Division "Russland": numbers, symbols, flag, photo

During the Second World War, the Wehrmacht had a Russland division (also known as the First Russian National Army). It included white emigrants, their children and, in general, the opponents of the Communists who fought on the side of the Reich.

Boris Smyslovsky

The nazi division "Russland" is most connected with the name of its founder Boris Smyslovsky. He used the pseudonym Arthur Holmston. In historiographical sources it is called in different ways. Sometimes the compromise surname Holmston-Smyslovsky is used.

This man was born in 1897 in the Vyborg province of the Russian Empire. During the Civil War fought on the side of the Reds, then on the White side. In the end, he joined the Armed Forces of the south of Russia under the command of Anton Denikin.

After the defeat of the white Smyslovsky settled in Poland, where there lived a lot of emigrants and opponents of the Bolsheviks. Here the young man finished his education. In the late 20-ies moved to Germany, where he went to serve in the army. Just at this time in the country the Nazis came to power.

Collaborative movement in white emigration

When Hitler attacked the Soviet Union, he not without reason hoped for the support of the white immigrants who lived in Europe since the October Revolution. They all hated the Communists who took their country from them. The exiles often took a radical position. In addition, in a white environment, anti-Semitism was a frequent phenomenon (some believed that the Jews disorganized the empire).

Therefore it is not surprising that the Third Reich and emigrants found a common language. This cooperation had many fruits, including the Russland division. Smyslovsky from the very beginning of the war was engaged in the organization of volunteer Russian detachments, which joined the Wehrmacht. He himself served in the Abwehr (intelligence) and possessed all the qualities necessary for the leader.

Plans Smyslovsky

The collaborative movement among the Russians was heterogeneous. But most of it appeared precisely because of dislike of the Bolsheviks. Smyslovsky set the task of destroying communist power with the help of the Wehrmacht. After this, according to his plans, at home, it was possible to build a Russian national state that would become an ally of the Nazis. Since Hitler would have to get bogged down in the war against Britain and the United States, the importance of his Slavic ally would grow with time. So Smyslovsky hoped to gain political independence from the Reich.

His plan was ideal on paper, but on the battlefield everything was much more complicated. All the collaborators, including the Russland division, hoped that the Soviet Union would fall under the blows of the Wehrmacht, to which all the captured mainland Europe worked. However, this did not happen.

First, the Red Army stopped the German offensive near Moscow. In 1942, the Battle of Stalingrad took place, which became a radical change in the war. Since then, the Germans and their allies have gradually retreated to the west, liberating Russian cities.

Relations with Vlasovites

In addition to Smyslovsky's army, in the collaborative movement during the period of the greatest Nazi occupation, there were several larger compounds. Division "Russland", whose number never exceeded 10 thousand people, was noticeably inferior in size to the Russian Liberation Army Andrei Vlasov.

This is because the formations had different goals. Vlasovtsy fought directly at the front, while the soldiers of the Russland division were mainly engaged in sabotage and fighting partisans in the rear.

Repression against the division

The beginning of the war with the USSR Smyslovsky met in Poland, where he was engaged in reconnaissance. In the next two years, he basically carried out assignments of staffs. Finally, in 1943, Russland was formed. Smyslovsky became its head. At that time, among the Germans, he was known under the new pseudonym of Colonel von Regenau.

Becoming the head of a large unit, Smyslovsky began to establish contacts with the Ukrainian insurgent army, as well as the Polish Army of the Territory. Because of this, in December 1943 he was arrested. For a while, the Russland division was even disbanded. The symbolism of this formation turned out to be banned, inside it cleansed, arranged by the Gestapo.

Liberation Smyslovsky

The reason for Smyslovsky's arrest was not only his dubious ties with the Poles and Ukrainians, but also his reluctance to sign the Smolensk appeal of General Vlasov. Between the two leaders of the collaborationist movement there were strained relations. Smyslovsky did not share Vlasov's views and did not contact him, although they had to meet at the German headquarters.

The Smolensk appeal called on the Russians to fight against the Bolsheviks in the east and the capitalists in the west. Smyslovsky believed that there was no need to follow the German leadership's direction - this could lead to too great losses. The general tried to defend, if not an independent position, then at least her appearance. His rash steps led to the arrest.

The investigation lasted six months. Smyslovsky was rescued by Admiral Canaris, who stood up for the Russian general. After that, the Russland division was reinstated. The photo of the general began to appear again in the propaganda press as a positive example of the Reich service. Then the "Russland" and was nothing more than an intelligence formation. Nevertheless, Smyslovsky after the release received the rank of colonel, which allowed him not to pay attention to the commands of most of the German generals.

The end of Russland

The Intelligence Division "Russland" (whose flag was a white-blue-red cloth) was reorganized at the very end of the war in February 1945. By that time, the Third Reich was in a deplorable state. The Germans continued to retreat and were already on the borders of their own state. Generalism was in a panic. Nevertheless, the fanatical figure of Hitler and the atrocities of the Gestapo still maintained discipline.

In 1945, the Germans began to resort to measures that they would never have gone to in better times. So, the Wehrmacht gave Smyslovsky almost complete independence. His division was renamed the First Russian National Army.

In April 1945, no more than 500 people remained in its composition. All of them were hastily evacuated to the tiny alpine principality of Liechtenstein. After the war, the authorities of this state refused to extradite the fugitives to the Soviet Union. Many of them freely emigrated to Latin America. Smyslovsky remained in Liechtenstein and died there many years later, in 1988.