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Template:ImageStackRight The Soviet partisans were members of the anti-fascist resistance movement which fought against the Axis occupation of the Soviet Union during the Second World War.

Beginning of anti-German guerilla resistance

At the end of June 1941, immediately after German forces crossed the Soviet border, the Central Committee of the Communist Party ordered Party members to organize an underground resistance in the occupied territories (pre-war plans for such operation existed). Although formal creation was ordered in 1941, it was only in 1942-43 that underground cells sprang up throughout Ukraine, Belarus, and western Russian regions such as Bryansk occupied by the invaders. Partisans waged guerrilla warfare against the occupiers, and enjoyed increasing support from the local population which was antagonized by German brutality.

Partisans consisted of people left behind the German lines, including escapees from German prisoner of war camps, and refugees from the German terror. No formal recruitment procedures existed. While in some areas in Western Ukraine and Belarus only recently attached to the USSR from Poland parts of the local population was initially supportive to the German occupation that drove out the oppressive Stalinist regime, they soon found out that the Nazi rule was even more brutal as future of locals was seen as getting killed, expelled or used for slave labor. Naturally, under this circumstances, many locals rallied to join the anti-fascist resistance.

Areas of operations

Partisans in Belarus

Belarus had the largest number of Soviet partisans, numbering over 300,000 fighters under the leadership of Panteleymon Ponomarenko, Petr Masherov and others. As early as the spring of 1942 they were able to effectively harass German troops and significantly hamper their operations in the region.

Partisans in Ukraine

The first Ukrainian partisan detachments appeared in Chernihiv and Sumy regions. They developed out of Mykola Popudrenko's and Sydir Kovpak's underground groups, but only became a formidable force in 1943, by which stage they were operating throughout occupied Ukraine and numbered over 150,000 fighters.

Partisans in western Russia

In Bryansk region Soviet partisans controlled vast areas behind the German rear. In the summer of 1942 they effectively held territory of more than 14 000 square kilometers with population of over 200,000 people. Soviet partisans in the region were led by Alexei Fyodorov, Alexander Saburov and others and numbered over 60,000 men. Belgorod, Kursk, Novgorod, Pskov and Smolensk regions also had significant partisan activity during the occupation period.

Partisans in the Baltic States

Soviet Partisans also operated in the Baltic States. In Estonia, they were under the leadership of Nikolay Karotamm. In Latvia they were first under Russian and Belarussian command, and from January 1943, directly subordinated to the Central Staff in Moscow, under the leadership of Arturs Sprongis. Another prominent commander was the historian Vilis Samsons, head of a unit of 3000 men. He is responsible for destroying about 130 German military trains. In Lithuania, the partisans had a separate command from November 1942, under Antanas Sniečkus. In the Vilnius Ghetto, a resistance organisation called FPO-Fareinikte Partisaner Organizatzie was established by Communist and Zionist partisans - their first leaders were Yitzhak Witenberg, a member of the Communist Party, and the writer Abba Kovner.

In all three Baltic States the largest number of the Soviet partisans were Russians, Jews as well some Belarussians. The resistance movement of the Latvians, Lithuanians, and Estonians was separate, and generally hostile to the Soviet political sytem, therefore, only a small number of people of these nationalities joined the cause of the Soviet partisans.

Assessment

The partisans' activities included disrupting the railroad communications and intelligence gathering and, typically, small hit and run operations. With the German supply lines already over extended the partisan operations in the rear of the front lines were able to severely disrupt the flow of supplies to the army that acted deep into the Soviet territory.

Among the targets of Soviet partizans were not only Axis military but also civilians accused to be Nazi collaborators or sometimes even those who did not supported partizans strong enough. According to the modern standards some of these attacks might be classified as war crimes, the most infamous one been the Koniuchy massacre. Today, in Latvia some former Soviet partisans are prosecuted for the alleged war crimes.

In the second half of the war, major partisan operations were coordinated with Soviet offensives. Partisans were often supported by airlifts. Upon liberation of parts of the Soviet territory the corresponding partisan detachments usually joined the regular Army.

Soviet partisans inflicted hundreds of thousands of casualties on Axis forces and contributed significantly to the Soviet victory in the Great Patriotic War. In Belarus alone the guerillas liquidated, injured and took prisoner some 500 000 German soldiers

List of famous Soviet partisans

• Petr Braiko
• Alexei Fyodorov
• Nikolay Karotamm
• Vsevolod Klokov
• Vasiliy Kononov
• Abba Kovner
• Sidor Kovpak
• Petr Masherov
• Maryte Melnikaite
• Panteleymon Ponomarenko
• Mykola Popudrenko
• Zinaida Portnova
• Alexander Saburov
• Vilis Samsons
• Antanas Sniečkus
• Arturs Sprongis
• Yitzhak Witenberg

References

External links

• Biography of Braiko
• Account of Partisan activity in Western Ukraine
• Famous partisan-miners
• Template:Ru icon People with clear conscience — Memoires of Pyotr Petrovich Vershigora
• Template:Ru icon It happened by Rovno — Memoires of Dmitry Nikolaevich Medvedev

• World War II resistance movements
• Soviet Army
• National liberation movements