The flag of the Nazis Vlasov became the state flag in Russia. General Vlasov and the Russian Liberation Army Russian Liberation Army of General Vlasov national composition

The history of the creation, existence and destruction of the so-called Russian Liberation Army under the command of General Vlasov is one of the darkest and most mysterious pages of the Great Patriotic War.

Putin's modern rashists accuse Ukraine of all sins and crimes. Although, it was the Russian Federation that brazenly sent its troops into the Crimea, started a senseless massacre in the Donbass, capturing part of the Donetsk and Luhansk regions ... Syria, Turkey ... Russian propagandists have no shame or conscience.

Ukraine for them is a fascist junta, where “Banderites of the Galicia division” are in power…

The Museum of the Poster of Ukraine under the magazine "Museums of Ukraine" politely reminds of Vlasov's ROA. Their crimes and symbolism. Which, surprisingly, became the state in the Russian Federation.

So who are the “fascists, junta and Nazis”? I would like to ask the successors of Goebbels' propaganda and Vlasov's fascist ideology ...

Press Service of the Poster Museum of Ukraine

Russian Liberation Army, ROA- the historical name of the armed forces of the Committee for the Liberation of the Peoples of Russia (KONR), who fought on the side of the Third Reich against the political system of the USSR, as well as the totality of the majority of Russian anti-Soviet units and units from Russian collaborators in the Wehrmacht in 1943-1944, mainly used at the level separate battalions and companies, and formed by various German military structures (headquarters of the SS Troops, etc.) during the Great Patriotic War.

About 800,000 people wore insignia of the Russian Liberation Army (sleeve badge) at different times, but only a third of this number was recognized by the leadership of the ROA as actually belonging to their movement.

Until 1944, the ROA did not exist as any specific military formation, but was mainly used by the German authorities for propaganda and recruiting volunteers for service. The 1st division of the ROA was formed on November 23, 1944, other formations were created a little later, and at the beginning of 1945 other collaborationist formations were included in the ROA.

The army was formed in the same way as, for example, the North Caucasian special-purpose battalion "Bergmann", the Georgian Legion of the Wehrmacht, - mainly from Soviet prisoners of war or from among emigrants. Unofficially, the Russian Liberation Army and its members were called "Vlasovites", after the name of their leader, the former Soviet lieutenant general Andrey Vlasov.

At the end of June 1942, the 2nd Shock Army of the Volkhov Front was cut off from the main forces of the Red Army. Most of the fighters died, the survivors scattered through the swampy forests. In this critical situation, the army commander and at the same time the deputy commander of the Volkhov Front, General A. Vlasov, abandoned the troops entrusted to him and disappeared in an unknown direction. In early July 1942, Vlasov surrendered to the Germans. Due to his high official position, Vlasov knew a lot, so he was soon sent to the Vinnitsa prisoner of war camp, which was run by German military intelligence - the Abwehr. There Vlasov declared his consent to participate in the struggle against the Red Army on the side of the Nazis. In early August 1942, he proposed to the German authorities to create an independent volunteer "Russian Liberation Army" (ROA) to fight in alliance with Germany against the Stalinist regime. This idea interested the Nazi leadership, and Vlasov was entrusted with the recruitment of volunteers in prisoner-of-war camps and in an emigre environment. Vlasov pursued the task of uniting all anti-Soviet forces. However, the practical implementation of this plan by Hitler was postponed. Given the cases of transition of such volunteers to the side of the Red Army, there was little trust in them. It was not until mid-1944 that the Nazi rulers began to realize that things were now going very badly for them. In September 1944, the head of the SS and the Gestapo, G. Himmler, met with Vlasov and gave the green light to the formation of independent Russian divisions from proven forces.

On November 14, 1944, in Prague, with the money of the German Reich, the so-called “Committee for the Liberation of the Peoples of Russia” (KONR) was formed. The committee adopted a manifesto of the anti-Soviet movement, literally reproducing Hitler's propaganda texts about the USSR, England and the USA. Following this, the formation of ROA divisions began from units that had previously taken part in the fight against Soviet partisans, in the suppression of the Warsaw Uprising, in hostilities on various sectors of the Soviet-German front, as well as volunteers from France, Denmark, Norway, the Balkan countries, Italy and etc. with a total number of up to 50 thousand fighters. In December 1944, at the direction of the Minister of Aviation of Nazi Germany G. Goering, the air forces of the ROA were also created on the basis of the “Russian air group”, formed as part of the Luftwaffe back in November 1943 (in total, they were provided with 28 Messerschmitt and Junkers aircraft ”). ROA units managed to take part in battles with Soviet troops during the Vistula-Oder and Berlin operations in the spring of 1945, as well as on the Yugoslav-Hungarian border.

PROPAGANDA

To reinforce the ROA, the Russian Orthodox Church Abroad was also involved, which could not forgive the Soviet authorities for religious persecution. Here is what, for example, calling for armed struggle against Soviet soldiers, wrote in one of the Vlasov publications in November 1944, the priest of the Russian Orthodox Church Abroad Alexander Kiselev: “Who among us does not have a heartache at the thought that the bright cause of saving the Motherland is connected with the necessity of fratricidal war - a terrible thing. What is the answer? What's the way out? And he himself answered: "War is evil, but sometimes it is the least evil and even good."

And here is another, how terrible, just as absurd text - also from the Vlasov newspaper, only dated already in 1945. This is a short article entitled “The Poles lost 10 million people”: “The British Reuters agency reports the information bureau of the Polish armed forces, according to which Poland lost 10 million people during this war. Such are the terrible results of the fatal war for the Polish people, caused by the criminal policy of the Warsaw government deceived by London. In other words, the Vlasovites who fought together with the Germans in Poland believed that it was not Hitler and his assistants who were to blame for the terrible sacrifices, but the Poles themselves and their allies!

MYTHS ABOUT VLASOVIANS

In some publications, one can find statements that the Vlasovites did not participate in hostilities against the Red Army. Such, unsupported by facts, theses do not stand up to scrutiny. Suffice it to quote the Vlasov newspaper "For the Motherland", which from November 15, 1944 was published in Russian twice a week in the territories occupied by Hitler. One of Vlasov's closest associates, Major General F. Trukhin, himself exposes his movement in the very first issue of the mentioned newspaper: “The German people are convinced that they have true allies in the person of our volunteers. In the battles on the Eastern Front, in Italy, in France, our volunteers showed courage, heroism and an unbending will to win.” Or: “We have cadre units of the Russian Liberation Army, the Ukrainian Vizvolny Viysk and other national formations, united in battles and having gone through a harsh school of war on the Eastern Front, in the Balkans, in Italy and France. We have experienced and trained officers.” And further: "We will courageously, not for life, but for death, fight with the Red Army." The article also states that the Vlasov troops will have in their composition all the types of troops necessary for the conduct of a modern war, and weapons with the latest technology: "In this regard, our German allies are of great help." The editorial of the newspaper “For the Motherland” dated March 22, 1945, speaks of the solemn transfer to the Vlasovites of the Russian battalion, which was still in parts of the German army: “Glorious and instructive is the path traveled by the battalion. It was formed in Belarus and distinguished itself there in battles with partisans. After this preliminary combat training, which showed a high degree of courage, fearlessness and stamina of Russian soldiers, the battalion was included in the active German army, was in France, Belgium, Holland. On the memorable days of the Anglo-American offensive in the summer of 1944, the battalion took part in hot battles. fighters have awards for bravery.”

And here are excerpts from a report on the arrival of the former commander of the German division, which previously included this Russian battalion: “Great, brothers! - his greeting is heard in purely Russian. Until today, you belonged to the German army. For a year and a half you fought alongside the German soldiers. You fought near Bobruisk, Smolensk, in France, Belgium. Many feats are yours, the third company is especially glorious. We are now required to fight to the last drop of blood. We need to win in order to liberate long-suffering Russia from the 25-year yoke of Jews and communists. Long live the new Europe! Long live liberated Russia! Long live the leader of the new Europe, Adolf Hitler! Hooray! (Everyone stands up. Three powerful cheers shake the hall)”.

Here are also interesting excerpts from a letter to the editors of the newspaper from one Russian volunteer from the front: “I went through the hard school of war together with my soldiers. For three years we have been hand in hand with the German comrades on the eastern, and now on the northeastern front. Many fell heroes in battle, many were awarded for bravery. My volunteers and I look forward to the next evening broadcasts. Say hello personally to General Vlasov. He is our commander, we are his soldiers, imbued with true love and devotion.”

Another message says: “We have a group of volunteers here in the German battalion. Four Russians, two Ukrainians, two Armenians, one Georgian. Having heard the call of the committee, we hasten to respond and want an early transfer to the ranks of the ROA or national units.

Another common myth is that Vlasov's campaign materials supposedly did not contain a single word of anti-Semitism. One “eyewitness” defending the general recalls: “I hardly saw all the Vlasov leaflets, but if at least one came across with a call to fight the “Jewish-Bolshevik” regime, General A. Vlasov would cease to exist for me. The slightest hint of anti-Semitism was completely absent.” Our own analysis of issues of the newspaper Za Rodinu, the printed organ of the Committee for the Liberation of the Peoples of Russia, shows that almost every issue contains calls for a fight against “Judeo-Bolshevism” (the newspaper’s stable stamp), direct attacks on Jews (true, not necessarily Soviet), lengthy quotations of speeches by Hitler, other Nazis, or reprints from the fascist newspaper Völkischer Beobachter, to one degree or another touching on the topic of “Judeo-communism”. We do not consider it necessary to reproduce them here.

Of particular interest in the "biography" of the Vlasov movement is the episode associated with the Prague events in May 1945. An absurd version is being planted that Prague, they say, was liberated from the Nazis by the Vlasovites! Without going into details of the offensive operation of the 1st, 2nd and 4th Ukrainian Fronts, as a result of which a million-strong enemy grouping was surrounded and defeated and thereby assisted the insurgent Prague, let us pay attention to the following. Even before the start of the Prague operation, Vlasov, who realized that the Wehrmacht had come to an end, telegraphed to the headquarters of the 1st Ukrainian Front: “I can hit the rear of the Prague group of Germans. The condition is forgiveness for me and my people.” Thus, by the way, there was another betrayal - now of the German masters. However, no response was received. Vlasov and his associates had to make their way through the German detachments in Prague to the Americans. They expected to sit out with the Americans until the third world war. The Vlasovites seriously proceeded from the fact that the United States and England, after the defeat of Germany, would dare to attack the USSR. And between the troops of the three fronts of the Red Army, moving day and night along all roads to the insurgent Prague, on May 6, 1945, the 1st division of the ROA slipped there, numbering about 10 thousand people, in which A. Vlasov himself was. Such a small demoralized formation, of course, could not have played any serious role in the liberation of Prague, in which there were more than a million Nazis. The Prague residents, mistakenly mistaking the ROA division for the Soviet one, at first greeted it cordially. But the clumsy maneuver of the Vlasovites was soon understood, and the armed detachments of the Czechoslovak Resistance threw them out of Prague, having managed to partially disarm them. Fleeing, the Vlasovites were forced to engage in battle with the SS barriers that blocked their path to the zone of American troops. This ended the “decisive role” of the Vlasovites in the liberation of Prague.

END OF MOVEMENT

On May 12, 1945, the Soviet command learned from radio interception that Vlasov was located in the area of ​​the Czech city of Pilsen. The operation to capture it was carried out by the 162nd tank brigade under the command of Colonel I. Mashenko. The forward detachment of the brigade captured the commander of one of the ROA battalions, who indicated the exact location of Vlasov. Everything else was a matter of technique. Some time later, the general was taken to the headquarters of the 13th Army of the 1st Ukrainian Front, and then by plane to Moscow. The trial of Vlasov and his eleven henchmen took place in July-August 1946. By the decision of the Military Collegium of the Supreme Court of the RSFSR, Vlasov and his closest accomplices were sentenced to death.

Most of the Soviet collaborators chose to surrender to the Americans and the British. The allies, as a rule, considered the “Vlasovites” as prisoners of war of the anti-Hitler coalition. According to the Yalta agreements of the allied powers of 1945, all citizens of the USSR who found themselves abroad as a result of the war, including traitors, were subject to repatriation. By decision of the courts, most of the participants in the Vlasov movement ended up in labor camps, and the officers were executed.

However, not all Nazi accomplices were extradited to the Soviet side. So, the remnants of the 1st Russian National Army of the white emigrant B. Smyslovsky (about 500 people) on the night of May 2-3 managed to escape from the zone of French occupation in Austria (Vorarlberg land) to neutral Liechtenstein. There they were interned. The "Smyslovites" were not formally part of the Vlasov army. They operated independently from July 1941, when the Russian Foreign Battalion was created at the headquarters of the German Army Group North to collect intelligence. Later, it was transformed into a training reconnaissance battalion, that is, in essence, into a school for the training of intelligence officers and saboteurs. At the end of 1942, Smyslovsky headed a special structure to combat the partisan movement. In 1945, Smyslovsky's army numbered almost 6 thousand people.

The French and the Soviet side demanded that the Smyslovites be handed over to them, but the then Liechtenstein authorities, who sympathized with Hitler, refused to do so. In 1946, the Argentine government agreed to receive Smyslov and his accomplices. Transportation costs were later borne by the Federal Republic of Germany.

The Americans, in contrast to the British, also tried not to extradite those who could be useful to them for future subversive work against the USSR. And this is understandable: after the defeat of Nazi Germany by the Soviet Union, which conquered all of continental Europe, the words of F. Schiller that only Russians can defeat Russians acquired particular relevance ...

WHO ARE THEY?

According to some estimates, a total of 800 thousand to 2 million Soviet citizens and emigrants from Russia and the USSR fought (or helped) against the USSR and its allies on the side of the Germans - those who participated in the terrorist actions of the invaders, prolonged them and slowed down coming of victory.

For most of our contemporaries, the common noun in relation to all of them, the name "Vlasov" and the concept of "traitor" mean the same thing. On the Internet, we found the memoirs of one of the participants in the Vistula-Oder operation - K. V. Popov, which contain characteristic assessments of this group of people: “In Germany, we met Vlasovites. We did not take them prisoner - they shot them, although there was no such order. We hated these traitors to the Motherland fiercely - they were worse than the Nazis. They found diaries. There, the traitors described how they were captured, how they were kept, how they went over to the side of the enemy. I read such a diary of one murdered Vlasovite and I. Vlasovets wrote that he wanted to return to his own, but the Germans were vigilantly watching them. Then, when the opportunity arose to cross, it became clear: they would not believe their own people, they would not forgive them - that’s how they had to shoot their own people to the end. ”

Attempts to make General Vlasov and his associates fighters against Stalinism, fighters for democratic Russia have little connection with reality. Indeed, in Vlasov's appeals there was a lot of such rhetoric. Of course, the ideological opponents of the Soviet government joined the Vlasov units, but in the vast majority they were those who wanted to avoid the hard fate of German captivity. The morale of the Vlasovites fluctuated depending on the situation at the front. That is why the German command considered the Vlasov units as unreliable.

The “ideological commitment” of most Vlasovites was just a beautiful wrapper for their desire to save their own lives at all costs, and if they were lucky, to make a career, get rich, or settle old scores with offenders. With “ideology” they only calmed their mental anguish due to treason and cooperation with the Germans. It is unlikely that they, shooting at Red Army soldiers and partisans, did not understand that they could potentially shoot at their own fathers or mothers, brothers or sisters, sons or daughters, who were not related to the crimes of the regime, but rather were its victims. How did they then differ from the “criminals-Bolsheviks”? Therefore, objectively, the Vlasovites did not fight against Stalinism, but against their own people, and the Vlasov team was just an obedient cog in the Nazi machine of conquest. If the Russian collaborators fought against Bolshevism, then why did they also fight on the Atlantic coast with the allies in the anti-Hitler coalition, receiving thanks and promotions from the German command for this? It's just that the Vlasovites miscalculated, betting on the invincibility of the Reich.

Very contradictory. Over time, historians cannot agree on when the army itself began to form, who the Vlasovites were and what role they played during the war years. In addition to the fact that the very formation of soldiers is considered, on the one hand, patriotic, and on the other, treacherous, there is also no exact data when exactly Vlasov and his fighters entered the battle. But first things first.

Who is he?

Vlasov Andrei Andreevich was a well-known political and military figure. He started on the side of the USSR. Participated in the battle for Moscow. But in 1942 he was captured by the Germans. Without hesitation, Vlasov decided to go over to the side of Hitler and began to cooperate against the USSR.

Vlasov remains a controversial figure to this day. Until now, historians are divided into two camps: some are trying to justify the actions of the military leader, others - to condemn. Supporters of Vlasov furiously shout about his patriotism. Those who joined the ROA were and remain true patriots of their country, but not of their government.

Opponents have long decided for themselves who the Vlasovites are. They are sure that since their boss and they themselves joined the Nazis, they were, are and will remain traitors and collaborators. In addition, patriotism, according to opponents, is just a cover. In fact, the Vlasovites went over to the side of Hitler only in the name of saving their lives. In addition, they did not become respected people there. The Nazis used them for propaganda purposes.

Formation

For the first time, it was Andrei Andreevich Vlasov who spoke about the formation of the ROA. In 1942, he and Baersky created the "Smolensk Declaration", which was a kind of "helping hand" for the German command. The document dealt with a proposal to establish an army that would fight against communism in Russia. The Third Reich acted wisely. The Germans decided to report this document to the media in order to create a resonance and a wave of discussion.

Of course, such a step was aimed primarily at propaganda. Nevertheless, the soldiers who were part of the German army began to call themselves the military ROA. In fact, this was permissible; theoretically, the army existed only on paper.

Not Vlasov

Despite the fact that since 1943 volunteers began to form into the Russian Liberation Army, it was still too early to talk about who the Vlasovites were. The German command fed Vlasov "breakfasts", and in the meantime gathered everyone in the ROA.

At the time of 1941, the project included more than 200 thousand volunteers, but then Hitler did not yet know about this amount of help. Over time, the famous "Havi" (Hilfswillige - "who want to help") began to appear. At first the Germans called them "our Ivans". These people worked as security guards, cooks, grooms, drivers, porters, etc.

If in 1942 there were just over 200 thousand hawi, then by the end of the year there were almost a million "traitors" and prisoners. Over time, Russian soldiers fought in the elite divisions of the SS troops.

RONA (RNNA)

In parallel with the Xavi, another so-called army is being formed - the Russian People's Liberation Army (RONA). At that time, one could hear about Vlasov, thanks to the battle for Moscow. Despite the fact that RONA consisted of only 500 soldiers, it was a defense for the city. It ceased to exist after the death of its founder Ivan Voskoboynikov.

At the same time, the Russian National People's Army (RNNA) was created in Belarus. She was an exact copy of RON. Its founder was Gil-Rodionov. The detachment served until 1943, and after Gil-Rodionov returned to Soviet power, the Germans disbanded the RNNA.

In addition to these "non-Vlasovites", there were also legions that were famous among the Germans and were held in high esteem. As well as the Cossacks, who fought for the formation of their own state. The Nazis sympathized with them even more and considered them not Slavs, but Goths.

Origin

Now directly about who the Vlasovites were during the war years. As we already remember, Vlasov was captured and from there began active cooperation with the Third Reich. He proposed to create an army in order for Russia to become independent. The Germans, of course, did not like this. Therefore, they did not allow Vlasov to fully realize his projects.

But the Nazis decided to play on the name of the commander. They called on the soldiers of the Red Army to betray the USSR, to enroll in the ROA, which they did not plan to create. All this was done on behalf of Vlasov. Since 1943, the Nazis began to give the soldiers of the ROA more to show themselves.

Perhaps this is how the Vlasov flag appeared. The Germans allowed the Russians to use sleeve patches. They had an appearance. Although many soldiers tried to use the white-blue-red banner, the Germans did not allow it. The remaining volunteers, of other nationalities, often used patches in the form of national flags.

When the soldiers got stripes with the St. Andrew's flag and the inscription ROA, Vlasov was still far from command. Therefore, this period can hardly be called "Vlasov".

Phenomenon

In 1944, when the Third Reich began to guess that a blitzkrieg was not working, and their affairs at the front were completely deplorable, it was decided to return to Vlasov. In 1944, Reichsführer SS Himmler discussed with the Soviet commander the question of the formation of an army. Then everyone already understood who the Vlasovites were.

Despite the fact that Himmler promised to form ten Russian divisions, the Reichsführer later changed his mind and agreed to only three.

Organization

The Committee for the Liberation of the Peoples of Russia was formed only in 1944 in Prague. It is then that the practical organization of the ROA begins. The army had its own command and all types of troops. Vlasov was both the chairman of the Committee and the commander in chief, which, in turn, both on paper and in deed, were an independent Russian national army.

The ROA was connected with the Germans by allied relations. Although the Third Reich was involved in financing. The money that the Germans issued was credit and had to be paid as far as possible.

Vlasov's thoughts

Vlasov, on the other hand, set himself a different task. He hoped that his organization would become as strong as possible. He foresaw the defeat of the Nazis and understood that after that he would have to represent the "third party" in the conflict between the West and the USSR. The Vlasovites, with the support of Britain and the United States, had to realize their political plans. Only at the beginning of 1945, the ROA was officially introduced as the armed forces of the allied power. A month later, the fighters were able to get their own sleeve insignia, and on the cap - a ROA cockade.

Baptism of fire

Even then they began to understand who the Vlasovites were. During the war years, they had to work a little. In general, the army participated in only two battles. Moreover, the first took place against the Soviet troops, and the second - against the Third Reich.

On February 9, the ROA entered combat positions for the first time. Actions took place in the Oder region. The ROA performed well, and the German command highly appreciated its actions. She was able to occupy Neulevien, the southern part of Karlsbiese and Kerstenbruch. On March 20, the ROA was supposed to capture and equip a bridgehead, and also be responsible for the passage of ships along the Oder. The actions of the army were more or less successful.

Already at the end of March 1945, the ROA decided to get together and join the Cossack Cavalry Corps. This was done in order to show the whole world its power and potential. Then the West was quite cautious about the Vlasovites. They did not particularly like their methods and goals.

The ROA also had retreat routes. The command hoped to reunite with the Yugoslav detachments or break into the Ukrainian Insurgent Army. When the leadership realized the inevitable defeat of the Germans, it was decided to go west on their own to surrender there to the Allies. Later it became known that Himmler wrote about the physical elimination of the leadership of the Committee. It was this that became the first reason for the escape of the ROA from under the wing of the Third Reich.

The last event that remains in history was the Prague Uprising. Parts of the ROA reached Prague and revolted against Germany along with the partisans. Thus, they managed to liberate the capital even before the arrival of the Red Army.

Education

In the entire history, there was only one school that trained soldiers in the ROA - Dabendorf. For all the time, 5 thousand people were released - these are 12 issues. The lectures were based on harsh criticism of the existing system in the USSR. The main emphasis was precisely the ideological component. It was necessary to re-educate the captured soldiers and grow up staunch opponents of Stalin.

From here, real Vlasovites were issued. The photo of the school badge proves that it was an organization with clear goals and ideas. The school did not last long. At the end of February, she had to be evacuated to Gischuebel. Already in April, it ceased to exist.

controversy

The main dispute remains what was the flag of the Vlasovites. Many to this day argue that it is the current state flag of Russia that is the banner of "traitors" and followers of Vlasov. In fact, that's how it is. Some believed that the banner of the Vlasovites was with the St. Andrew's Cross, some individual collaborators used the modern tricolor of the Russian Federation. The latter fact was confirmed even by video and photography.

Questions to other attributes also began. It turns out that the awards of the Vlasovites somehow relate to the currently famous dispute about the St. George ribbon. And here it is worth explaining. The fact is that the Vlasov ribbon, in principle, did not exist at all.

Now it is the St. George ribbon that is attributed to the defeated in the Great Patriotic War. It was used in awards for members of the Committee for the Liberation of the Peoples of Russia and the ROA. And initially it was attached to the Order of St. George back in imperial Russia.

In the Soviet award system, there was a guards ribbon. She was a special sign of distinction. They used it in the design of the Order of Glory and the medal "For the Victory over Germany".

General Vlasov at the beginning of the Great Patriotic War stood on a par with the best commanders in chief of the Red Army. General Vlasov distinguished himself in the Battle of Moscow in the autumn of 1941. By the middle of the summer of 1942, when Vlasov surrendered to the Germans, a large number of soldiers and officers of the Red Army were captured by the Germans. A large number of the population of Ukraine, Russia, the Baltic States and the Cossack formations of the Don Cossacks went over to the side of the Germans. After Vlasov was interrogated by the German Field Marshal Theodor von Bock, the Russian Liberation Army, or ROA, began its life. Andrei Vlasov, together with like-minded people (of course, with the Germans) wanted to start a new civil war on the territory of the USSR.
Meanwhile, the general was one of the favorites of Joseph Stalin. Vlasov first distinguished himself in the Battle of Moscow, when the Red Army created a layered defense on the outskirts of the capital, and then repelled German attacks with counterattacks.

General Andrey Vlasov

On December 31, 1941, a photograph of General Andrei Vlasov was placed on the front page of the Izvestia newspaper, along with other military leaders (Zhukov, Voroshilov, etc.). The very next year, Vlasov was awarded the Order, and later he was awarded the rank of lieutenant general. Joseph Stalin instructs Soviet writers to write a book about General Vlasov "Stalin's Commander". After this promotion by Stalin, Vlasov became very popular in the country. He receives greeting cards and letters from all over the country. Vlasov often gets into the camera lens.

General Andrey Vlasov

Andrei Vlasov was drafted into the armed forces of the Red Army in 1920. In 1936, Vlasov was awarded the rank of major. The following year, the rapid growth of Andrei Vlasov's career began. In 1937 and 1938 Vlasov served in the military tribunal of the Kiev Military District. He was a member of the military tribunal and signed death warrants.
Vlasov's excellent career was the result of the mass repressions that Stalin carried out in the Red Army as a commander in the mid-30s. Against the background of these events in the country, the career of many military men was very rapid. Vlasov was no exception. At 40, he becomes a lieutenant general.
According to many historians, General Andrei Vlasov was an excellent and strong-willed commander, at the same time he was a diplomat and well versed in people. Vlasov gave the impression of a strong and demanding personality in the Red Army. Thanks to the good qualities of the commander, Joseph Stalin was loyal to Vlasov, and always tried to move him up the ranks.

General Andrey Vlasov

When the Great Patriotic War began, she found Vlasov when he served in the Kiev military district. He, with many commanders and soldiers of the Red Army, retreated to the east. In September 1941, Vlasov left the encirclement in the Kiev pocket. Vlasov left the encirclement for two months, and he retreated not with the soldiers of the Red Army, but with a female military doctor. In those days of the difficult retreat of the Red Army, General Vlasov sought to break through to his own as quickly as possible. Having changed into civilian clothes with a military doctor in one of the settlements, Andrei Vlasov left the encirclement near the city of Kursk by the beginning of November 1941. After leaving the encirclement, Vlasov fell ill and was placed in a hospital. Unlike other officers and soldiers of the Red Army who left the encirclement, Vlasov was not interrogated. He still enjoyed Stalin's loyalty. Joseph Stalin remarked on this occasion: "Why bother a sick general."

General Andrey Vlasov

With the beginning of the winter of 1941, the German units of Guderian were rapidly advancing towards the capital of the USSR. The Red Army in echeloned defense with difficulty resists the Germans. The critical situation for the Soviet Union is about to begin. At that time, the defense of Moscow in the Battle of Moscow was commanded by Georgy Zhukov. To carry out the combat mission, Zhukov specially selected, in his opinion, the best army commanders. At the time when these events took place, General Vlasov was in the hospital. Vlasov, like other commanders, was appointed to the lists of commanders in the battle for Moscow without his knowledge. General Sandalov developed an operation for the counteroffensive of the Red Army near Moscow. The operation for the counter-offensive of the Red Army, when Vlasov arrived at the headquarters, was fully developed and approved. Therefore, Andrei Vlasov did not take part in it. On December 5, 1941, the 20th Shock Army launched a counterattack against the Germans, which drove them back from Moscow. Many mistakenly believe that General Andrei Vlasov commanded this army. But Vlasov returned to headquarters only on December 19. Only two days later he took command of the army. By the way, Zhukov has repeatedly expressed his dissatisfaction, due to the passive command of the army by Vlasov. After that, the Red Army successfully counterattacked the Germans and Vlasov was promoted. But Vlasov made almost no effort to carry out these events.

General Andrey Vlasov

Many historians seriously argue that Vlasov, even before the start of the war with Germany, was an ardent anti-Stalinist. Despite this, he attended a meeting with Joseph Stalin in February 1942 and was quite impressed by his strong personality. Vlasov was always in good standing with Stalin. Vlasov's army has always fought successfully. Already in April 1942, Lieutenant General Andrei Vlasov, Stalin appointed commander of the 2nd shock army.

General Andrey Vlasov

On April 19, 1942, Vlasov appears for the first time before the 2nd shock army with a speech: “I will start with discipline and order. No one will leave my army just because he wants to leave. The people of my army will leave either with orders for promotion, or for execution .... Regarding the latter, of course, I was joking "

General Andrey Vlasov

At that moment, this army was surrounded and something urgently needed to be done to bring it out of the boiler. The army was cut off by the Germans in the Novgorod swamps. The position of the army became critical: there was not enough ammunition and food. Meanwhile, the Germans systematically and cold-bloodedly destroyed the encircled army of Vlasov. Vlasov asked for support and help. At the beginning of the summer of 1942, the Germans blocked the only road (it was also called the "Road of Life"), along which the 2nd Shock Army was provided with food and ammunition. On the same road, the soldiers of the Red Army left the encirclement. Vlasov gave his last order: to break through to everyone on their own. Together with the breakthrough group, Lieutenant General Vlasov headed north in the hope of breaking out of the encirclement. During the retreat, Vlasov lost his temper and was absolutely indifferent to the events taking place. Many surrounded officers of the 2nd Shock Army shot themselves while trying to take them prisoner by the Germans. Systematically, soldiers from the 2nd shock army of Vlasov left the encirclement to their small groups. The 2nd shock army consisted of several hundred thousand fighters, of whom no more than 8 thousand people escaped. The rest were killed or taken prisoner.

General Andrey Vlasov

Against the background of the encirclement of the 2nd shock army, the anti-Soviet sentiments of General Vlasov escalated. July 13, 1942 Vlasov voluntarily surrendered. Early in the morning a German patrol passed through the village. Local residents told the Germans that a Russian soldier was hiding with them. A German patrol seized Vlasov and his companion. This happened in the village of Tukhovezhi, Leningrad region. Before surrendering, Vlasov communicated with local residents who were in contact with Russian partisans. One of the inhabitants of this village wanted to hand over Vlasov to the Germans, but did not have time to do this. According to local residents, Vlasov had the opportunity to go out to the partisans, and then return to his own. But for unknown reasons, he did not.

General Andrey Vlasov

On July 13, a secret note was brought to the NKVD headquarters, which mentioned that the commanders of the 2nd shock army, Vlasov, Vinogradov and Afanasyev, went out to the partisans and were safe with them. On July 16, they found out that a mistake was made in the message and Vlasov was not with the surviving commanders. And the commander Vinogradov did not leave the encirclement. In search of Vlasov and other commanders, on behalf of Stalin, sabotage detachments were sent to the rear of the Germans. Nearly all search parties perished.

General Andrey Vlasov

Vlasov decided to surrender to the enemy for many reasons. Firstly, he assumed that the Soviet Union was unable to destroy the German army, against the backdrop of the events that took place on the Volkhov front in Myasnoy Bor. He decided that it would be better for him that he would surrender to the Germans. Vlasov planned that after the defeat of the Soviets, he would become the head of the leadership of the conquered country.
General Vlasov was transferred to Germany, to Berlin. In one of the houses on the outskirts of Berlin was the headquarters of Vlasov. The Germans needed this kind of figure from the Red Army. Vlasov was offered to become the head of the army in the liberation from Bolshevism in Russia. Vlasov begins to travel to concentration camps where Soviet soldiers are imprisoned. He begins to create the backbone of the ROA (Russian Liberation Army) from captured Russian officers and soldiers. But not many join this army. Later, in the occupied city of Pskov, a parade of several ROA battalions takes place, where Vlasov takes the parade. At this parade, Andrei Vlasov declares that there are already half a million soldiers in the ranks of the ROA, who will soon fight against the Bolsheviks. But in fact, this army did not exist.
Throughout the existence of the ROA, German officers, and even Hitler himself, treated this formation with disdain and distrust.

General Andrey Vlasov

After the defeat of the Wehrmacht at the Battle of Kursk in July 1943, General Vlasov decides to act actively and decides to offer the Germans to lead the five hundred thousandth army of Russian prisoners of war who will take up arms and stand up against the USSR. After Hitler's meeting with the top command staff of the Wehrmacht, it was decided not to create a combat-ready Russian army of the ROA. Hitler categorically forbade the formation of military units from Russian volunteers, due to distrust of them.
After Vlasov was denied the creation of his army, he was taken under house arrest. During the period of idleness, Vlasov in his residence often indulged in drinking and other entertainment. But at the same time, with the leaders of the ROA, Vlasov planned an action plan for various scenarios. Realizing that nothing could be expected from the Germans in terms of helping to create an army, the leaders of the ROA planned to take refuge in the Alps and hold out there until the Allies arrived. And then surrender to them. That was their only hope at the time. Moreover, Vlasov has already contacted MI6 (British military intelligence). Vlasov believed that having gone over to the side of England, he would fight with the USSR with his army when England entered Europe and started a war with Russia. But the British did not negotiate with Vlasov, considering him a war criminal who acts contrary to the interests of the allies.
In the summer of 1944, Andrei Vlasov marries the widow of the murdered SS man, Adella Billinberg. Thus, he wanted to gain the loyalty of the Germans towards himself. Moreover, he wanted to reach Himmler with this act, who in the summer of 1944 received Vlasov. Hoping for help from the Vlasov formations, Himmler allows the creation of an army for Vlasov. As a result, General Vlasov achieves his goal: the first division of the ROA is formed under his leadership. The preparation of sabotage detachments immediately begins to overthrow the government in Russia. It was planned to carry out terrorist acts on the territory of Moscow against the Soviet government. Vlasov also wanted to create underground organizations in large Russian cities in order to counter the Soviet regime.

General Andrey Vlasov

After the creation of his army, General Vlasov moved to the Czech Republic. In November 1944, the first congress of the Committee of the Liberation Peoples of Russia took place in Prague. The Germans, and Vlasov himself, seriously planned that in the event of victory in the war, Vlasov would become the head of the government governing Russia.
But events unfold differently. The Red Army moves west and systematically destroys the scattered German army. Soviet troops approach the borders of Czechoslovakia. Vlasov understood that the only chance for his salvation was to surrender to the Americans.

However, there was antagonism between former Soviet prisoners of war and white emigrants, and the latter were gradually forced out of the leadership of the ROA. Most of them served in other Russian volunteer formations not connected with the ROA (only a few days before the end of the war formally attached to the ROA) - the Russian Corps, the brigade of General A.V. Turkul in Austria, the 1st Russian National Army, the regiment " Varyag "by Colonel M. A. Semenov, a separate regiment of Colonel Krzhizhanovsky, as well as in Cossack formations (15th Cossack Cavalry Corps and Cossack camp).

On January 28, 1945, the ROA received the status of the armed forces of an allied power that remains neutral in relation to the United States and Great Britain. On May 12, 1945, an order was signed to dissolve the ROA.

After the victory of the USSR and the occupation of Germany, most of the members of the ROA were transferred to the Soviet authorities. Some of the "Vlasovites" managed to escape and get asylum in Western countries and avoid punishment.

Composition:

At the end of April 1945, A. A. Vlasov had the armed forces under his command in the following composition:
1st Division Major General S. K. Bunyachenko (22,000 people)
2nd division of Major General G. A. Zverev (13,000 people)
3rd division of Major General M. M. Shapovalov (not armed, there was only a headquarters and 10,000 volunteers)
the reserve brigade of Lieutenant Colonel (later Colonel) S. T. Koida (7,000 people) is the only commander of a large unit not issued by the US occupation authorities to the Soviet side.
Air Force General V. I. Maltsev (5000 people)
VET division
officer school of General M. A. Meandrov.
accessory parts,
Russian Corps of Major General B. A. Shteifon (4500 people). General Steifon died suddenly on 30 April. The corps that surrendered to the Soviet troops was led by Colonel Rogozhkin.
Cossack camp of Major General T. I. Domanov (8000 people)
group of Major General A. V. Turkul (5200 people)
15th Cossack cavalry corps of Lieutenant General X. von Pannwitz (more than 40,000 people)
Cossack reserve regiment of General A. G. Shkuro (more than 10,000 people)
and several small formations numbering less than 1000 people;
security and punitive legions, battalions, companies; Russian liberation army of Vlasov; Shteifon's Russian security corps; 15th Cossack Corps von Pannwitz; separate military formations that were not part of the ROA; "volunteer helpers" - "hivi".

In general, these formations numbered 124 thousand people. These parts were scattered at a considerable distance from each other.

I, a faithful son of my Motherland, voluntarily joining the ranks of the Russian Liberation Army, solemnly swear: to fight honestly against the Bolsheviks, for the good of my Motherland. In this struggle against a common enemy, on the side of the German army and its allies, I swear to be faithful and unquestioningly obey the Leader and Commander-in-Chief of all liberation armies, Adolf Hitler. I am ready, in fulfillment of this oath, not to spare myself and my life.

I, as a faithful son of my Motherland, voluntarily joining the ranks of the fighters of the Armed Forces of the Peoples of Russia, in the face of my compatriots, I swear - for the good of my people, under the command of General Vlasov, to fight against Bolshevism to the last drop of blood. This struggle is waged by all freedom-loving peoples in alliance with Germany under the general command of Adolf Hitler. I swear to be true to this union. In fulfillment of this oath, I am ready to give my life.



Symbols and insignia:

As the flag of the ROA, the flag with the St. Andrew's Cross was used, as well as the Russian tricolor. The use of the Russian tricolor, in particular, was documented in the footage of the parade of the 1st Guards Brigade of the ROA in Pskov on June 22, 1943, in the photo chronicle of the formation of the Vlasovites in Münsingen, as well as other documents.

A completely new uniform and insignia of the ROA could be seen in 43-44 on the soldiers of the eastern battalions stationed in France. The uniform itself was sewn from grayish-blue fabric (stocks of captured French army cloth) and in terms of cut it was a compilation of a Russian tunic and a German uniform.

The epaulettes of soldiers, non-commissioned officers and officers were of the model of the Russian tsarist army and were sewn from dark green matter with a red edging. The officers had one or two narrow red stripes along their epaulettes. The general's shoulder straps were also of the royal type, but the same green shoulder straps with a red edging were more common, and the general's "zig-zag" was depicted with a red stripe. The placement of insignia among non-commissioned officers roughly corresponded to the tsarist army. For officers and generals, the number and placement of stars (German-style) corresponded to the German principle:

In the figure, from left to right: 1 - soldier, 2 - corporal, 3 - non-commissioned officer, 4 - sergeant major, 5 - lieutenant (lieutenant), 6 - lieutenant (senior lieutenant), 7 - captain, 8 - major, 9 - lieutenant colonel , 10 - colonel, 11 - major general, 12 - lieutenant general, 13 - general. The last highest rank in the ROA Petlitsy was also provided for in three types - a soldier's. and non-commissioned officers, officers, generals. The officer's and general's buttonholes were edged with silver and golden flagella, respectively. However, there was a buttonhole that could be worn by both soldiers and officers. This buttonhole had a red border. A gray German button was placed at the top of the buttonhole, and 9mm went along the buttonhole. aluminum galloon.

"Russia is ours. Russia's past is ours. Russia's future is also ours" (gen. A. A. Vlasov)

Press organs: newspapers " ROA fighter" (1944), weekly " Volunteer"(1943-44)," Front leaflet for volunteers "(1944)," Volunteer Herald "(1944)," Nabat"(1943)," Volunteer Page "(1944)," Warrior voice"(1944)," Dawn"(1943-44)," Work », « arable land", weekly" Truth"(1941-43)," with hostility». For the Red Army: « Stalinist warrior », « brave warrior », « Red Army », « front-line soldier», « Soviet warrior ».

General Vlasov wrote: "Recognizing the independence of each people, National Socialism provides all the peoples of Europe with the opportunity to build their own lives in their own way. For this, each people needs a living space. Hitler considers possession of it the basic right of every people. Therefore, the occupation of Russian territory by German troops is not aimed at destruction Russians, but vice versa - the victory over Stalin will return to the Russians their Fatherland within the framework of the New Europe family.

On September 16, 1944, Vlasov and Himmler met at the headquarters of the Reichsfuehrer SS in East Prussia, during which the latter said: "Mr. General, I spoke with the Fuhrer, from now on you can consider yourself commander-in-chief of the army with the rank of colonel general." A few days later, the reorganization of the headquarters began. Prior to this, in addition to Vlasov and V.F. Malyshkin included: the commandant of the headquarters, Colonel E.V. Kravchenko (since 09.1944, Colonel K.G. Kromiadi), head of the personal office, Major M.A. Kalugin-Tensorov, Vlasov's adjutant Captain R. Antonov, supply manager Lieutenant V. Melnikov, communications officer S.B. Frelnh and 6 soldiers.

On November 14, 1944, the founding congress of the Committee for the Liberation of the Peoples of Russia (KONR) was held in Prague, and A. Vlasov was elected chairman. In his opening speech, Vlasov said: “Today we can assure the Fuhrer and the entire German people that in their hard struggle against the worst enemy of all peoples - Bolshevism, the peoples of Russia are their faithful allies and will never lay down their arms, but will go shoulder to shoulder with them until complete victory. At the congress, the creation of the Armed Forces of the KONR (AF KONR), headed by Vlasov, was announced.

After the congress from Dabendorf to Dalem, the security company of Major Begletsov and the guard of Major Shishkevich were transferred. Major Khitrov was appointed commandant of the headquarters instead of Kromiadi. Kromiadi was transferred to the post of head of Vlasov's Personal Office, his predecessor, Lieutenant Colonel Kalugin, to the post of head of the Security Department.

On January 18, 1945, Vlasov, Aschenbrener, Kroeger met with the Secretary of State of the German Foreign Ministry, Baron Stengracht. An agreement was signed on subsidizing the German government for KONR and its aircraft. At the end of January 1945, when Vlasov visited the German Foreign Minister von Ribbenthorp, he informed Vlasov that cash loans were being provided for the KONR. Andreev testified about this at the trial: “As the head of the main financial department of the KONR, I was in charge of all the financial resources of the Committee. I received all financial resources from the German State Bank from the current account of the Ministry of the Interior. I received all the money from the bank by checks drawn by representatives of the Ministry of the Interior Sievers and Ryppei, who controlled the financial activities of the KONR. With such checks I received about 2 million marks.”

On January 28, 1945, Hitler appointed Vlasov Commander-in-Chief of the Russian Armed Forces. The ROA was treated as the Armed Forces of an allied power, temporarily subordinated in operational terms to the Wehrmacht.

"Telegram from the Reichsführer SS to General Vlasov. Compiled at the direction of Obergruppenführer Berger. From the day this order was signed, the Führer appointed you supreme commander of the 600th and 650th Russian divisions. At the same time, you will be entrusted with the supreme command of all new Russian formations that are being formed and regrouped. Behind you the disciplinary right of the supreme commander in chief and at the same time the right to promotion to officer ranks up to lieutenant colonel will be recognized. Promotion to colonels and generals takes place in agreement with the head of the main department of the SS according to the provisions existing for the Great German Empire. G. Himmler".

On February 10, 1945, the inspector general of volunteer formations, E. Kestring, informed Vlasov that, in view of the completion of the creation of the 1st division and the progress made in the formation of the 2nd, he could officially take command of both formations.

The swearing-in parade took place on 16 February in Müsingen. The parade was attended by Kestring, Aschenbrenner, commander of the 5th military division. in Stuttgart Fayel, the head of the polygon in Müsingen, gene. Wenniger. The parade began with a round of troops by Vlasov. Bunyachenko raised his hand in an Aryan greeting and reported. Having finished the tour, Vlasov went up to the podium and said the following: “During the years of joint struggle, the friendship of the Russian and German peoples was born. Both sides made mistakes, but tried to correct them - and this speaks of a common interest. The main thing in the work of both sides is trust, mutual trust. I thank the Russian and German officers who participated in the creation of this alliance. I am convinced that we will soon return to our homeland with the soldiers and officers that I see here. Long live the friendship of the Russian and German peoples! Long live the soldiers and officers of the Russian army! Then the parade of the 1st division began. There were three infantry regiments with rifles at the ready, an artillery regiment, an anti-tank destroyer battalion, battalions of sappers and communications. The procession was closed by a column of tanks and self-propelled guns. On the same day, the Russian Corps announced its entry into the ROA.

The text of the oath of the ROA / Armed Forces of the KONR: “As a faithful son of my Motherland, I voluntarily join the ranks of the troops of the Committee for the Liberation of the Peoples of Russia. In the presence of my countrymen, I solemnly swear to fight honestly to the last drop of blood under the command of General Vlasov for the good of my people against Bolshevism. This struggle is waged by all freedom-loving peoples under the supreme command of Adolf Hitler. I swear that I will remain true to this alliance."

On February 20, 1945, a KONR memorandum was handed over to the deputy representative of the International Red Cross in Germany on protecting the interests of prisoners of war from the ROA if they surrender to representatives of the Western powers. When making contact with the International Red Cross, Vlasov counted on the help of the secretary of the organization, Baron Pilar von Pilahu, a Russian officer.

By the end of March 1945, the total strength of the KONR Armed Forces was about 50,000 people.

On March 24, 1945, at the All-Cossack Congress in Virovitica (Croatia), a decision was made to unite the Cossack troops with the KONR Armed Forces. Vlasov was also joined by the brigade of Major General A.V. Turkula, who began the formation of regiments in Lienz, Ljubljana and Villach.

Major General Smyslovsky, who headed the 1st Russian National Army, refused to cooperate with Vlasov. Negotiations with General Shandruk on the inclusion of the SS division "Galicia" in the KONR Armed Forces remained without result. The German command did not subordinate the 9th PBR to Vlasov. Major General von Henning, in Denmark. Later, one of the regiments of br. (714th), which has been stationed since February on the Oder front under the command (from the beginning of March) of Colonel Igor Konst. Sakharova (participant in the Spanish Civil War, head of the Spanish branch of the Russian Fascist Party).

To test the combat capability of the Armed Forces of the KONR, on the orders of Himmler, an assault group (505 people) of Colonel I.K. was formed. Sakharov. Armed with SG-43 rifles, MP-40 submachine guns and faustpatrons, the group was put into action on February 9 in the area between Vritsen and Gustebize in the Kyustrin region in order to dislodge Soviet troops from the bridgehead on the western bank of the Oder. The detachment as part of the "Döberitz" division participated in the battles against the 230th division. Commander of the 9th Army Gen. Busse ordered the commander of the 101st Corps, Gen. Berlin and the division commander, Colonel Hünber, "to accept the Russians as friends" and "to behave politically with them very cleverly." During the night attack, the detachment was entrusted with the task of liberating a number of settlements in the area of ​​the 230th division of the Red Army and persuading its soldiers to stop resistance and surrender. During a night attack and a 12-hour battle, the Vlasovites, dressed in Red Army uniforms, managed to capture several strongholds and capture 3 officers and 6 soldiers. In the following days, Sakharov's detachment undertook two reconnaissance in force in the area of ​​the city of Schwedt and participated in repelling a tank attack, destroying 12 tanks. On the actions of the Russians, the commander of the 9th Army, Infantry General Busse, reported to the High Command of the German Ground Forces (OKH) that the Russian allies distinguished themselves by the skillful actions of the officers and the courage of the soldiers. Goebbels wrote in his diary: "... during the Sakharov operation in the Kustrin area, the troops of General Vlasov fought superbly ... Vlasov himself believes that although the Soviets have enough tanks and weapons, they nevertheless faced almost insurmountable difficulties supplies from the rear. They have a mass of tanks concentrated on the Oder, but they do not have enough gasoline ... ". Gene. Berlin personally awarded the soldiers and officers with Iron Crosses (Sakharov was awarded the Iron Cross 1st class), Vlasov received Himmler's personal congratulations on this occasion. After that, Himmler told Hitler that he would like to have more Russian troops under his command.

On March 26, at the last meeting of the KONR, it was decided to gradually pull all formations into the Austrian Alps for surrender to the Anglo-Americans.

On April 13, the Swiss ambassador in Berlin, Zehnder, announced that the arrival of the Vlasovites in Switzerland was undesirable, because. it could harm the interests of the country. The Swiss government also refused Vlasov personally.

In April, with the task of establishing contact with the allies, Vlasov sent Captain Shtrik-Shtrikfeld and General Malyshkin.

On April 10, the Southern ROA group performed in the Budweiss-Linz region. The 1st division moved here from the Oder front. In early May, she was not far from Prague, where by this time a rebellion had broken out. Chekhir on the radio asked for help.

On May 11, Vlasov surrendered to the Americans and was in the Shlisselburg fortress in the position of a prisoner of war. At 2 pm on May 12, under the protection of an American escort, he was sent to a higher American headquarters, ostensibly for negotiations. The column of cars was stopped by Soviet officers. At gunpoint, they demanded that Vlasov and Bunyachenko, who was with him, get into their cars. American officers and soldiers did not intervene. German historians believe that Colonel P. Martin, deputy NSh of the 12th corps of the American army, played an important role in this.

ROA officers were shot without trial, and all the rest in battened down freight cars were sent to concentration camps. Those who were not sentenced to death and camp terms, according to the decision of the State Defense Committee of August 18, 1945, received 6 years of special settlement out of court.

In addition to Vlasov, Malyshkin, Zhilenkov, Trukhin, Zakutny, Blagoveshchensky, Meandorov, Maltsev, Bunyachenko, Zverev, Korbukov and Shatov appeared at a closed trial. The court sentenced them to death by hanging. The sentence was carried out on August 1, 1946.

1. Commander-in-Chief: Lieutenant General Andrey A. Vlasov, former commander of the 2nd Shock Army of the Red Army. Iron Cross (9.02.1945).

2. NSH and Deputy Commander-in-Chief: Major General F.I. Trukhin (08.1946, hanged), former deputy of the NSH of the North-Western Front of the Red Army

3. Deputy NSH: Colonel (since 09/24/1944 Major General) V.I. Boyarsky

4. officer at the Commander-in-Chief for special assignments: Nikolai Aleksan. Troitsky (b. 1903), in 1924 he graduated from the Simbirsk Polytechnic Institute, then the Moscow Architectural Institute. He worked in the People's Commissariat of Education, scientific secretary of the Moscow Architectural Society, deputy scientific secretary of the Academy of Architecture of the USSR. Arrested in 1937, 18 months was under investigation in the Lubyanka. In 1941 he was taken prisoner, until 1943 he was in a concentration camp. Co-author of the Prague Manifesto KONR. After the war, one of the leaders and organizers of the SBONR. In 1950-55. Director of the Munich Institute for the Study of the History and Culture of the USSR. Author of the book "Concentration camps of the USSR" (Munich, 1955) and a series of short stories.

5. adjutant of the leading group of the Headquarters: Lieutenant A.I. Romashin, Romashkin.

6. commandant of the headquarters: colonel E.V. Kravchenko

7. officer for special assignments: senior lieutenant M.V. Tomashevsky. Graduated from the Faculty of Law of Kharkov University.

8. liaison officer: Nikol. Vladim. Vashchenko (1916 - after 1973), pilot, in 1941 was shot down and taken prisoner. He graduated from propagandist courses in Luckenwald and Dabendorf.
head of the office: Lieutenant S.A. Sheiko
translator: Lieutenant A.A. Kubekov.
Head of the General Department: Lieutenant Prokopenko
head of food supply: captain V. Cheremisinov.

Operations department:

1. Chief, Deputy NSh: Colonel Andrey Geor. Aldan (Neryanin) (1904 - 1957, Washington), the son of a worker. In the Red Army since 1919. He graduated from infantry courses and the Military Academy. M.V. Frunze (1934, with honors). In 1932, he was expelled from the CPSU (b) for a left-Trotskyist deviation, then reinstated. Head of the operational department of the Urals v.o. (1941), was taken prisoner near Vyazma in November 1941, being the head of the operations department of the headquarters of the 20th Army. In 1942-44. member of the Anti-Comintern. Responsible for the organizational activities of the headquarters of the ROA. Chairman of the Union of Liberation Movement Warriors (USA). Member of the Central Bureau of the SBONR.

2nd Deputy: Lieutenant Colonels Korovin

3. head of the subdivision: V.F. Riel.

4. head of the subdivision: V.E. Michelson.

Intelligence department:

Initially, the military and civilian intelligence services were under the jurisdiction of the KONR security department, Lieutenant Colonel N.V. Tensorova. His deputies were Major M.A. Kalugin and b. head of the special department of the headquarters of the North Caucasian v.o. Major A.F. Chikalov. On February 2, 1945, military intelligence separated from civilian intelligence. Under the supervision of Major General Trukhin, a separate intelligence service of the ROA began to be created, and an intelligence department was formed at the Headquarters. On February 22, the department was divided into several groups:
intelligence: chief lieutenant N.F. Lapin (senior assistant to the head of the 2nd department), later - lieutenant B. Gai;

counterintelligence.

enemy intelligence group: Lieutenant A.F. Vronsky (assistant to the head of the 1st department).

According to the order of Major General Trukhin dated 8.03. In 1945, the l / s of the department was, in addition to the chief, 21 officers. Later, Captain V. Denisov and other officers joined the department.

1. chief: major I.V. Grachev

2. head of counterintelligence: Major Chikalov, supervised the operational intelligence of the ROA, since 1945 organized the training of personnel for the military intelligence unit and terrorist actions in the USSR.

Counterintelligence Department:

Chief Major Krainev

Investigation Department:

chief: Major Galanin

Department of secret correspondence:

chief: captain P. Bakshansky

Human Resources Department:

Head: Captain Zverev

Communication department:

head of the office senior lieutenant V.D. Korbukov.

Department of VOSO:

Head: Major G.M. Kremensky.

Topographic department:

Head: Lieutenant Colonel G. Vasiliev. Senior Lieutenant of the Red Army.

Encryption department:

1st head: Major A. Polyakov
2nd Deputy: Lieutenant Colonel I.P. Pavlov. Senior Lieutenant of the Red Army.

Formation department:

1st head: Colonel I. D. Denisov
2nd Deputy: Major M.B. Nikiforov
3. group leader of the formation department: captain G.A. Fedoseev
4. head of the group of formations department: captain V.F. Demidov
5. head of the group of formations department: captain S.T. Kozlov
6. head of the group of the formations department: Major G.G. Sviridenko.

Combat Training Department:

1. Chief: Major General Asberg (Artsezov, Asbyargas) (r. Baku), Armenian. He graduated from a military school in Astrakhan, commander of a tank unit. Colonel of the Red Army. He left the encirclement near Taganrog, was convicted by a military tribunal and sentenced to death in 1942, which was replaced by a penal battalion. In the first battle he went over to the Germans.

2. Deputy: Colonel A.N. Tavantsev.

head of the 1st subdivision (training): Colonel F.E. The black

3. Head of the 2nd subdivision (military schools): Colonel A.A. Denisenko.

4. head of the 3rd subdivision (statutes): lieutenant colonel A.G. Moskvichev.

Command Department:

Consisted of 5 groups.

1. Chief: Colonel (02.1945) Vladimir Vas. Poznyakov (05/17/1902, St. Petersburg - 12/21/1973, Syracuse, USA). In the Red Army since 1919. In 1920 he graduated from the Kaluga command courses. From 09.20 instructor of the newspaper business of the South-Western Front. In 1921-26. student of the Higher Military Chemical School. From 01.26, the head of the chemical service of the 32nd Saratov sd. In 1928-31. teacher at the Saratov school of reserve commanders. In 1931-32. teacher at the Saratov armored school. In 1932-36. head of the chemical service of the Ulyanovsk armored school. Captain (1936). Major (1937). In 1937-39. arrested, tortured. In 1939-41. teacher of chemistry at the Poltava Auto-Technical School. Since 03.41, the head of the chemical service of the 67th SC. Lieutenant Colonel (05/29/1941). 10.1941 was taken prisoner near Vyazma. In 1942, the head of the camp police near Bobruisk, then at the propagandist course in Wulheide. 04.1943 at the Dabendorf school of propagandists, commander of the 2nd cadet company. Since 07.43, the head of the preparatory courses for propagandists in Luckenwalde. In the summer of 1944, he was the head of the ROA propagandist group in the Baltic states. Since 11.1944, the head of the command department of the headquarters of the ROA. On October 9, 1945, he was sentenced to death in absentia. From the beginning of the 50s. taught at military schools of the US Army, worked in the CIA. From the beginning of the 60s. taught at the military aviation school in Syracuse. Author of the books: The Birth of the ROA (Syracuse, 1972) and A.A. Vlasov" (Syracuse, 1973).

2. Deputy: Major V.I. Strelnikov.

3. Head of the 1st subdivision (officers of the General Staff): Captain Ya. A. Kalinin.

4. Head of the 2nd subdivision (infantry): Major A.P. Demsky.

5. head of the 3rd subdivision (cavalry): senior lieutenant N.V. Vashchenko.

6. Head of the 4th subdivision (artillery): Lieutenant Colonel M.I. Pankevich.

7. Head of the 5th subdivision (tank and engineering troops): Captain A. G. Kornilov.

8. Head of the 6th subdivision (administrative and economic and military sanitary services): Major V.I. Panayot.

Russian Liberation Army - ROA. Part 1.