), which went over to the side of the partisans, the approximately 6,000-strong “Russian National Army” of Smyslovsky and the army of Kaminsky (“Russian Liberation People’s Army”), which arose as so-called self-defense forces Lokot Republic. Maximum estimates of the number of people who passed through Kaminsky’s army reach 20,000. After 1943, Kaminsky's troops retreated along with the German army and in 1944 an attempt was made to reorganize them into the 29th SS Division. For a number of reasons, the reformation was canceled, and the personnel were transferred to complete the 30th SS Division. At the beginning of 1945, the armed forces of the Committee for the Liberation of the Peoples of Russia (the Vlasov army) were created. The first army division is formed from the "ostbattalions" and the remnants of the 30th SS division. The second division is formed from “ost battalions”, and partly from volunteer prisoners of war. The number of Vlasovites before the end of the war is estimated at 40,000 people, of which about 30,000 were former SS men and former battalions. In total, the Wehrmacht and SS fought with weapons in their hands in different time about 120,000 Russians. The Cossacks, according to Drobyazko’s calculations, fielded 70,000 people, let’s accept this figure. HOW DID THEY GET INTO SERVICE? Initially, the eastern units were staffed with volunteers from among prisoners of war and the local population. Since the summer of 1942, the principle of recruitment of the local population has changed from voluntary to voluntary-forced - an alternative to voluntary joining the police is forced deportation to Germany, as an “Ostarbeiter”. By the fall of 1942, undisguised coercion began. Drobyazko, in his dissertation, talks about raids on men in the Shepetivka area: those caught were offered a choice between joining the police or being sent to a camp. Since 1943, mandatory military service in various “self-defense” units of the Reichskommissariat “Ostland”. In the Baltic states, SS units and border guards were recruited through mobilization since 1943. HOW AND WHO DID THEY FIGHT? Initially, the Slavic eastern units were created for security service. In this capacity, they were supposed to replace the Wehrmacht security battalions, which were sucked out of the rear zone like a vacuum cleaner by the needs of the front. At first, soldiers of the eastern battalions guarded warehouses and railways, but as the situation became more complicated, they began to be involved in anti-partisan operations. The involvement of the eastern battalions in the fight against the partisans contributed to their disintegration. If in 1942 the number of “ost-battalion members” who went over to the partisan side was relatively small (although this year the Germans were forced to disband the RNNA due to massive defections), then in 1943 14 thousand fled to the partisans (and this is very, very quite a lot, with the average number of eastern units in 1943 being about 65,000 people). The Germans did not have any strength to observe the further decomposition of the eastern battalions, and in October 1943 the remaining eastern units were sent to France and Denmark (disarming 5-6 thousand volunteers as unreliable). There they were included as 3 or 4 battalions in the regiments of the German divisions. Slavic eastern battalions, with rare exceptions, were not used in battles on the eastern front. In contrast, a significant number of Asian Ostbattalions were involved in the first line of advancing German troops during the Battle of the Caucasus. The results of the battles were contradictory - some performed well, others, on the contrary, turned out to be infected with deserter sentiments and produced a large percentage of defectors. By the beginning of 1944, most of the Asian battalions also found themselves on the Western Wall. Those who remained in the East were brought together into the Eastern Turkic and Caucasian SS formations and were involved in the suppression of the Warsaw and Slovak uprisings. In total, by the time of the Allied invasion, 72 Slavic, Asian and Cossack battalions with a total number of about 70 thousand people had been assembled in France, Belgium and the Netherlands. In general, the remaining battalions performed poorly in battles with the allies (with some exceptions). Of the almost 8.5 thousand irretrievable losses, 8 thousand were missing in action, that is, most of them were deserters and defectors. After this, the remaining battalions were disarmed and involved in fortification work on the Siegfried Line. Subsequently, they were used to form units of the Vlasov army. In 1943, Cossack units were also withdrawn from the east. The most combat-ready formation of German Cossack troops, the 1st Cossack Division of von Panwitz, formed in the summer of 1943, went to Yugoslavia to deal with Tito’s partisans. There they gradually gathered all the Cossacks, expanding the division into a corps. The division took part in battles on the Eastern Front in 1945, fighting mainly against the Bulgarians. The Baltic States gave greatest number troops to the front - in addition to three SS divisions, separate police regiments and battalions took part in the battles. The 20th Estonian SS Division was defeated near Narva, but was subsequently restored and managed to take part in last battles war. The Latvian 15th and 19th SS divisions came under attack from the Red Army in the summer of 1944 and could not withstand the attack. Large levels of desertion and loss of combat capability are reported. As a result, the 15th Division, having transferred its most reliable composition to the 19th, was withdrawn to the rear for use in the construction of fortifications. The second time it was used in battle was in January 1945, in East Prussia, after which it was again withdrawn to the rear. She managed to surrender to the Americans. The 19th remained in Courland until the end of the war. Belarusian policemen and those freshly mobilized into the BKA in 1944 were collected in the 30th SS Division. After its formation, the division was transferred to France in September 1944, where it took part in battles with the Allies. Suffered heavy losses mainly from desertion. Belarusians ran over to the allies in droves and continued the war in Polish units. In December, the division was disbanded, and the remaining personnel were transferred to staff the 1st Vlasov Division. The Galician 14th SS Division, barely sniffing gunpowder, was surrounded near Brody and almost completely destroyed. Although she was quickly restored, she no longer took part in battles at the front. One of her regiments was involved in the suppression of the Slovak uprising, after which she went to Yugoslavia to fight Tito’s partisans. Since Yugoslavia is not far from Austria, the division managed to surrender to the British. The KONR armed forces were formed in early 1945. Although the 1st Vlasov division was staffed almost entirely by punitive veterans, many of whom had already been to the front, Vlasov brainwashed Hitler by demanding more time for preparation. In the end, the division still managed to move to the Oder Front, where it took part in one attack against Soviet troops on April 13. The very next day, the division commander, Major General Bunyachenko, ignoring the protests of his German immediate superior, withdrew the division from the front and went to join the rest of Vlasov’s army in the Czech Republic. The Vlasov army carried out the second battle against its ally, attacking on May 5 German troops in Prague. WHAT MOVED THEM? The driving motives were completely different. Firstly, among the eastern troops one can distinguish national separatists who fought for the creation of their own national state or at least privileged province of the Reich. This includes the Baltic states, Asian legionnaires and Galicians. The creation of parts of this kind has a long tradition - just remember Czechoslovak Corps or the Polish Legion in the First World War. These would fight against the central government, no matter who sat in Moscow - the tsar, the secretary general or the popularly elected president. Secondly, there were ideological and stubborn opponents of the regime. This may include the Cossacks (although their motives were partly national-separatist), part of the personnel of the eastern battalions, a significant part officer corps KONR troops. Thirdly, we can name opportunists who bet on the winner, those who joined the Reich during the victories of the Wehrmacht, but fled to the partisans after the defeat at Kursk and continued to run away at the first opportunity. These probably made up a significant part of the eastern battalions and local police. There were also those on the other side of the front, as can be seen from the change in the number of defectors to the Germans in 1942-44: 1942 - 79,769 people 1943 - 26,108 people 1944 - 9,207 people Fourthly, these were people who hoped to escape from the camp and at a convenient time opportunity to move on to your own. It’s hard to say how many of these there were, but sometimes there were enough for a whole battalion. And finally, the fifth category - people who wanted to survive more accurately. This includes the bulk of the hiwi and construction workers, who received much more nutritious rations than in the camp. AND WHAT DOES IT END UP? But the picture that emerges is completely different from what is painted by ardent anti-communists. Instead of one (or even two) million Russians united under the tricolor flag in the fight against the hateful Stalinist regime, there is a very motley (and clearly not reaching a million) company of Balts, Asians, Galicians and Slavs, each fighting for their own. And mainly not with the Stalinist regime, but with the partisans (not only Russians, but also Yugoslav, Slovak, French, Polish), Western allies, and even with the Germans in general. Doesn't sound much like a civil war, does it? Well, perhaps we can use these words to describe the struggle between partisans and policemen, but the policemen fought not under a tricolor flag, but with a swastika on their sleeves. For the sake of fairness, it should be noted that until the end of 1944, until the formation of KONR and its armed forces, the Germans did not provide the opportunity for Russian anti-communists to fight for the national idea, for a Russia without communists. It can be assumed that if they had allowed this earlier, more people would have rallied “under the tricolor flag,” especially since there were still plenty of opponents of the Bolsheviks in the country. But this is “would” and besides, my grandmother said it in two. And in real story no “millions under the tricolor flag” were observed. List of sources 1. S.I.Drobyazko Eastern formations within the Wehrmacht (dissertation) 2. S.Drobyazko, A.Karashchuk Russian Liberation Army 3. S.Drobyazko, A.Karashchuk Eastern volunteers in the Wehrmacht, police and SS 4. S. Drobyazko, A.Karashchuk Eastern legions and Cossack units in the Wehrmacht 5. O.V.Romanko Muslim legions in the Second World War 6. J.Hoffmann History of the Vlasov army 7. V.K.Strik-Strikfeldt Against Stalin and Hitler 8.N. M. Konyaev Vlasov. Two faces of a general.

The very first strategic counter-offensive of Soviet troops in the Great Patriotic War revealed a very unpleasant circumstance for the USSR. Among the enemy troops captured near Moscow were many military units from France, Poland, Holland, Finland, Austria, Norway and other countries. The output data of all major European companies was found on captured military equipment and shells.

Before this, Soviet propaganda assured that European proletarians would never take up arms against the state of workers and peasants, that they would sabotage the production of weapons for Hitler. But exactly the opposite happened.

Our soldiers made a very characteristic discovery after the liberation of the Moscow region in the area of ​​the historical Borodino Field - next to the French cemetery of 1812, they discovered fresh graves of Napoleon’s descendants. The Soviet 32nd Infantry Red Banner Division, Colonel V.I. Polosukhin, fought here, whose fighters could not even imagine that they were opposed by “French allies.”

A more or less complete picture of this battle was revealed only after the Victory. The chief of staff of the 4th German Army, G. Blumentritt, published memoirs in which he wrote: “The four battalions of French volunteers operating as part of the 4th Army turned out to be less resistant. At Borodin, Field Marshal von Kluge addressed them with a speech, recalling how, during the time of Napoleon, the French and Germans fought here side by side against a common enemy - Russia. The next day, the French boldly went into battle, but, unfortunately, they could not withstand either the powerful attack of the enemy or the severe frost and blizzard. They had never had to endure such trials before. French Legion was defeated, suffering heavy losses from enemy fire. A few days later he was withdrawn to the rear and sent to the West.”

Here's a curious one archival document- list of prisoners of war who surrendered Soviet troops during the war years. Let us remember that a prisoner of war is someone who fights in uniform with a weapon in his hands. So, Germans - 2,389,560, Hungarians - 513,767, Romanians - 187,370, Austrians - 156,682, Czechs and Slovaks - 69,977, Poles - 60,280, Italians - 48,957, French - 23,136, Croats - 21,822, Moldovans - 14,129, Jews - 10,173, Dutch - 4,729, Finns - 2,377, Belgians - 2,010, Luxembourgers - 1,652, Danes - 457, Spaniards - 452, Gypsies - 383, Norwegians - 101, Swedes - 72.

And these are only those who survived and were captured. In reality, significantly more Europeans fought against us.

Before the start of the war with the USSR, Hitler appealed to Europeans to crusade against Bolshevism. Here's how they responded to it (data for June - October 1941, which does not take into account the huge military contingents of Italy, Hungary, Romania and other allies of Hitler). The 250th Infantry Division was formed from Spanish volunteers (18,000 people) in the Wehrmacht. In July, the personnel took the oath to Hitler and left for the Soviet-German front. During September-October 1941, the 638th Infantry Regiment was formed from French volunteers (approximately 3,000 people). In October, the regiment was sent to Smolensk, and then to Moscow. From the Belgians in July 1941, the 373rd Valonian battalion (approximately 850 people) was formed, transferred to the subordination of the 97th Infantry Division of the 17th Army of the Wehrmacht. The 369th Wehrmacht Infantry Regiment and the Croatian Legion were formed from Croatian volunteers as part of Italian troops. Approximately 2,000 Swedes signed up to volunteer in Finland. Of these, approximately 850 people took part in the fighting near Hanko, as part of a Swedish volunteer battalion. By the end of June 1941, 294 Norwegians were already serving in the SS Nordland regiment. After the start of the war with the USSR, the volunteer legion “Norway” (1200 people) was created in Norway. After taking the oath to Hitler, he was sent to Leningrad. By the end of June 1941, there were 216 Danes in the SS Viking Division. After the start of the war with the USSR, the Danish Volunteer Corps began to form.

Our Polish comrades stand apart in their complicity with fascism. Immediately after the end of the German-Polish war, the Polish nationalist Wladyslaw Gisbert-Studnicki came up with the idea of ​​​​creating a Polish army fighting on the side of Germany. He developed a project for building a Polish 12-15 million pro-German state. Gisbert-Studnicki proposed a plan to send Polish troops to the eastern front. Later, the idea of ​​a Polish-German alliance and a 35,000-strong Polish army was supported by the Sword and Plow organization, associated with the Home Army.

In the first months of the war against the USSR, Polish soldiers in the fascist army had the so-called HiWi status (voluntary assistants). Later, Hitler gave special permission for Poles to serve in the Wehrmacht. After this, it was categorically forbidden to use the name HiWi in relation to the Poles, since the Nazis treated them as full-fledged soldiers. Every Pole between the ages of 16 and 50 could become a volunteer; they only had to undergo a preliminary medical examination. Poles were called upon, along with other European nations, to stand “in defense of Western civilization from Soviet barbarism.” Here is a quote from a fascist leaflet in Polish: “The German armed forces are leading the decisive struggle to protect Europe from Bolshevism. Any honest helper in this fight will be greeted as an ally.” The text of the oath of the Polish soldiers read: “I swear before God this sacred oath that in the fight for the future of Europe in the ranks of the German Wehrmacht I will be absolutely obedient to the Supreme Commander Adolf Hitler, and as a brave soldier I am ready at any time to devote my strength to fulfill this oath.”

It is amazing that even the strictest guardian of the Aryan gene pool, Himmler, allowed the formation of SS units from the Poles. The first sign was the Goral Legion of the Waffen-SS. The Gorals are an ethnic group within the Polish nation. In 1942, the Nazis convened the Goral Committee in Zakopane. Vaclav Krzeptovsky was appointed "Goralenführer". He and his inner circle made a number of trips to cities and villages, urging them to fight against worst enemy civilization - Judeo-Bolshevism. It was decided to create a Goral volunteer legion of the Waffen-SS, adapted for operations in mountainous terrain. Krzeptovsky managed to gather 410 highlanders. But after a medical examination, 300 people remained in the SS.

Another Polish SS Legion was formed in mid-July 1944. 1,500 volunteers of Polish nationality joined it. In October the legion was based in Rzechow, in December near Tomaszow. In January 1945, the legion was divided into two groups (1st Lieutenant Machnik, 2nd Lieutenant Errling) and sent to participate in anti-partisan operations in the Tuchola forests. In February, both groups were destroyed by the Soviet army.

The President of the Academy of Military Sciences, Army General Makhmut Gareev gave the following assessment of the participation of a number of European countries in the fight against fascism:

“During the war, all of Europe fought against us. Three hundred and fifty million people, regardless of whether they fought with weapons in their hands, or stood at the machine, producing weapons for the Wehrmacht, did one thing. Twenty thousand members of the French Resistance died during World War II. And two hundred thousand French fought against us. We also captured sixty thousand Poles. Two million European volunteers fought for Hitler against the USSR.

— In this regard, the invitation to military personnel from a number of NATO countries to take part in the parade on Red Square in honor of the 65th anniversary looks at least strange Great Victory, says Colonel Yuri Rubtsov, member of the International Association of Historians of the Second World War, professor at the Military Humanitarian Academy. “This insults the memory of our defenders of the Fatherland, who died at the hands of numerous “European friends of Hitler.”

Collaborationism during the Great Patriotic War was common. According to historians, up to one and a half million Soviet citizens defected to the enemy’s side. Many of them were representatives of the Cossacks.

Uncomfortable topic

Domestic historians are reluctant to raise the issue of the Cossacks who fought on Hitler’s side. Even those who touched upon this topic tried to emphasize that the tragedy of the Cossacks of World War II was closely intertwined with the Bolshevik genocide of the 20s and 30s. In fairness, it should be noted that the overwhelming majority of Cossacks, despite claims to Soviet power, remained faithful to the Motherland. Moreover, many Cossack emigrants took an anti-fascist position, taking part in resistance movements in various countries.
Among those who swore allegiance to Hitler were Astrakhan, Kuban, Terek, Ural, and Siberian Cossacks. But the overwhelming majority of collaborators among the Cossacks were still residents of the Don lands.
Cossack police battalions were created in the territories occupied by the Germans, main task which was the fight against partisans. So, in September 1942, near the village of Pshenichny, Stanichno-Lugansk district, Cossack policemen, together with Gestapo punitive detachments, succeeded in defeating partisan detachment under the command of Ivan Yakovenko.
Cossacks often acted as guards for Red Army prisoners of war. At the German commandant's offices there were also Cossack hundreds who performed police tasks. Two such hundreds of Don Cossacks were stationed in the village of Lugansk and two more in Krasnodon.
For the first time, the proposal to form Cossack units to fight partisans was put forward by German counterintelligence officer Baron von Kleist. In October 1941, Quartermaster General of the German General Staff Eduard Wagner, having studied this proposal, allowed the commanders of the rear areas of Army Groups North, Center and South to form Cossack units from prisoners of war for use in the fight against the partisan movement.
Why did the formation of Cossack units not encounter opposition from NSDAP functionaries, and, moreover, was encouraged by the German authorities? Historians answer that this is due to the doctrine of the Fuhrer, who did not classify the Cossacks as Russians, considering them a separate people - descendants of the Ostrogoths.

Oath

One of the first to join the Wehrmacht was the Cossack unit under the command of Kononov. On August 22, 1941, Red Army Major Ivan Kononov announced his decision to go over to the enemy and invited everyone to join him. Thus, the major, the officers of his headquarters and several dozen Red Army soldiers of the regiment were captured. There, Kononov recalled that he was the son of a Cossack esaul, hanged by the Bolsheviks, and expressed his readiness to cooperate with the Nazis.
The Don Cossacks, who defected to us to the side of the Reich, did not miss the opportunity and tried to demonstrate their loyalty to the Hitler regime. On October 24, 1942, a “Cossack parade” took place in Krasnodon, in which the Don Cossacks showed their devotion to the Wehrmacht command and the German administration.
After a prayer service for the health of the Cossacks and the imminent victory of the German army, a letter of greeting to Adolf Hitler was read, which, in particular, said: “We, the Don Cossacks, are the remnants of survivors of the cruel Jewish-Stalinist terror, fathers and grandsons, sons and brothers of those killed in a fierce struggle with the Bolsheviks, we send you, the great commander, the brilliant statesman, the builder of the New Europe, the Liberator and friend of the Don Cossacks, our warm Don Cossack greetings!”
Many Cossacks, including those who did not share admiration for the Fuhrer, nevertheless welcomed the Reich's policy aimed at opposing the Cossacks and Bolshevism. “No matter what the Germans are, it can’t get any worse,” such statements were heard very often.

Organization

General leadership for the formation of Cossack units was entrusted to the head of the Main Directorate of Cossack Troops of the Imperial Ministry for the Eastern Occupied Territories of Germany, General Pyotr Krasnov.
“Cossacks! Remember, you are not Russians, you are Cossacks, an independent people. The Russians are hostile to you,” the general never tired of reminding his subordinates. – Moscow has always been an enemy of the Cossacks, crushing them and exploiting them. Now the time has come when we, the Cossacks, can create our own life independent of Moscow.”
As Krasnov noted, widespread cooperation between the Cossacks and the Nazis began already in the fall of 1941. In addition to the 102nd volunteer Cossack unit of Kononov, a Cossack reconnaissance battalion of the 14th was also created at the headquarters of the rear command of Army Group Center. tank corps, Cossack reconnaissance squadron of the 4th security scooter regiment and a Cossack sabotage detachment under the German special services.
In addition, from the end of 1941, hundreds of Cossacks began to regularly appear in the German army. In the summer of 1942, the cooperation of the Cossacks with the German authorities entered a new phase. From that time on, large Cossack formations - regiments and divisions - began to be created as part of the troops of the Third Reich.
However, one should not think that all the Cossacks who went over to the side of the Wehrmacht remained loyal to the Fuhrer. Very often, Cossacks, individually or in entire units, went over to the side of the Red Army or joined the Soviet partisans.
An interesting incident occurred in the 3rd Kuban Regiment. One of the German officers sent to the Cossack unit, while reviewing a hundred, called out a Cossack he did not like for some reason. The German first scolded him sternly and then hit him in the face with his glove.
The offended Cossack silently took out his saber and hacked the officer to death. The rushing German authorities immediately formed a hundred: “Whoever did this, step forward!” The whole hundred stepped forward. The Germans thought about it and decided to attribute the death of their officer to the partisans.

Numbers

How many Cossacks fought on the side of Nazi Germany during the entire period of the war?
According to the order of the German command dated June 18, 1942, all prisoners of war who were Cossacks by origin and considered themselves such were to be sent to a camp in the city of Slavuta. By the end of June, 5,826 people were concentrated in the camp. It was decided to begin the formation of Cossack units from this contingent.
By mid-1943, the Wehrmacht included about 20 Cossack regiments of varying strengths and a large number of small units, the total number of which reached 25 thousand people.
When the Germans began to retreat in 1943, hundreds of thousands of Don Cossacks and their families moved with the troops. According to experts, the number of Cossacks exceeded 135,000 people. After the end of the war in Austria allied forces A total of 50 thousand Cossacks were detained and transferred to the Soviet zone of occupation. Among them was General Krasnov.
Researchers estimate that at least 70,000 Cossacks served in the Wehrmacht, Waffen-SS units and auxiliary police during the war, most of whom were Soviet citizens who defected to Germany during the occupation.

According to historian Kirill Alexandrov, military service On the German side in 1941-1945, approximately 1.24 million USSR citizens were killed: among them 400 thousand were Russians, including 80 thousand in Cossack formations. Political scientist Sergei Markedonov suggests that among these 80 thousand, only 15-20 thousand were not Cossacks by origin.

Most of the Cossacks extradited by the allies received long sentences in the Gulag, and the Cossack elite, who sided with Nazi Germany, were sentenced by the Military Collegium Supreme Court USSR expected the death penalty by hanging.